Musings at Midterms

Probably my favorite aspect of this semester is the fact that though my classes vary drastically in their content, the things I am learning about in each seem to overlap each other, and I’ve been enjoying the cohesion—it makes me feel like my learning is personalized, even in four institutionalized classes. I think it helps that self-directed learning is encouraged and even required in this particular class. I’m moving right along with my initial goal at the start of the semester to develop skills that will keep me learning even after I graduate.

We’ve talked a lot about reality, fiction, and the perception of what’s what in my modern American lit class. Several connections with digital culture are explored in my blog post devoted to “Slaughterhouse-Five” – but the concept that has stuck with me the most is how truth can be represented or misrepresented online, just as Vonnegut blatantly (and sometimes subtly) blends fact with fantasy. You can say anything that may or may not reflect the “truth” of things—whether it’s about current events, a presidential candidate, or yourself—and potentially (mis)inform the hundreds or thousands in your sphere of influence. Is the power of the masses too often unwisely accompanied by a collective trust, or do we need to be more vigilant in approaching the unlimited and unfiltered beast with a “buy at your own risk” attitude?

In my post about Weinberger’s“Too Big to Know,” I mentioned the connection I found in the collaborative translation of the King James Bible. I actually included Weinberger’s book in my list of potential sources in a paper proposal for my British lit class exploring the balance of openness and authority in both the Bible translation and Internet crowdsourcing. I’m not planning to write a full-length paper, but it was fun to consider, at least on a shallow level, some similarities and differences between the two time periods.

My learning has been heavily informed by my classmates. But the nature of my own interactions with these students has shifted from a consumer-heavy approach at the start of the semester (wherein I spent more time simply responding to others’ research and ideas on G+), to a stronger emphasis on creating and connecting (as I have found more direction in my personal and group learning, I’ve found a greater desire and need to collaborate about my own discoveries). I think that shift is representative of both my peer interactions and my self-directed learning. At the start of the semester, I was a bit tentative in my approach to the class—where do I begin? I found it easiest to read about the links and comments others had posted and respond to them as best I could. Now, I see the value in pursuing my interests and sharing them with others around me. I don’t need to be an expert to be sharing what I’m learning.

Forming groups for projects has helped me immensely in developing my ability to “create,”though I still have a long way to go. From here on out, I think I should take a little more time to familiarize myself with the group topics/projects I haven't looked into as much as I have the badges and lit mag - specifically the remix and collaborative writing/transmedia groups. I think my own group could benefit from seeing how these folks are creating, and I bet we could offer each other valuable feedback!