Mid-Semester reflection

1. After studying 21st century media for 8 weeks in this class, what have you learned?

I've learned about different parts of the brain (limbic, neocortex, reptillian, ) and how how they function and apply to the world of media and advertising around us. I've started to learn about different aspects of media and what goes into each one. I've learned a little bit about the history behind them. (tv, newspapers, music...) I've learned about basic blogging tools. I'm starting to notice things, or think about things I've never focused on before when watching movies and tv. (Thought about things relating to the powertools)

2.what is the most important thing you have learned about yourself as a critical reader, a writer, and thinker in this class so far?
Reader- If I want to "get" something out of the text in the book I have to really focus or read over it more than once, I can't be distracted or paying attention to other things.

Writer- I learned that it's hard to articulate complete thoughts or coherent thoughts in blog form. I do however enjoy the challenge of twitter. (I never used it for this class, but I have used it before.)

Thinker- As I said previously I'm starting to to pay attention to and actually think about the media around me. I am actively thinking about the purpose of the things I am watching, and I am starting to analyze the reasons behind certain commercials. I am starting to ask "why?" to the world around me.

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

I would have studied the power tools more often on my own time. I started to do so at the beginning of the semester, but felt like I wasn't understanding or absorbing them, so I gave up.

I also wish I wouldn't have waited until last minute to do the course blog.

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

I wish you had introduced the personal blogs earlier in September, so we had more time to do them/ more time to process ideas for what to write about.

5.Please comment on the usefulness of the power tools, our course blog, your personal blog, our in class quizzes, our films, and out book(s) as learning tools.

I feel that all these things (power tools, the course blog, and the personal blog, the films, and the book) are useful and translatable to the "real world." Things learned from them are applicable to life outside of this class. Even translatable to things learned in other classes.

Power Tools- It feels like every time I open a magazine or turn on the tv I'm always thinking about some part of the power tools, and analyzing the media around me. I see them being put to use everywhere.

Course Blog/ Book- I can't say that this is my favorite thing to do, but the chapters in the book create a better understanding of the media around us. The chapter on TV helps generate the understanding of where tv came from and the effects it had on surrounding media, such as radio. The chapters pertain to interesting pieces of media history. I think combining the reading of the book with blogging is good in demonstrating convergence.


Something else reminding me of convergence. A story rives tells using emoticons.



Personal Blog- I liked blogging, and the basic understanding of how to blog I've gained form it. It's nice to have at least limited ability to do so.

Quizzes- I feel these are helpful in memorizing the power tools, and memorizing the 6 grid chart.