I spent the week "breaking ground." I worked on a new image for my blog, I looked for new blogs to follow, I assembled the arsenal of digital tools that I will need to erect this "CyberInfrastructure." I am not looking for a digital face lift, I am looking to add a digital voice to my digital identity.
That's where I got stuck. I wanted to reflect on the past week and all I could do was assemble the words of others. I tried weaving them together in a narrative, but it didn't sound right. And then, I found this remix from Tom Woodward and I realized that this is exactly the piece that I was missing in
the digital literacy puzzle: remix, redesign and reinterpret what I have learned
so that it has meaning for me.
That's where I got stuck. I wanted to reflect on the past week and all I could do was assemble the words of others. I tried weaving them together in a narrative, but it didn't sound right. And then, I found this remix from Tom Woodward and I realized that this is exactly the piece that I was missing in
the digital literacy puzzle: remix, redesign and reinterpret what I have learned
so that it has meaning for me.
So, here is my attempt to recreate what I learned this week. Week 3, bring it on!
I selected this image of the alphabet by Norwegian photographer Kjell Sandved, because of the concept of the emergent chrysalis. My friend, Cheryl Arnett had one set up in her classroom this month for the beginning of the school year. Her young students were fascinated when the butterfly emerged from its cocoon. I imagine my digital voice emerging in this way.
"Technology amplifies the recursive practices of narrating, curating & sharing. You need to learn how to control feedback."
Digital lessons learned:
Embed, Embed, Embed
Link to a Certain Time in a YouTube Video
Creating Animated GIFs with MPEG Streamclip and GIMP
Adding Labels to Blogger
Adding a Twitter Feed to Blogger
Post from Blogger Direct to Google+
"Technology amplifies the recursive practices of narrating, curating & sharing. You need to learn how to control feedback."
Digital lessons learned:
Embed, Embed, Embed
Link to a Certain Time in a YouTube Video
Creating Animated GIFs with MPEG Streamclip and GIMP
Adding Labels to Blogger
Adding a Twitter Feed to Blogger
Post from Blogger Direct to Google+
I think that idea of developing a digital voice is important. Voice is part of our identity. The initial query of folks is: is my digital voice an offshoot of my regular voice of a writer/composer? Or do I create something entirely new?
ReplyDeleteThanks for sharing.
Kevin
#talkingheadless106
I don't think that it is creating something new. I think it is about understanding how the medium 'distorts' your voice (like speaking into a loudspeaker) and learning how to have your voice heard clearly. The something new is what you create. The voice is how you say it. Thanks for listening!
DeleteWe could almost use your words as the tagline for ds106 -- " remix, redesign and reinterpret what I have learned so that it has meaning for me."
ReplyDeleteThis is the iterative and growth powered method not just for creating art and digital media, but the learning process. Listening and absorbing (or rejecting, at least considering) are key elements here- we do not learn alone.
And because this is not a facelift, the changes may seem incremental over time, ut I will come just short of guarantee, when we reach the end of week 15, you will be proudly amazed at your own arc.
Thank you for your feedback. My 'aha' moment was the metaphor of the butterflies. I had forgotten how important metaphors are in writing and learning. The imagery allows us to use the digital tools remix how we see things. I am already amazed at the changes in my voice. #ds106 #4life!
ReplyDeleteCathleen,
ReplyDeleteI always enjoy your artifacts. Even remember the "groovy" one you made for edcmooc! They are so visually appealing and thought provoking. I also feel the way you do, where I don't want to just assemble someone else's thoughts. I want to figure out a way to make sense of their ideas using my own words, my own voice but still be as articulate as the thinker whose words I'm trying to interpret. It's tough because how do you express what these brilliant and eloquent thinkers have said in your own words without diminishing the meaning and power of the message. Their words sound so much better than any interpretation I can come up with is what I always think. However, as you mention, we can use metaphors, and connect the ideas to our lives. The remixing concepts we are learning show us how we don't always have to put something into our words to express understanding. We can quote someone and arrange words to visually represent meaning. Reminds me of what Mariana Funes created this week using Alan Levine's comments about gifs as art. Guess we learned a little of this in edcmooc too, but here we get to practice this skill in more depth. I think we can hear your unique digital voice loud and clear through this tapestry of meaning. #talkingheadless106
Ary, thank you for your comments. I knew that DS106 would be good for us as we continue to explore digital cultures. The concept of remixing has really got me thinking. Together with @cogdogs comment about art and the animated GIF, I am breaking things down into smaller parts in order to reassemble them to make them meaningful to me. Is this what Gardner Campbell meant by transcontextualization? I am glad that my digital voice is becoming stronger.
DeleteGreat remix Cathleen, and really interesting comments. I tend to think all art / writing / creation is a remix to a degree...just some more explicit than others. We all get inspiration from others or our environment - creation never really happens in a vacuum.
ReplyDeleteOne of the reasons I am taking this course is to improve the Professional Development I do for teachers. How can we help them design projects for their students so that students are able to be creative, explore and synthesize their understanding. I think Remixing is part of that process. Thanks for stopping by.
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