Medium Specificity

Tea Party Prezi Presentation 

Artist/Teacher Statement

I personally think that Prezi presentations are a lot more engaging than regular power point presentations, just because there is so much you can do with them. Like power point presentations, it’s important that Prezi is used effectively, not just a way to use technology for the sake of using technology. I could totally see my future students using prezi for assignments, but it does cost money. I wonder if schools would look into subscribing to allow students to have access. Prezi is a little difficult to navigate if you aren’t familiar with it, but after spending a solid amount of time figuring things out, it became easer and easier. I love food, and I love tea parties, so I thought it would be fun to create a digital recipe book with all the recipes you need to throw a successful tea party. It would be convenient because you could just pull the presentation up on a tablet/laptop and keep it near while preparing all of the food.  Everything is organized and right at your fingertips.  If future students were to use prezi, they could use it for all sorts of different things including book reports, an explanation of a thesis/paper etc. Prezi allows more creative freedom than powerpoint, but there are also outlines to follow if you don’t want to start from scratch. I started from scratch just because I thought it would be more fun, and because it would help me really grasp the skills needed to create a prezi presentation.  

A Boy and His Orange

For the Digital and Social Media Adaptation assignment, we read Larry Woiwode’s Ode to an Orange, watched Todd Smith’s adaptation of the original story, and then created our own version of the story into a digital and social medium. If I were to apply this assignment to my future English classes, I would start by focusing on a piece of literature that the class has been studying. I would divide students into small groups, or even have them work individually, and each group or individual would be in charge of a chapter from the book. Each group would then take their assigned chapter and make their own condensed digital adaptation. Once finished, students would post their complete adaptation on the class blog. That way the entire class would be able to access other students’ projects. Students would also be required to comment on a certain amount of projects posted on the blog, giving their fellow classmates feedback. Students would be graded on their ability to highlight the main themes and main events in each chapter in a condensed and digital form. This assignment would be beneficial for students because it provides a way for students to better remember important themes and events, as well as converse with their classmates through a digital dialogue. This assignment would also allow for students to engage in learning through various uses of technology, as they explore the ways they can create adaptations through different digital forms. These digital forms include videos, pictures, podcasts, slideshows etc.

Thinking and Writing About Digital Media

          Like most people in the twenty first century, media has played a huge role in my life, especially as a student. Throughout many years of engaging with media, I have developed habits in the way that I consume different types of media including personal media, social media, mass media etc. When using media to communicate with others I prefer the conversation to be more personal and individualized as opposed to group messages, or public posts through Facebook. I’m not a huge fan of contributing to social media, so my posts on sites such as Facebook, or Instagram are very rare. I am more of a consumer of a social media rather than a contributor, which can be both a good and bad thing. Other forms of media are an important part of my life. In fact, my job is at the BYU broadcasting building where I work to help provide BYUTV and KBYUTV to people locally and around the world. I’m also a student studying English where media in the form of books is extremely important to me.

            I enjoy different forms of media such as films, newspapers (both online and printed), books, television, music, cell phones, social media websites etc. The most meaningful media in my life would have to be the media that inspires change within me. This change can be something simple such as providing a smile on my face, or something more impactful such as offering a different perspective on things causing me to think differently or deeper. I also enjoy the convenience that media provides in my life. Through media I am able to keep in touch with friends all over the world. I am able to complete school work with help from websites such as Learning Suite. I am able to surf the web, listen to music, and so much more. It’s hard to imagine a life without the accessibility of media.

            Although media can be a huge source of good, it can also be extremely difficult to navigate through as it offers negative and dangerous sources for those looking for negative sources, as well as those actively trying to avoid negative sources. Some of the guidelines I use to make the most of my interaction with media is to limit my use of it. Like most things, media is good in regulated amounts. I find that when I am spending too much time engaging in different kinds of media I start to develop a warped sense of reality. One thing that helps me when navigating through different types of media is to have a purpose while engaging in media, and this purpose can be simple, such as watching a short youtube video for a study break.

            I feel that my media habits could definitely be beneficial as a teacher, because I try to engage with media in a positive and useful way that would allow students to use and experience media in a way that will help them learn and progress. I like to remain up to date with technology and am not intimidated by learning new things about technology, and I think that that is very important as a teacher, because the world of technology is always changing and students are usually pretty tech savvy. I also feel that a regulated use of technology and media in the classroom is important so that students are still engaging in ideas and class discussions with one another.