Now, with just a few weeks until the semester ends, and I am officially a graduate of the University of Michigan, I would like to take some time out to reflect on what I have learned throughout my four years as an undergrad student. I've studied everything from astronomy, economics, to the history of religion in Spanish, to the environment, and way too many classes on the 60's. But, since this is indeed a blog about new media, I propose that it is only correct that I give a mindful account of my progress as a student of new media technology.
I look back at the beginning weeks of this class (when it was actually a comfortable temperature in our classroom versus the suffocating heat that we experienced the other day) and I have to say I have come a long way. Remembering those discussions on what is "new media," brings a comical smile to my face. I can't say that I'm smiling because I can give you or even myself a clear,
concise definition of the term, but I know that I am beginning to wrap my mind around the idea. I have also come a long way from my first week of blogging when I learned the hard way that you apparently can't type your blog in a word document and copy and paste into your blogger screen ( I'm still smiling about that one!).
It's pretty cool to say that I have my own blog, and I made a website on traveling to Barcelona, and now in the final stretch of the semester I will be working on my very own podcast. I pride myself on these accomplishments (even if I'm not exactly proud of all of my finished products). I know that I am really getting at the heart of this new media reality that is seemingly going to represent the future in Journalism, news reporting, entertainment, and everything else that happens in the world.
Everything that we do/have done in this class is so "in" right now. Not to say that a learning experience can be passe or en vogue, but it's totally true! Watch out you just might see a podcast strutting down the runaway (just kidding, that was kinda lame). I am learning about something that is happening today, and that is happening tomorrow, and not just facts and tid-bits on some event that occurred decades ago. Of course history is important, and the future is dependent on the past events, I would just like to note that there is something to be said about learning about blogging and podcasting, when the a large portion of the population doesn't know what either is.
New Media Writing has opened up a whole world to me. Of course I've heard of podcasting and blogging before, but I have to admit that I really didn't know much about what went on with either of them. I had never read Andrew Sullivan, or clicked onto the Huffington Post, or listened to a "This American Life" podcast. I was technically a new media virgin (except for that one time that experimented with Perez).
I hope that after this class wraps up I will continue my relationship with new media technology. I don't even need to say that, because new media has become a part of my life, as it is becoming a part of everyones'. At the end of every semester I gleefully dump all of my scribbled notes, and doodled binders into the big dumpster behind my apartment building. I usually don't want to savor the memories of studying for tests, and writing 15 page papers, I just want to get rid of them and everything that reminds me of them right away! But, this April this certainly won't be the case with my new media materials.
Why? Well, number one is because I don't have a binder for this class. Number two is: you can't just "throw away" a blog, a podcast, or website. These three new media productions are alive and not just filed away under all of my other books. I can't escape my new media creations, and I don't think I am ready to let go of them either.
images retrieved from:
graduation: http://www.cardinalspellman.org/pics/graduation_cap.jpg
smiley: http://www.jester-records.com/images/SmileyFace.jpg
runway: http://www.mcstudios.com/image/pro_stage.jpg
dumpster: http://tvgasm.com/newsgasm/dumpster.jpg
Alex, I found it interesting you compared throwing out what you produced in this class to throwing out what you did in others. How different is it that works in this class are intangible. If you never look at your web site or visit this blog again, is that any different than throwing away your notes and papers?
ReplyDeleteI really liked your personal reflection of how new media has impacted your life. It added a more personal feel to this class. It also made me focus on those first few classes about what is new media. At the time I found them pointless and hard to grapple with. Creating new media entries of my own, though, has helped me zero in on what new media really is.
ReplyDeleteAlex- Glad to hear you feel like the class will stick with you and is relevant to your life right now. The more I explore and think about new media, the more passionate I feel about the need for everyone to be more (new) media literate. We need to be thinking about all this new technology that delivers information to us in new ways. Sounds like you're prepared to continue to do this. One of the questions I have is--how will you keep up with new media? Or is that something we don't even have to worry about? It seems these applications and ideas are so prevalent in modern society that we hear about them through osmosis. But it's then our responsibility as media consumers to follow up, explore, critique, appreciate etc.
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