/reflection of English 357
It is easy to view education as a right and not a privilege. This mindset can lead to thoughts of “what is the least I can do, but still pass the class” when it comes to tests, projects or homework. Thinking like this can hinder the amount of learning that happens in a given class especially when the certain classes do not go beyond typical set up of reading one textbook, taking a few tests, and then maybe applying some of what was learned to a paper. Since I have started taking upper level classes, more and more of my New Media and Web Design and Public Relations classes have started to go beyond this ‘typical’ model, but not as many as I would expect especially with majors that are constantly evolving with technology.
English 357 Visual Language and Culture went beyond this typical class layout by utilizing three textbooks and adding projects to each unit, so the class could learn to apply what was learned from the books to actual projects. Overall, the exposure from these different books and projects gave me more practice with knowledge integration, audience communication, as well as strength and weakness recognition.
Knowledge Integration
English 357 helped me practice knowledge integration. I integrated knowledge I gained from Scott McCloud’s book, Understanding Comics; National Geographic’s book, Complete Photography; and from Marshal McLuhan and Quentin Fiore’s book, The Medium is the Massage, and I learned to apply the information gained into all the projects and analyses in this portfolio. I integrated the material gained from McCloud in all of the projects because his book was the first book assigned to read. I usually applied his vocabulary words of “word picture relationship” and “closure” while writing my analyses, and these applications helped me learn how to apply the concepts behind the scenes of the projects while I created them. For example, in the infographic I used what McCloud called an “additive word picture relationship” because the written facts on the infographic could stand alone, but pictures were used to add more to the project located in the third tab of this portfolio. In the photo essay I learned more about different guidelines of photograph composition and light. I already knew a lot of the rules from other classes, but National Geographic’s book gave some good examples to refer back to while analyzing the photo essay from Tesla Motors. I also tried to apply rules of composition and light while taking pictures for the Bars of Fargo photo essay located on the fourth tab of this portfolio. I also learned about one of McLuhan and Fiore’s main points of the medium being used to send a message has a bigger impact than the actual message. After struggling to find the right way to phrase this concept, I integrated the vocabulary I had from McCloud I applied the concept in my remix analysis and then I integrated my understating of everything up to that point and applied it to the YouTube remix located on the fifth tab in this portfolio.
Audience Communication
Another area English 357 helped me gain more practice was communicating to different audiences through different mediums. Each of the tabs in this portfolio contains a type of project as well as an analysis. The audiences for each project ranged quite a bit. This portfolio itself is aimed at my professor, as well as, other faculty from different departments of NDSU, and maybe even potential employers to make sure it is effectively communicating what I want it to. I have followed Professor Zufelt’s requirements as well as other professional recommendations and have learned from classes for this portfolio. All my analyses on each page are aimed mainly for Professor Zufelt because he was in charge of my grade, but they could also be aimed to any other professor in the College of Arts, Humanities and Social Sciences because they generally use APA guidelines and discuss topics people in that college may be interested in. My infographic was aimed at new and potential students, so the group I worked in made sure the facts provided of NDSU would be relevant and interesting to new and potential students. The photo essay was aimed toward people with an interest in bars and Fargo, so the main point of that project was to describe how design elements were used in the outer appearance of bars in downtown Fargo, and my group and I predicted the demographic of people each bar was aiming to get as customers. The remix video was aimed to communicate to people interested in remix and technology effects. So far, based on the grades I have received, my communication to my main audience have been effective enough to a point where I have not made any revisions.
Strength and Weakness Recognition
While putting this portfolio together, I have been able to recognize strengths in my work and weaknesses in my skills. The strengths that I saw in the work I have done included an eye for making things visually appealing and my written communication skills. Describing how I make things visually appealing is difficult, but the general process includes pen and paper sketching or trial and error or multiple ways to display projects. For example, in this portfolio I started with a general layout and then with trial an error of changing sizes, adding pictures, and adjusting font I have ended up with the beautiful and functional site you are looking at right now. When it comes to written communication in this reflection and all of my analyses, I followed a simple process of brainstorming, outlining, and then filling in the rest with my words and the research I have done, and then I edit.
Skills I have weaknesses in and plan to continue developing are time management and idea communicating. All the projects for this class helped motivate me to work on my time management skills because I had to organize and coordinate with group members to get projects done. English 357 also helped me work on idea communication because class discussions, group work, and conferences all encouraged sharing ideas for projects or thoughts on the material we read. Time management and idea sharing are skills that are never perfected and always needed, so I will continue my progress of these skills in my last semester of undergraduate classes as well as in any future job I obtain after graduation in May.
English 357 was a fun class. I enjoyed learning different ways to integrate knowledge, communicate with different audiences through different mediums, and the chance to recognize some strengths and weaknesses I have in my work and skills. Anyone looking for a class that can help them go beyond the mindset of “what is the least I can do, but still pass the class” should try this one. Enjoy the rest of my site!