Is School Interfering with My Learning?

I know what the purpose of homework is.  At least I think I do.  Correct me if I'm wrong, but I believe it's to give me a chance to practice what I've learned, and/or to increase my understanding of a concept outside of

I really do love school... Usually

class.  Furthermore, I know the purpose of due dates.  In my future career, I will most likely have dates when I will have to have projects or jobs finished.  Also, having due dates teaches responsibility and planning.  Now that that's established, I'm about to say some very mean things about homework, and I hope the reader will remember what I have already said.

Lately some interesting things have occurred in my education.  The other week I had a large homework load, with several tests to take within a few days, and the due dates for some projects were and are still looming before me.  I felt burnt out, but powered through the assignments, including one large paper.  This paper in particular was difficult because I would have to find two articles to back up what I'd already found in a book.  With everything going on that week, there simply wasn't time to find the articles, and I personally felt that what I had from the sources I'd already cited was good enough.  I also realized that if I didn't turn in the paper on time, I would get a 0 for that assignment, which would take me down to a B- in the class.  If, however, I could get only a 50%, I would keep an A-.  So I decided to skip the articles, turn in the paper the way it was, and actually do my Astronomy homework also due that day.  Something was better than nothing, right?

I was commiserating with my boyfriend and our mutual friend later that week about school, and our mutual friend mentioned that he had not yet turned in an assignment that had been due for nearly a week because he wanted it to be done just right; every day it was late he would lose a few percentage points, but he didn't mind as long as he could do a good job on it and be proud of the work he'd done.  My boyfriend and I looked at each other and basically agreed (paraphrasing Sweet Brown), "Quality work?  Ain't nobody got time for that!"  I have, sadly, been struggling just to get my assignments finished.  I know what I need to do to get a decent grade, and whether or not it's my best work I turn it in once it's done and move on to the next one.  That's all I have time for.

But I envy that friend who cares more about being proud of his work than about his grade.  After that conversation, I realized that for many of my classes, I have not learned a thing; I have done homework, and I have studied, but I have not learned.

Then something else happened.  It has become fairly clear that I am not going to be accepted to medical school this year.  While this is a blow, what's worse is knowing what to do next.  If I were to reapply this year, my application would need to show that I have had multiple new experiences since the least time I applied in order to be taken seriously.  I reviewed the last year and realized that I'd only volunteered at a retirement home for a total of 15 hours, and written my Honors Thesis.  That isn't enough to be truly significant.

I felt like an idiot.  Why hadn't I done more research or worked at a hospital or volunteered as a mentor?  I had two semesters and, basically, all I'd done was... school.  I'd been trying to keep my GPA high and take a few last undergraduate classes before moving on to more focused studies.  I thought over each of my 4.5 years of college and wondered, "What have I been doing?"  I realized that my extracurricular activities should have been more important than my schoolwork.  I should have taken more time to serve the community, get involved in more clubs, and work.  My best experiences have probably included tutoring at an elementary school, shadowing a physician, and serving the elderly.  But I didn't do much of those things because I was busy with school.

That's not to say I haven't enjoyed many of my college courses.  Anatomy, Physiology, Dissection Techniques, and Genetics were some of my favorites.  I've enjoyed nearly all my English classes (which is good, because that was my major).  I remember writing a paper about hair archetypes in art and how they have changed through the ages, and I loved it.  In that same class a group of students and I made a pamphlet describing how to wax a snowboard; it was fun.  That instructor told us to do whatever we wanted for our project, and so we got to be creative.  It seems that whenever I'm free to learn at my own pace in my own way about whatever I want, I like it more, I learn more, and I retain more.

I don't completely blame school or my instructors for what's happened; obviously I have to put forth effort and desire in order to enjoy learning.  But I have noticed that in classes where I have a list of things I have to do (I'm talking about stuff like, "You must write a five page paper on why birds fly south, and you must have four sources and at least one must be a book and at least one must be an article, and you have to use the vocabulary discussed in class"), I will absolutely do them, but it will be rote and with the minimum effort I can give.  And I will pull off an A.  In classes where I can learn about a subject I'm interested in without too many constraints, I'll run free and make a masterpiece, and I'll remember it forever.  I have gotten lots of B's in my favorite classes, but I don't regret those B's.  They were hard-won.

I can't blame a professor for giving homework, though I do resent it when he or she gives me a list of tasks rather than a plate of topics to learn about.  But I will say this: I wish I had done what I love more, instead of doing what I had to in order to get a grade.

Reflecting on the Semester

It's been a good semester, and I've learned a lot and done some awesome things.  So today I'm going to talk about those things.

Self-directed Learning/Personal Blog Posts
This class emphasized self-directed learning quite a bit.  We were supposed to take charge of our education and seek out information on our own.  I talked about my learning a little in some of my blog posts.

I studied several trends in digital culture, including hactivism, amateur business (including blogging and vlogging), online television watching, time-wasting and impatience (which I related to Dickens' Hard Times), and another collaborative novel, Atlanta Nights.  Yes, I was all over the place.  At the surface level, I talked about anything that caught my attention for more than five seconds.  However, in this post, I demonstrated that I actually did have a theme.  I was becoming more digitally cultured as I learned about these things, and I showed how our culture is progressing.

For the most part, I used Google+ to give examples of what we learned about in class.  I mentioned  Teach With Portals and Type Racer, both of which use gamification to teach skills.  When we were talking about remix culture, I posted an article about Romeo and Juliet in the modern age, and then discussed The Lizzie Bennet Diaries webseries.

I read Hard Times by Charles Dickens and discussed it in several different ways.  First, the speed of the Industrial Revolution is similar to our ever changing digital culture.  Next, the loss of the individual in the utilitarian theory of Mr. Gradgrind relates to the question of identity in online avatars (which we discussed in our collaborative novel).  As mentioned above, I discussed time and impatience in the novel and today.  Finally, I found the theme of measuring in Hard Times, and related that to badges, "liking" on Facebook, and number of hits.  The novel helped me notice trends in my culture that I may not have seen otherwise, and I started to wonder if these trends were good or bad.

Also, I read Bolter and Grusin's non-fiction book, Remediation.  After reading about immediacy and hypermediacy, I constantly noticed whether or not I forgot that I was working with an interface while using various media.  If I was constantly brought back into contact with the interface, I thought, "Hey, this is hypermedia.  Are my senses being satiated in order to create the illusion of reality?  If not, why am I using this?"  It was interesting to ask myself how the media imitated real life, and I was more aware of the imitation.

Collaboration
This was a big part of our group project.  My personal contributions included the following: after we all came up with ideas for our novel, I came up with a basic outline for the plot.  The group gave me feedback, and I came back with a revised version, and then we tweaked it enough that we all liked it.  Then we all created a a bio for various characters.  My job was to flesh out James' background and personality.  I also wrote the basic outline for two chapters for other contributors to work from.  After we had the site up, I helped write a section of the novel.  Finally, I found authors to help us out.  I got a few friends to do some sections, and I also wrote to the Quark writing club, talked to my creative writing class, and a few other organizations, though I haven't seen any evidence that these latter groups ended up contributing.

I collaborated in other ways as well.  I reviewed the first iteration of the Monster Mashup group's project, which I hope was helpful.  Also, I submitted a poem to the Menagerie group for their site.  In general, I tried to give feedback when I could during class presentations and on Google+, and I found additional information when it seemed helpful (like when we talked about net neutrality and I posted a review of Tim Wu's book The Master Switch).

Others' Assistance
All of my group members were very helpful.  They each inspired me.  In particular, Jason Hamilton, our group leader, kept me excited and motivated to finish our project.  Another group member, Heather Anderson, helped me with topics outside of our project, too.  Her blog focused on the good and bad of digital culture, and it was always helpful to see different sides to various subjects, including RFID tags and online connections.  I've already mentioned in previous posts how Gwendolyn Hammer has helped me understand remix culture and Machinima. 

Digital Literacy
I have definitely developed my digital literacy through consumption this semester.  I began using Pinterest, Google Reader, and Google Sites for the first time, and used blogs and Google Docs more efficiently.  These sites may seem very basic to others, but we all have to start somewhere.  These have been helpful in and outside of class.  For instance, I have used Pinterest to bookmark and find recipes for my dinner group (yes, I'm no longer just using it for Doctor Who!), and I waste less time thanks to Google Reader, since I no longer have to check through a million sites for updates; I just check Reader, and I don't have to look any further.

Most of my online creating has been through various blogs.  My individual blog was useful to get my personal thoughts down, and on the group blog I posted a character bio and plot outline.  Also, because of what I learned about amateur business and beta in this class, I started a creative writing blog, which may eventually bring me some revenue, and where I post rough drafts of poems and stories I've written.

Finally, I have connected with others online a lot this semester.  Most of it was due to our collaborative project.  I contacted friends, family, clubs, and people found through Google+ to help with the novel.  Also, I connected with my group members on Google Docs and on Google+ in a much more efficient way than I have before.  I love using Google Docs to do preliminary collaboration on a project now.  I see that it's a good alpha- and beta-testing site to use when you're starting a group discussion.  Then you can move it to more sophisticated sites and services. 

That's one thing I've come to understand better this semester: once you consume, create, and connect, you have to start that process over again.  After we received feedback about our group blog, we looked at other possible venues, and moved our project to a Google Site/Wiki.  We made it as accessible as possible, then asked others to evaluate it, and submit material.  After more feedback, we started the process again.  Digital literacy has become a question of seeking social proof, and using that to improve the way I consume, create, and connect. 

Final Exam Questions

Objective:

1.  In Bolter and Grusin's Remediation: Understanding New Media, what is one difference between hypermediacy and immediacy?
a) Hypermediacy refers to media where you are so immersed in the media that you forget that you are using the interface, while immediacy refers to media where you are constantly brought back into contact with the interface.
b) Hypermediacy refers to media where you are constantly brought back into contact with the interface, while immediacy refers to media where you are so immersed in the media that you forget that you are using the interface.
c) Hypermediacy refers to media that represents old media in a new way, while immediacy refers to media that is completely different from old media and does not draw on the past.
d) Hypermediacy refers to media that is completely different from old media and does not draw on the past, while immediacy refers to media that represents old media in a new way.
Answer found here

2. _________ is a form of civil disobedience in digital culture.  Examples include e-mail bombing, web page defacing, and web sit-ins.
Answer found here

3. Machinima uses video game engines to create movies.  However, Gwendolyn Hammer points out that not all movies made with video games are Machinima.  Why is that?
a) Machinima requires that you make your own story out of the game, not simply record the game being played.
b) Machinima requires that you use Bandicam to record it.
c) Machinima can only be done using PC games, not console games.
d) Machinima can only be done on games with a "Theater Mode."
Answer found here

Essay Questions:

1. Although our society is dependent on digital media, that does not mean we are addicted to it.  Digital media allows us to do great things we couldn't do any other way, and we need it in order to get along, but that is not a bad thing.
See blog post here.

2. As Heather Anderson states, in the end, the majority will find the correct answer.  Although Web 2.0 can sometimes lead to misinformation as many non-professionals comment online, when more people contribute and collaborate there is more accuracy as the many correct one another.
See blog post here.

The Blogging Mindset

It was Thanksgiving this week, and one of my favorite things about Thanksgiving is getting together with my extended family.  This year is especially important because my paternal grandmother has been diagnosed with ALS, or Lou Gehrig's Disease.  It's incurrable, and her condition will only worsen with time.  So being with her and my grandfather, who is caring for her, was a big deal this year, since I don't know how much longer I'm going to have her in this life.

As usual, at the end of the feast we went around and everyone said what they're thankful for.  The younger kids said, "Family," "Ditto," and "Mom."  I said something that I wish was a little deeper, and then the parents got teary-eyed as they talked about their children and spouses.  And then it got to Grandma and Grandpa.  She said she's grateful for Grandpa.  Grandpa, in turn, said that he's grateful to still have Grandma around, and that he's glad he's still healthy so he can care for her in their home and not at a clinic.  And then he said that after she's gone there will be no reason for him to stick around any longer.


That's right, I'm related to them.

That might sound a little depressing, but my grandparents have a love story that inspires me.  You see, my grandpa is a convert to the LDS church, and it was my grandmother that initially introduced him to it, and helped him throughout his conversion process.  He told me that in his youth he'd searched for the true church, and when he couldn't find it, he turned to a more scientific approach to life.  Then he met Grandma, and he found the truth as well.  I'm probably getting that wrong, but that's what I understand.  When I looked at them holding hands at the table, I thought that perhaps Grandpa loves Grandma so deeply because she is one of the reasons he now has an eternal family.  So when he said after she goes he won't have a reason to stay, I wasn't really upset.  He knows where they're going, and to be apart from his wife for very long would be worse than leaving this mortal life.

As I sat at the table, watching my grandparents hold hands, I thought of how strong their family is.  Every one of their descendents over age 8 has been baptised, two grandkids have served missions with another currently serving, and two others have been married in the temple.  We have strong testimonies of the gospel and of Jesus Christ, and we are a tightly-knit group.  I think that we devote our well-being to our grandparents.  Not only did they teach our parents, who then taught us, but they continually set an example for us.  Their stalwart faith has given our family a rock to stand on.  Their love has taught me what a normal relationship looks like.

I thought all this at dinner, and then I thought, "I want to blog about this."  Why?  Because I like talking.  I like giving my opinions and telling stories.  And I feel like my grandparents are inspiring.  But blogging is kind of a new outlet for me.  It suits me well.  I feel like I've always had the blogging mindset.  I like getting my thoughts down on paper, and I also like sharing those thoughts.  Combine those together and you get a blog.

It's possible our generation has more of a blogging mindset because blogs are available.  Or maybe humans always had that write/share mindset and now we just have a better means of enacting it.  Anyway, it's something I've noticed lately.  I like telling my story, and I like the idea that others can benefit from it, even if I don't know them.  Blogging has been a great outlet for me for that reason.

My grandparents inspire me, and I'm grateful for both of them this Thanksgiving season.  And I'm glad I could share some thoughts about them with you.

Ideas For Our Case Study

As we come to the end of the semester, we're trying to think of a case study group we could talk to about our collaborative novel.  Here are some of my ideas:

We could present the idea to creative writing professors on campus.  We could discuss how they could use this idea in their classes.  Collaborative writing is a challenge, and online collaboration could be a good way for students to practice this form.  Also, it might help students develop characters and plot.  For example, one student must write an outline and a character bio that is complete enough that another student could write a short story/chapter about that character.  Students realize how their characters need to be developed more.  Finally, using this format, students recognize tone and style.  They realize that they do have their own voice in writing and it is different from their classmates.  It is a challenge to write like each other and try to keep the voice the same.

Another group to whom we could present our idea are creative writing clubs.  In this case, the purpose is not so much teaching, but trying out a new form.  It could be an activity for the group to try out.  We can also explain that in this format, one author doesn't have to do so much.  They can write a novel faster by crowd sourcing it.

Also, we could take this to a creative writing conference.  We could talk about crowd sourcing and online creative writing projects going on right now, and then discuss our format.  This might be a TedX style talk, where we show what we did and invite others to try it out.  While this would be the best case study group as it would reach further, it might be hard to find a conference going on right now.

If I could do it again

Project CCC is moving forward, but there are a few things I've noticed that might have helped make this go smoother.  If anyone else attempts to write a collaborative novel, or if I could go back in time and give myself some advice when we first started, this is what I would say.

1. Allow adequate time.  When we began this project, we assumed it wouldn't be too hard to find people to write for us, and since the segments would be so short, everyone could write their section in only a few hours.  In reality, we had to keep pushing our deadlines back so we'd have time to find writers to fill up all the sections. 

If I were to do this again, and if we didn't have the time constraints a semester imposes, I would have allowed more time to find authors, and for authors to find us.  Ideally, I'd give it a month from the time we started accepting submissions to the time we closed it to the public.  Then I'd give us another month to revise and publish.  As it is, we're going to be pushing things to properly edit this novella.

2. Don't overestimate your number of collaborators, and recognize personal connections.  As I mentioned, it was harder than we thought it would be to find people.  Personally, I imagined opening this website to the public and getting tons of volunteers from across the country due to digital media.  Our blog got around 400 hits that first month, so why wouldn't we have lots of authors from that alone?  And then there was the Facebook group, and I assumed those members would tell their friends, who would tell their friends, and etc until we had to start saying, "Sorry, people, all the sections are filled."  In the end, the people we got to sign up were mostly personal contacts.  I texted a friend I know loves writing, and he got several people involved.  We also went to clubs and classes on campus, and a few people from Engl 195 signed up.  When we made personal or physical contact, that's when people started committing.

In a way, digital culture failed us here.  While we may have gotten a couple of people to participate because they simply found our website or blog, our best contributors were actually people we already knew, or people we talked to face-to-face.  Again, perhaps time was against us here.  It's possible my dream of collaborators stumbling across our blog and volunteering their time would work if we left this open for several months.  But if you need something done quick, think of your friends and family who already enjoy writing, go to them, and ask them to participate.  Don't rely on unknown masses when time is of the essence.

3. Make a clear, clean website.  This was something we heard again and again.  We started off with a blog, which many found confusing.  We then created a Google Site, hoping it would be more straightforward.  While our content was finally in one place, and it explained more about how to contribute, we still had a problem with grabbing newcomers.  It took too long to get into the plot line, the characters, and the novel in general. 

We're working on these problems, but it's a little late in the game.  Again, the timing thing got in our way.  We needed an inviting, clear website that would introduce newcomers to the novel quickly (as in summarizing the plot and characters), but also explain in a clear way how to contribute to those who wanted to help write.  This is perhaps one of the greatest things I've learned from this class: content must be accessible and understandable, and the format must be clean and easy to follow.  There's no one way to do this, of course, and it requires lots of social proof to find out the best way to present your content.  So if someone were to try our idea out for themselves, I would suggest they get feedback early about the website/blog/whatever digital media they use, and update it accordingly.  Don't be afraid of beta, but try to get this part done early so your potential contributors don't get frustrated.


We've enjoyed Project CCC.  Honestly, I loved collaborating with my team members about plot, characters, the website, and getting contributors, and I really liked writing my segment.  If you haven't, you should check out our site at https://sites.google.com/site/collaborationfornovels/home and do a little collaborative writing.  It's fun!  You feel like you're part of something bigger than yourself.  And I think this idea of online collaboration can work for a novel.  It's still working for us.  I just wish we'd done a few things differently.

Nostalgia

Thursday's class was very nostalgic.  We talked about how video and computer games teach us skills.  As we listed games such as Roller Coaster Tycoon, Sim City, and Civilization, which build civic and economic talents, I remembered playing these games as a kid.  And I think I really did learn how to manage money and resources thanks to these games.  They taught me that sometimes it's worth it to sacrifice a little now in order to get ahead later, but also that the big, shiny things aren't always the most useful.

This week, I traveled to Texas, and I remembered another important game from my childhood: Flight Simulator.  I played it in a technology class in Junior High.  No, really, it was assigned.  I had to successfully take off, fly, and land a plane using some basic equipment like a joystick, brakes and gas pedals, and a computer.  It was pretty awesome.  I never really landed very well, but this week when I was sitting on my plane, waiting to take off, I remembered playing that game. 

Flight Simulator panel

And I remembered you wait until you've reached a certain speed before lifting off the ground.  I remembered you have to watch your instruments, but once you're in the air, you can basically relax.  I remembered trying to land is like the hardest thing ever, and I usually ended up off the runway.  Now, my future career has nothing to do with flying planes, but I have a greater appreciation for what my pilot is doing, and I understand what's happening and why when I fly.

Games like Flight Simulator actually are used in job training.  Sometimes they aren't referred to as games, but they allow a person to practice a useful skill before they do it in real life.  For instance, surgeons can practice various procedures using virtual reality simulators before they perform them on an actual patient. 

When I was a kid, I never thought the games I was playing might be important to my personal development or career.  Well, maybe those Jumpstart games.  The school openly admitted they were trying to prepare you for the next year.  But besides that, I was just having fun.  Looking back, though, those games did change me.  Even Flight Simulator, which didn't directly influence my future career, has given me more confidence while flying, and a greater appreciation for what's going on in the cockpit.

See, Parents?  It wasn't all wasted time.