9/8/16
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In the article Politics, Culture, and the Public Sphere, there are many key points regarding that public sphere and it's value to a society. The public sphere is a valuable resource for debating and deliberating regarding issues that are related to the common good. The modern meaning of publicity means open access; however, is open access finally a reality?​ It is found that yes; open access is a reality. In order for open access to be considered a reality it is important to understand the definition of public: state-related, accessible, concerns everyone or shares a common goal/interest. Also, the definition of private: private property and intimate or personal life information. Within the public sphere there are social inequalities that infect deliberations, which makes full participation is not always possible. Due to the inequalities and exclusions counter publics then emerge, which creates more than one general public sphere. Lastly, the private or public concept also gives value to our social meanings as we try to understand a specific public sphere.
9/12/16
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1. Take notes during the interview using keywords, so when editing you can refer back to specific points without having to listen to the entire recording.
2. Save time at the end of the recording for room noise as it will help you in the editing process.
3. The questing that always works is "how did you think before this compared to how you think now".
4. Tell a personal narrative while interviewing so the person that you are interviewing will also tell a personal narrative.
9/15/16
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Surprisingly, I didn't face many challenges throughout the creation of my "I Am From" poem. Certainly lines were tough, such as colors and smells, but I found this poem to be very enjoyable. I reflected upon many different memories of my childhood and tried to stick to one theme, which was my grandparents. Almost every line relates to them in some way. This poem caused me to realize even more not only how grateful I am to have them in my life, but also all that they have given me. Most people are aware that I was raised by my grandparents for many reasons. I never pick up the phone to call mom and have a tattoo on my foot that says "Nina & Papa". I was comfortable and confident with each line I wrote. The lines that are most revealing in telling a story about me are who I am from and the phrases I am from.
9/19/16
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What are some questions that you have been comfortable or uncomfortable answering?
How does sharing your story make you feel?
Are there any certain topics we as interviewers should refrain from?
Do you keep more information to yourself than you share? If so, why?
Class suggestions: Starter questions and how to respond when they get emotional
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9/26/16
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After our conversation with Chanda and Sana, I am feeling much more prepared to begin the refugee project. I found their advice and stories to be very beneficial. One thing Sana said was that she's not a storyteller. She is someone willing to share her life. This provided a different perspective for me regarding how these people may feel as they are interviewed. They are not just telling stories, but rather they are opening up and welcoming us into a piece of their lives. We are helping them with their journey as we share their life. Also, both of them responded when asked what to do if our interviewee becomes emotional. It is important to remember that the best thing to do is expect emotion, give them time, and keep recording, but don't use it. The interview should be used to empower these individuals, not express their weaknesses. As an interviewer, we should also make the time and effort to get to know our refugee as much as possible, since they are making the time and effort to come speak with us. Lastly, remember that regular talk and developing a relationship is good. Recognize that they are no different and deserve our support.
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Part 2:
The feedback I received today on my audio biography was very positive. The group loved the music choice and where it ended as my story became more serious. They gave me a lot of credit for choosing to become personal and share this certain aspect of my life. Lastly, they thought that incorporating my grandmother's voice into the recording added a great deal of sentimental value to the entire recording. In regards to feedback, both of my group members claimed that I shouldn't change a thing. Considering that this was my fourth draft I am very pleased with how my recording has come out and I don't necessarily know what I could do to improve it.
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10/13/16
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In the chapter "Keep or Kill" from Out on the Wire, there are many key points regarding structure and how to put a story together. Some major key points the chapter discusses are having good taste when organizing, receiving feedback after ordering in different ways, making sure the readers/listeners are comprehending, making a scene, being descriptive vs. active, and flagging specific parts that may not necessarily be clear to all audiences. These are all different parts of a story that should be considered while editing and structuring. The best part of this chapter is when they compare structuring a story to a configuration of flowers; depending on your taste, when they look right, and how others may compliment them, is exactly how it should go when structuring a story. The fact that there is no strict direction when organizing a story is what makes it so valuable.
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In creating the final text, there are many key points from the end that Bernard discussed about Haiti that we will be able to put in there beginning to draw audiences in. Although I have not looked deeper into the interview, from filming Bernard I have different ways of organizing in mind. Bernard spoke in a chronological way; however, there were some areas where he spoke on a deeper emotional level, which would be effective to use in the beginning. He spoke a lot about his advocacy work and accomplishments as well, which would be effective towards the end, as he would be leaving a message with the community.
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10/24/16
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Sound is metaphorized as the "Deep Sea" in chapter four of Out on the Wire because the sound is similar to the sea as a connector, comparing sound and story to the sea and land. Sounds connect a story, as the sea connects our lands. The metaphor conveys that sounds, much like the sea, adds to our story or land that we don’t always recognize. Sounds “juice up” a story and have the potential to add emotional content. You can also create your own sounds in the development of a story, which can add a visual content to a story. It is not always clear that the sound is what helps create a visual, but it certainly helps us connect through each transition. In terms of our video stories, we will be able to link clips together through the use of different sounds, which will express the connecting metaphor. The music we incorporate into the video will help create a visual image and emotional value, which audiences may not recognize. Overall, I feel as though the included sound will be a very beneficial connecting tool as we develop the video.
11/3/16
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The purpose of the edit is to not only provoke change within your story (your baby), but also to put it out there and receive feedback. Although you are being critiqued, it is an extremely beneficial process. The purpose is to turn something from confusing and ugly to awesome and brand new. It is an incredibly demanding and time consuming process ranging from obtaining feedback from two individuals, three individuals, and so on. The process can also been seen as getting tricks to solving problems when editors provide their feedback. Framing is applying what you already know to the potential audiences in order for people to understand it more clearly. Signposting is a way to grasp the audiences attention or preparing the audience before something is going to be said in order for them to understand and follow the story. For example, stating when something is important before it is actually said.
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11/10/16
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The primary feedback we received from our colleagues was to really focus on our main point and message we'd like to deliver. Our video appeared to be contradicting in some parts, which after reading the feedback I've now noticed as well. For example, we show Bernard discussing the troubles of Haiti, but also how great of a country it is. I think they understood where we were trying to go, but found it somewhat confusing. Our colleagues enjoyed our pacing and found it to be very fitting with Bernard's voice and the music choice. Aside from this main point, we also received minor feedback such as volume levels, cutting suggestions, and subtitles. The group has already addressed these revision tips and developed a new draft. We were able to place things differently and cut certain parts in order to make a clearer message about what we're trying to convey.
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My outside viewer had similar feedback regarding the point of the story. She wasn't sure if we were trying to show this mans success or deliver a positive message about Haiti. Her biggest feedback was including subtitles. She found it very hard to listen to and understand. I never thought of this, but we as a class have been listening to these refugees talk for some time now, which is why I find myself to understand him perfectly. It was good to witness someone who isn't familiar with listening to these types of individuals watch the film. This really stressed how important subtitles are going to be. She was also confused about certain phrases where he mentioned his mother being a mother and a father, but then we had him discuss about how his father applied for him to come to the US right after. Although I was hoping for minor confusions, this has been an easy revision in regards to simply moving and cutting certain pieces that don't fit. We've also incorporated new pieces that are more relevant to what we really want viewers to know and remember.
11/14/16
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PART 1
Oral history is sharing history based off one's lived experience. Oral history is a co-constructed process of narrative composition because it is more of a dialogue where it requires more than just one person writing. It also consists of many different pieces that come together to form one. The different pieces can include different noises, such as voices, and visuals. Mapping coherence onto the disorder of a lived experience is a difficult task not only because it's one piece trying to include several other pieces, but because it is also trying to incorporate someone's story and share an entire life that someone lived. Similarly to our Quest for Refuge project, we are trying to incorporate someone's entire "story" into one five minute piece. Not only are we trying to fit it in just one piece, but we need to make it coherent and map chronologically when trying to convey his main message.
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PART 2
This project is a perfect example of multimodal writing for many different reasons. Not only are the visual aspects available to see while reading, but you can also hear the woman's voice, which makes it much more personal and emotional. Through the different modes of writing we are able to hear her voice, see her photos, and also read short pieces of the audio. It gives a realistic representation of what multimodal writing is. When I think of writing for public audiences I would normally think about a textual piece read by many other individuals. However, in this case, it delivers an even stronger message regarding what it actually means to write for the public. For example, what short clips she decides to use and what images she's comfortable sharing.
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I've never considered the many different ways there are to effectively share someone's life. This project proves that a life can be shared through interviews, storytelling, audio clips, textual pieces, and even photos for visual representation. This project also sets an example for what it means to successfully share someone's life. We are able to learn so much about one's life in the matter of a few audio clips and images, rather than listening to her previous three hour interview. How to communicate purpose/meaning while still communicating one's life can be difficult. As a writer, you want to make sure you share enough of one's life, but at the same time you also want to prove a point for why you're even sharing their life. I feel as though the structure of the story and how coherent it appears to be will determine the clarity of the purpose. In regards to our refugee project, we struggled to share his life, but also share his key point about Haiti being more than just a poor country with many disasters. After restructuring and framing it the correct way we were able to effectively convey our message.
11/17/16
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1.What is the purpose of this article? How – or does – its form help communicate its purpose?
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The purpose of this article is to address the many different terms associated with multimodal writing and the different meanings it entails. This is done successfully through interviewing scholars who use the terms on a daily basis and sharing their responses. The author shares her technological journey, which shows the complexity of all the different terms, such as new/multi/modal/digital/media. The form of this article helps communicate its purpose because it is prove of the terms discussed. For example, alphabetical text, audio recordings, and visuals are all discussed throughout the article and they are evident within.
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2.What 2-3 concepts, ideas, or comments from the 2nd half of “What’s in a Name” did you find most interesting or thought provoking or compelling? Why? In other words, what did you hear in the audio clips (discussing the audience oriented, contextual, historically situation, limited, multiple, precise, and relative nature of the terms multimodal, multimedia, news media, etc.) that you found interesting?
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The most interesting ideas from part two of "What's in a Name" were one from Historically Situated and one from Multiple. "Technologies Remaking the Field" from Historically Situated was thought provoking because it discussed how new media allows us to look back at old media, such as a slideshow and recognize how they've become "naturalized", such as word processor. When things become naturalized they fall out of our view because they become so commonly used. Prior to this recording, I never considered the many different "old" technologies that have become natural due to the many "new" technologies. "Different Definitions" from Multiple was also thought provoking because it discusses the different specific terms we use and how they have different recognizable phrases. The key point in this, which I found to be most interesting, was taking the word "media" and "qualifying" it. Is it new, multi, digital? It is crucial that we qualify the old term "media" while creating multimodal texts.
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11/21/16
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Although there were many different ways in which I contributed to the project, I specifically was in charge of iMovie, which meant that any edits that needed to be made or any drafts that needed to be sent out were done on my end. I was able to make edits on my own time and play around with the video as necessary. Furthermore, I inserted the subtitles and music. The clipping, editing, text slides, and ideas were all done as a group; however, I physically put it together while we were meeting or on my own time. There isn't much in this video that displeases me. I feel as though a lot of time, effort, and passion went into the making of this video. I was very pleased with even the first draft, so to see where we've come today and watch the final draft is very pleasing. More specifically, I think not only the interview, but also the music and graphics are very fitting, which makes the entire piece pleasing to watch. If I had the opportunity to do this project again I be much more confident in my iMovie skills. Being unfamiliar with this type of program and using it to generate a form of writing was a challenge of its own. Aside from the technicality, I would make the purpose of my interview slightly clearer. It was difficult to make the interview so specific when we geared it to whatever he wanted to talk about, but I noticed that that made the purpose of the interview somewhat difficult for viewers to understand. Aside from those minor differences, I wouldn't do much else different. I found this project to be very enjoyable and rewarding.
12/5/16
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1. In the final reflections I reviewed today the main aspect I noticed was the depth of the discussion regarding the course outcomes. The course outcomes were fully addressed and discussed throughout the whole reflection. I would like to further my course outcome response. I feel as though I could make a more developed argument to prove my learning of the course outcomes. The reflections have also made me realize the different modes of text I'd like to incorporate in my own reflection.
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2. My plan is to include more textual modes, such as visuals, and further discuss the course outcomes. This will require me to not only revise my textual responses, but to also re-record my audio pieces to match the new text. After these revisions my reflection will be more meaningful and better developed.