Virtual Karaoke

Thanks to Jess and Luthando for a Techno Teach-In I won't soon forget. Listening to some Austrailian(?) guy with a heavy metal looking avatar singing the Blues for our class was both hilarious and pretty astounding. The way that the technology has advanced, and how it connects people in ways that you couldn't ever have imagined before this really blows your mind.

I also hope the discussion on Critical Media Literacy has your brains twirling away. I really believe that this is an important issue, and our approach as educators to it is extremely vital to how an entire generation will perceive media. Teaching kids to 'read' the media and imagery that they're bombarded with 24-7 is a step in their becoming informed and active citizens rather than empty vessels and mindless drones.

Looking forward to everyone's personal essay videos this week. If anyone has any questions or needs any help, please give a shout!

Mid-Term-a-palooza

I'm often left amazed by the variety and creativity that our class produces in its projects. People take the short assignment and go in all different directions, and our mid-term was no exception. I was very pleased to see unique takes on the narratives and some people really pushing themselves in terms of skills and technique with the software. And wow, Finalcut Pro! Way to go you guys. This leaves me very excited to see what happens with the video projects soon to be coming. You're setting the bar high for yourselves, but I have no doubt in my mind that I'll continue to be impressed.

I also really enjoyed the interactive class aspect of our techno teach-in by Caitlin and Meaghan. Very fun taking the entire class into a MOO, and especially amusing when we were called out in a matter of minutes as a class, and then seemed to cause a mass evacuation by the usual inhabitants of Lambda-Moo. Maybe they fled in fear of Artbot's critical eye and sharp wit?