Treatise

1. History

I was part of the 19th century history group, and specifically researched Karl Marx. Stephen Lottermoser and I presented on Marx early in the semester as part of the 19^th century “C” group, and later, I was able to draw some connections between a piece of Marx’ philosophy and my education research for the ebook. I consulted two books for my research on Marx.

2. Core Concepts

My assigned digital concept was participation, and I was especially drawn to the concept of gamification, and our participation group “A” was among those who attempted to develop it as a possible final project idea. I created and shared my own content via blogging and YouTube, and participated actively on google+ (see Create and Connect below). I also reflected upon my participation before this course. The most difficult concept for me during this class was that of Agile Development. I delayed (often indefinitely) releasing posts and ideas that I didn’t feel were polished. I agree that content benefits from a “series of iterations,” but I rarely felt that my content was worthy of “Alpha” designation. In a last ditch effort to embrace Agile Development, however, I include a link to my “Approaching Alpha” blog content from throughout the semester.

I consulted two books in relation to my digital concept: Mediactive, by Dan Gillmor, and The Wisdom of Crowds by James Surowiecki. If this course were to have a universal introductory text, I would nominate Mediactive to the shortlist. 

3. Digital Literacy

Consume Prior to this class, I already frequented a few blogs and was in the habit of skimming multiple news sites every day. I made an effort to share relevant articles with the class via google+ and start discussions based on the claims in these articles. In addition, I watched TED talks, listened to a recorded interview, and attended a lecture on campus.  All of these activities correlated with topics discussed in class and exposed me to several mediums and styles of sharing ideas. I also purchased my assigned books and a few others on a kindle, exposing myself to yet another digital medium. I consumed far more content than I created or shared, and I have come to realize that effectively managing our consumption in the digital world is fundamental to true digital literacy. In a recent Brigham Young University Devotional, Amy Jensen gave the following recommendation, among others: “choose to engage in active media conversations and avoid passive media consumption.” [emphasis added] This class has helped me tend more to the “active media conversations” end of this spectrum.

Create As a result of this course, I feel that my ability to write for the digital medium has improved significantly. In addition to my blog posts, I also played a major role in the creation of an “animate” video for our content group. The idea for the video came from a more polished production that I came across while researching a thought leader in education reform, Sir Ken Robinson. I had little video editing or filming experience, but enjoyed the opportunity to experiment in this new medium. Our content group shot the drawing portion three times, and recorded the audio track separately twice. Then, I imported the raw audio files into Audacity, and split them into shorter segments to make the final edit easier. Finally, I used Windows Live Movie Maker to cut film segments, add audio at the right points, and alter the video playback speed to match the audio. The editing process took about three hours, and the final length of the video was two minutes, fourteen seconds. Within a few of my groups during the semester, I also had the opportunity to experiment with Prezis.

Connect I participated actively in google+ discussions, creating several circles in order to manage the content coming in on my stream from classmates and professors. I also shared what I was learning in this class with friends, coworkers, and former teachers. I refrained from reaching out further because I didn’t feel that my content or ideas were developed enough to support meaningful dialogue.

4. self-directed learning

I wanted my content to be thought-out, intelligent, and truly meaningful first to me and then hopefully to someone else. This desire was the motivation behind my self-directed research and learning activities, outlined above. Several reflective posts embody these desires.

5. collaboration 

Though I utilized digital tools to collaborate among various groups, some principles of collaboration remain the same, regardless of time period. Clear communication, dedication, and sincerity come through across the table or through the webcam.

Conclusion

I feel that as an introduction to digital literacy, this class accomplishes. The effective workload is greater than a typical general education course, but the course would perhaps reach a much smaller audience if it were not placed within the G.E. framework. I also would go so far as to suggest that elements of this course should be included in a required course in the Honors Curriculum, and that the Honors Portfolio should be in blog form.