I second Kathrin’s use of the word “humbling” to describe today’s experiences, particularly with video recording. Given that I forgot to put a mic on myself for part of the interview, recorded a “ghost” in the interview room, and lost sound for half an interview (at least those were the more glaring mistakes), today was an important reminder of what could go wrong (and often does) when trying something out for the first time. Frustrating, for sure, but I’m gearing up for another try. Day three, here I come!

I appreciate the low stakes nature of this assignment and am thinking that such an exercise would be really helpful in the classroom. When a grade hangs in the balance the atmosphere changes immediately, so practicing when it doesn’t “count” helps maintain focus on skills. I have been thinking about documentary as an option in my media history class, for instance, so today was a great primer and practice.

Today’s session also has led me to think more about the blogging possibilities and a reminder that there’s a lot that I could do. I’m still thinking through what that would look like in my classes more concretely.

I found today’s session to be both informative and enjoyable (and I’m grateful for my shield, Ken). Unlike several other members of our group, I had no experience with WordPress. As a result, I was intrigued and inspired by the pedagogical potential of such a medium and was impressed by some of the examples of how faculty are using blogs in their classes. I had already planned on using a blog for the new course I’m creating on “Visions of Berlin” and this first brush with WordPress gave me a better sense of the range of possibilities for that course and others.

The video interview assignment was an opportunity to actually experience the challenges of speaking in front of camera, consider issues of composition and lighting, and recognize that multiple takes may be required to get the desired effects. It is also humbling to realize how much easier it is to stand in front of a class than talk to a camcorder. I’m looking forward to the hands’ on exercise of editing in iMovie tomorrow.

We talk a lot today about the challenges of integrating digital projects into our classes. How do we assess the success of new media projects? Is it possible to compare research papers to digital narratives? What types of projects are appropriate? (Does WordPress have a plugin to solve all of these problems?) It was wonderful to hear about other uses of WordPress, and how it can aid in various types of CBL projects and mapping projects. Sometimes I get so wrapped up in my own use that I fail to be inspired by what could be. Today was really inspirational in that respect. I also had a pressing question answered: should I use the UR blog platform for my journal project? Nope. All hail statistics!

As for the video portion of the class, I’m glad that I never fooled myself into thinking I could become 1.) an actress, 2.) a filmmaker, 3.) an AV specialist. Despite my personal inability to understand simple concepts of mirroring and visual balance, the practical information was extremely valuable. I foresee creating a useful worksheet and sending my students on their filming adventures.

The courses that I want to use DMP for are my CBL courses.  I can see the value, but my students already get an orientation to WordPress, to community-based learning, and to the use of web-based data analysis interfaces like Social Explorer and American FactFinder.  I wonder if, with DMP, the students will feel that there are too many orientations that they have to get through.  And if they didn’t immediately use the material, they would forget it.  So it seems that I would need to think about how to stage each part of the process so that they learn it in an “as need to know basis” and can build each part of the project in stages.

It’s very important to me that we immediately have tasks that implement our new skills. I need practice to confirm and retain new knowledge.