2021 Spring Semester Reflections

The "Foundations of Digital Media" class of the 2021 Spring Semester was fifteen weeks long. It was an intensive and fast paced course where I not only learned how to organize my time during each week, but also learned to work independently. Two skills that are important to consider in any professional career nowadays. Especially after the experience, that we all went through, globally, with the COVID-19 pandemic which changed the way we study, work and communicate. 

The class assignments instructions were clear, to the point and straightforward. Our task was to follow the class instructions, read related articles and watch YouTube videos to create digital art. The class deadlines helped me maintain a steady pace. The build up of knowledge from one week to the next made sense, especially when we saw the end results of our new ability to do a photographic slideshow, edit and arrange (in a grid) photographs, mashups of sound and video, create a personal blog and a personal website. All practical skills needed in the digital and technological times that we are currently living. 

Our communication with the professor (Debra Davis) and classmates was done digitally. We learned to receive and make critiques in writing of our personal's and our classmates' works of art. We missed the opportunity to listen to our classmates' voices and the advantage of the on-person contact, but we learn from each others' class work and our personal struggles and frustrations, that when similar of what we were experiencing, made the load of the course become smoother and easy to carry on. It was the kind encouragement and support that we received (comments in writing) through the class discussion board that made our small community of students complete the class tasks weekly. 

I personally gained confidence in learning about the availability of art-related software programs and applications (apps), on the iPhone and computer, that I was aware they existed, but I did not know how to use them. The step by step approach of the course helped me accomplish the understanding of solving my technology related problems, by answering the question: what it takes to start and finish an art-related project? Still I have a lot to learn and practice, but the course was a wonderful introduction, considering that I am an adult learner, whose generation did not have the opportunity to be proficient in the use of technology in the classrooms. 

The course helped in improving my understanding of the countless of interactions available between the computer and the iPhone and the possibilities I have to become creative by enhancing my brain functions regarding memory, knowledge connections, communication and others. All of these facts are practical skills that I will apply as a museum docent, especially to design activities for the school age children, whose generation is already learning through digital devices.