Final Blog Reflection

Well, this is it-- my final blog reflection. The semester has come to an end. It’s been a crazy semester and one that I am happy to say goodbye to, but I will also miss. I am graduating this semester and it’s slightly bittersweet because I have found all but one of my classes this semester to be so intriguing and fun. I’m not going to lie though, I am so happy to be graduating!

This class has been one of the bright spots for me this semester. I may be quiet and not say much in class, but I really have enjoyed our discussions and the jokes that came along with them. My favorite section/topic was myths. Even I am shocked to say this! I was not very interested in this part of the class and it turned out to be my favorite—along with the group project. I normally despise group projects because well…they’re group projects! I usually end up being the one who does the work and stresses about it. However this semester my group mates were amazing. The work was even (as even as I can be) and I think everyone was generally happy with the finished product. I thought our myth presentation was fun and informative. I loved “The Castle in the Lake” myth. It was so much fun and a great story. I love how we can see its influences in modern pop culture and throughout our lives. I also enjoyed the other myth presentations, especially the trickster myths. I think those were the most fun because again, we can see their influences today.

Another part of the class I enjoyed was how we related everything to media. It’s such a huge part of today and one of the conversations that I think is ignored. I don’t think our society likes to think about the consequences of media. We ignore the potentially negative affects it has on our society while only soaking up the good. That’s not to say I don’t think there are positives as well, I just think there isn’t a strong conversation on it in our society today. We readily accept Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram into our lives without even questioning it. I mean, there are so many bad things about them. One question I know that has been addressed to a small extent is whether or not Google and hyperlinking (and Twitter) affect the way we read. Can students/children even focus long enough to read a book? I know I personally have been affected by this. When I’m online all I do is skim, and it’s bled into my academic career. I try to stop it and force myself to go back but skimming is a first instinct for me. I mean, when we read articles they’re written so all you need to get the gist of it is the first two paragraphs and the last paragraph. You only need the middle information if you’re actually interested. That’s terrible! It’s the easy way out.

I think this class addressed media in a more positive way. We saw how it could benefit teaching and learning for students around the world. We saw haw media can give access to more people and how it can influence more conversations between different parts of the world. These are all so important especially in teaching. While I may not be immediately pursuing education, it is something I could go to in the future. I do tutor other students in writing so I can appreciate what we’ve gone over this semester. I think media is going to force teachers to become more technologically advanced which is better for them in my opinion. It opens up more opportunities for jobs and makes them more knowledgeable.  All in all I have enjoyed this class and I am very happy I took it. It was a breath of fresh air and was very engaging. Thank you all for a great semester and good luck in all of your future endeavors. :)