MIDTERM REFLECTIONS: 21stCenturyMedia

1. After studying for eight weeks in this class, what have I learned?

- Media today has grown to where everyday of our lives is consumed with advertisements, messages, persuasion, and most of the time we do not even realize it. Our lectures have taught me to act as a semiotician when fed our daily doses of media.

2. What is the most important thing I have learned about myself as a critical reader, a writer, and a thinker in this class so far?

- As a critical reader, writer, and thinker I have learned that I am much more impatient then I thought when it comes to reading books. If the text is not on my laptop I am more likely to be distracted. One might agree that the technological shift from analog to digital has surpassed the typographic mind. The interesting part is, this has in turn made me more aware of how I have been absorbing media. I can now take a critical approach and apply the neocortex from a different angle.

3. What is one thing I would do differently this first half of the semester if I were to take the class again?

- Overall I feel that the pace of the class is going well. We are taking on a lot of issues at a steady rate in a short amount of time. If I could go back and focus more on my first Media Meditations then I would take the opportunity. I feel as though I rushed through them and did not read the guild lines. I would apply the Power Tools and relate more to the readings.

4. What is the one thing you would like me to do differently this first half of the semester if you were to take this class again?

- If I had a choice I would not change much about the course. We have covered a tremendous amount of information so far and should not change the pace. If anything, it seem as though we are lacking time. This problem sometimes prevents us from taking a deeper look into the issues at hand.

5. Please comment on the usefulness of the power tools, our quizzes, the course blog, your personal blog, our films, and our books as learning tools.

- The usefulness of the power tools keeps us aware of media convergence. More importantly, the eight shifts, the seven basic principles of media education and the twenty-nine persuasive techniques used by the mediums of today. Through repetition, the quizzes enforce those principles/techniques and helps store them in our long-term memory. The course and personal blogs act like high-speed blueprints to the course. It is regularly updated, easily obtainable and connects the class on a much broader level. The sites provide a personal shift that is consistent with the books and readings found in the course. At this point in the semester, we have annexed a Champlain student network of media awareness through blogs, readings, films and specific power tools. Good progress!