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This site will serve as the primary source of expression for topics pertaining to ALM101 that simply cannot be covered in tweets alone. Posts will be formed based on the opinions and beliefs held by yours truly following close consideration and analysis of numerous articles and forms of online media that will be used to produce some level of interactivity and further exploration for those who choose to engage. The site will see continuous growth throughout the coming weeks.

Portfolio Output 2

A Podcasting Journey

After finding out one of the unit requirements for ALM101 was to upload a podcast, I wasn’t overly worried. I had produced narrated PowerPoints and online presentations before, so the thought of producing an audio file, uploading it to the internet, and embedding the finished product into the post presented before you didn’t weigh on me; which was a relief, as I had plenty of assignments to worry about!

I decided to base my topic on the benefits and limitations involved with using digital media to facilitate student learning and engagement. I initially considered talking about the possible strengths and weaknesses surrounding the use of digital media as an educational tool, but soon realised that the discussion would be reliant on specific technology, subjects and the environment for which it’s used. Thus, after quite some time searching the library database and absorbing the ideas presented by various journal articles, the topic was narrowed down to consider the connection between digital media in the form of online learning and student motivations. More specifically, the podcast drew upon the research conducted by Auld et al. (2010) to consider the motivational differences observed between online learning methods with more traditional ones among tertiary students. Using direct quotes summaries and paraphrasing, the podcast presented not only reasons for adopting online-learning but also the limitations when compared to more physical alternatives.

In terms of producing the podcast, what I thought would be an easy process evidently revealed otherwise when the unexpected occurred… I fell ill! With a croaky voice, runny nose and the exhaustion from work commitments, I was unable to start recording the podcast until a week after I had written the material I planned to present. During this time, I decided to work out what music I’d use for my intro and outro sequences, how to use Audacity using a YouTube tutorial, and made a SoundCloud account for the eventual podcast upload. Finding music that not only resonated with me but was also permitted for use under Creative Commons licencing took up more time than I’d like to admit, mainly because I couldn’t find anything I liked! Eventually, an mp3 file provided by Incompetech, a site that provides downloadable Creative Commons licenced music, was used. Once I had finally started to feel better, the process of recording, editing and uploading could begin. The project came together as expected without any major setbacks other than the microphone glitching here and there, which required more clipping and rerecording than I would have liked!

I recorded the podcast using my younger brother’s microphone and computer setup [Figure 1]. Using Audacity, I was able to record all my material, repeating myself where necessary knowing that I would eventually cut any mistakes or unneeded dialogue. Then came the editing to ensure that the music used did not overpower my voice and presentation flow was polished using the newly acquired skills attained from the previously mentioned YouTube tutorial. This was then saved as a WAV file.

[Figure 1]

Said file was then uploaded to SoundCloud as a finished podcast complete with description and Canva created thumbnail, which can be accessed below.

Overall, it was nice to do something different from the regular essays and reports expected by university units. The exercise encouraged me to learn a new program and utilise an online platform I had not engaged with before. Furthermore, not only was the task interesting in terms of what the podcast was about, but the learnt practical skills were also well received!

Reference

Auld, D, Blumberg, F & Clayton, K 2010, ‘Linkages Between Motivation, Self-Efficacy, Self-Regulated Learning and Preferences for Traditional Learning Environments or those with an Online Component’, Digital Culture & Education, vol. 2, no. 2, pp. 128-143, retrieved 10 January 2020, <https://alm101thomas.home.blog/wp-content/uploads/2020/01/49770-auld28october201029.pdf>.

Portfolio Output 1

Online Identity

“You are who you choose to be” (The Iron Giant, 2000)

After sifting through numerous articles in a bid to define ‘identity’, it quickly became apparent that varying academic fields ‘describe it in widely diverging ways’ (Ching & Foley 2012, p. 5). Consequently, understanding the term as a holistic concept requires you to combine differing theories (Buckingham 2008; Nasir & Cooks 2009). Fortunately, scholars like Schlenker (2003) have undertaken this difficult task for us. By considering the way we interact with others, he describes identity as how individuals present themselves – their persona – which is largely dependent on social cues and contexts (Schlenker 2003, p. 504). However, one’s own ‘ideas about [themselves] are not necessarily changed through this process’ (Ching & Foley 2012, p. 5). This ideology is one that I have resonated with when considering my own online presence and identity. How I go about interacting online is often dictated and limited by the given environment and its expectations, yet this does not alter or change who I am as an individual outside of the virtual world.

[Figure 1: Fisher, B 2017, ‘7th Street Theatre Hoquiam, WA’, some image text excluded, click for image source, CC BY 2.0]

One of my favourite movies growing up was ‘The Iron Giant’ (Figure 1). Throughout the film, the quote, “you are who you choose to be”, is mentioned three times. It’s a philosophy that, despite coming from an animated motion picture, is one I continue to live by. Thankfully, as explored earlier, many scholars support this mindset. We possess the ability to choose who we want to be and how we present ourselves. New media offers many opportunities to do this and, consequently, allows us to ‘[construct] ourselves every day, in whatever environment we inhabit’ (Ching & Foley 2012, p. 10). For some, this might allow them to explore and expand values that they might find difficult expressing outside of the virtual realm, as has been communicated by a number of students using #ALM101 on Twitter. For others, it may simply boost ‘real’ world values. I find myself associating with the latter, but at the cost of other values being unrecognised when online. This is briefly explored through my experiences using Twitter and Facebook.

Social media has provided a platform for individuals to ‘interact with other people… in creative ways to gain and share information’ (Brown 2015, p. 219). Ever since starting ALM101, this is a concept I have slowly come to embrace by actively creating, sharing and interacting with posts that might help others in the unit. This is a key element of Media 2.0 and is demonstrated in the below tweet, which was inspired by a fellow student who needed to know how to screenshot an image on her laptop.

When considering the theme of identity, there is no difference between the ‘real’ world and that of my online persona when analysing this example. I am a student in both respects and, regardless of the medium the question was asked, I would be willing to explain and show how to perform such a task. However, whilst how I perceive myself has not changed, social media and having an online presence creates an environment whereby certain elements of my ‘real’ identity are boosted; in this case, wanting to help where I can. The environment played a factor insomuch that the help was tailored and exclusive to the ALM101 group. This is not simply because of the hashtag but also because all the individuals I interact with on Twitter are members of the unit. The profile was created solely for educational and assignment purposes and, as such, who I am outside of my profile and bio is largely unknown to those who see my tweets. This was very evident in the question I tweeted below earlier in the term,

along with this tweet that only members of the unit would understand.

Whilst my bio can provide some insight as to who I am, how others perceive my identity is limited to what I choose to post; the student I choose to be. A hint of my community-orientated identity was revealed in the tweet below, but this, again, is only visible to those who follow me; ALM101 students and staff.

[Figure 2]

To better reflect my ‘real’ identity, I shared an about.me profile (Figure 2), which provides information outside of who I am as a student and links to other representations of myself, such as my Facebook profile and work website. However the values of each site are, once again, limited and the persona, whilst still representative of my true self, differs between mediums. On Twitter I’m more student orientated, my website is work orientated, and Facebook is focused primarily on life events with little interaction occurring from my personal profile. I also promote and engage with community members as part of an organisational presence through Emerald CFA’s Facebook page. Again, the information I share and the persona I present is exclusive to those who follow the group and reflective of organisational values. An example of this can be seen in the provided screenshot from a video (Figure 3). Without any link to my other online profiles, I am simply identified by the audience as one of their local firefighters relaying information.

[Figure 3]

Only after all mediums of my online identity are combined will an outline of who I am in the ‘real’ world be revealed. However, this will only ever be surface level. Those who know me best are those who know my true identity; the one that combines all facets of the social environment I have developed from which are not lost amidst the span of new media presence.

Reference List:

Brown, A 2015, ‘Navigating Social Media: Identity, Privacy and Performativity in the Digital Age’, in T Chalkley, M Hobbs, A Brown, T Cinque, B Warren & M Finn (eds), Communication, Digital Media and Everyday Life, 2nd edn, Oxford University Press, South Melbourne, Victoria, pp. 217-229.

Buckingham, D 2008, ‘Introducing Identity’, in D Buckingham (ed.), Youth, Identity, and Digital Media, MIT Press, Cambridge, MA, pp. 1-22, doi: 10.1162/dmal.9780262524834.001

Ching, C & Foley, B 2012. ‘Introduction: Connecting Conversations about Technology, Learning, and Identity’, in C Ching & B Foley (eds), Constructing the Self in a Digital World, Cambridge University Press, NY, pp.1-14.

Nasir, N & Cooks, J 2009, ‘Becoming a Hurdler: How Learning Settings Afford Identities’, Anthropology & Education Quarterly vol. 40, no. 1, pp. 41-61, retrieved 9 December 2019, <https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1548-1492.2009.01027.x>.

Schlenker, B 2003, ‘Self-Presentation’, in M Leary & J Tangney (eds), Handbook of Self Identity, Guilford Publications, NY, pp. 492-518.

The Iron Giant 2000, DVD, Warner Bros., US, Written by Tim McCanlies & Brad Bird, Directed by Brad Bird.  

 

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