I had my doubts about a course devoted to digital writing. This past semester was my first semester at Crookston, attending online, and digital writing as a course was chosen for me by my advisor since I signed up late; I had to take what I could get. I was simply glad to have any classes and to be starting something new again. I honestly had no idea what to expect, but it seemed like there would be lots of technical computer things I’d have to learn and I am not tech savvy whatsoever. My expectations for this course were rather low looking back and I find that’s usually when my expectations are pleasantly surprised after the fact. I can say, for this situation, that is exactly what happened.
What surprised me most about this course was how much enjoyment I felt in the writing of each post. I think this came from the amount of freedom we had in how we could both write and create for each assignment. There was a good balance between specific instruction and creative encouragement. It scared me at first, not knowing exactly what to do, but gradually the wide boundaries helped my ideas and thoughts run free. Because of the creative freedom, I enjoyed the assignments more and because I enjoyed the assignments more, I learned more.
The digital literacy narrative we had to make was one of these surprising enjoyments. I wasn’t sure how to start, but once I did the words flowed and reflection taught. My thoughts progressed back through all the years of my life in experience with technology and showed me the importance of balance.
Balance came up again in our assignment on the principles of design. What I thought was a topic I knew all about turned out to be brand new in light of different surroundings. The principles of design can be applied to all types of designers and creators in every area of work while teaching you something new every time. This time around balance seemed vital and fresh. Honesty in each principal struck me as important.
Honesty in being raw and real regardless of what people think has always appealed to me. I wanted to carry this into the creation of my podcast. Once again my nerves quaked at the thought of creating something I felt hopelessly out of depth in, but prayer inspired me to interview my mother. What seemed like an ordeal that would only cause me great stress and anxiety turned into creative inspiration and excitement. While the finished podcast is far from perfect, the process was motivating and full of growth. It was about relationships, but I wanted the overall feeling to be like an unprocessed meal, satisfying and full of sustainment. I wanted the mistakes and blunders to reflect a real relationship and the importance of being honest and true with people.
This value of honesty and rawness is one of the things that so attracts me to the book The Valley of Vision of which I created a Wikipedia page about. Through prayer again, this book came into my mind for our wikipedia assignment (It did not escape my attention that in prayer, a book of prayers came to mind). All of a sudden I was excited to work on this assignment when before I was dreading it. Pulled along by this new enthusiasm, I not only learned about the surprisingly detailed and thorough wikipedia creation process, but also more about a book I had come to love.
Our previous assignment directing us to reflect and revise, enabled me to see how much this duality of learning encouraged my growth. In each assignment we had instructions that applied to everyone, but then within the instructions was also an urging to add a layer of our own personal experiences and interests. Therefore there was both a learning of course specified information and also a learning of subjects we were each uniquely intrigued by. For me, this combination greatly served to intensify my motivation for and interest in this course.
Reflecting on all our assignments and this course as a whole, a lens of creativity and personal experience through which to view the subject of digital writing enhanced my writing and helped interest me in a topic I initially felt no interest in.
Looking ahead, I know this course has served to cultivate more openness to learning which will affect all areas of my life. It has also further solidified my thought that true growth comes not from suppressing but facing your fears.
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