Midterm Reflections: waist deep

image courtesy of http://www.cs4fn.org/fundamentals/networks.php

1. After studying media for eight weeks in this class, what have you learned? Please be specific.
After studying in this class for 8 weeks, I have learned way more than I ever could have expected. I have learned a lot about new interactive forms of media, which I previously knew almost nothing about, like Twitter, FourSquare, etc. I don’t think I’ll ever become a part of these networks, but they are interesting concepts to learn about. In addition, now every time I see a commercial, TV show, movie, etc., I start to pick it apart and I start to see how the makers are trying to influence me. Using this information, I am able to digest the information presented to me in a more reflective and active way, instead of just letting it wash over me like that majority of viewers.
2. What is the most important thing you have learned about yourself as a critical reader, a writer, and a thinker in this class so far?
As a critical reader, I have learned that in order to really digest information, I need a decent chunk of time, and to be fully invested in the piece. Of our readings, I really got into Media/Society and Feed, as well as the first couple chapters of Censored 2011, and because if that, I was able to really think about the information presented and comment on it and critique what I learned. I have also become a very critical reader of visual texts due to the power tools that we were introduced to. Now I look at everything I see through the eyes of the power tools, and whether I like it or not, I am a much more active viewer.
As a critical writer, I feel that the blogs have helped me a lot, especially the media meditations. Because I have to be a critical writer, I have become a more critical reader and viewer and experiencer of life, something that I think is really important to being an intellectual, observant individual.
My skills gained in both critical reading and writing has forced me to become a more critical overall thinker. Everything you learn in the span of a lifetime influences how you think and react to every situation in your life, and because of my exposure to the power tools and the other things learned in this class, I have a completely new outlook on the media and the world in general.
3. What’s one thing you would do differently this first half of the semester if you were to take this class again?
If I were to take this class again, I would most likely try to space out the reading for the assignments we had. I found all of the information very interesting, but for the majority of the readings, I did not have the time to digest and read them as closely as I should have. I know that I work under pressure more efficiently, and therefore procrastinate with almost all of my work, but with reading, it is not as easy to work under a time crunch. So, if I were to take the class again, I would have started the assignments earlier, in order to get as much as possible out of the class.
4. What’s the one thing you would like me to do differently the first half of the semester if you were to take the class again?
If I were to take this class again, I would want you to start the grid quizzes earlier. I found them very helpful and enlightening, and I think that they really express what were should be getting out of the class. More practice with them would be really beneficial.









5. Please comment on the usefulness of the power tools, our quizzes, the course blog, your personal blog, our films, and our books (AMUSING, FEED, MEDIA/SOCIETY) as learning tools.
As I previously mentioned, I think that the power tools, the quizzes, and the readings were all essential components of the class, and I learned a lot from each of them. The films that we watched also opened my eyes to the world of persuasion in media, and gave an application to the concepts we were learning through the reading and power tools. A few movies that assisted with this more than the rest were “Reel Bad Arabs,” “The Machine is Us/ing Us,” and “Parisian Love.” The developments being made by the Web and the way that the ideas are expressed are fascinating to me, and by viewing them in a class instead of on my own time really forced me to look at each piece with critical and analytical eyes. The books we read also played a huge role in what I learned. I think that reading Feed first was very important because it served as a dramatic introduction to the class, and because it was a novel instead of a factual book, it grabbed my attention and reeled me in. The other texts provided evidence explaining where we are in the media and where we are going, a thought that both amazes me a scares me. I don’t think that there is one text or video that we have used in class that is expendable; they were all essential for learning what I have. Finally, the blog was an important learning tool, and although it is sometimes a pain to constantly be updating, it is and incredibly important tool to learn about as a student in the world of media.