(5.3) Digital Storytelling through Images, Video, and Audio: Takeaways

1. This section began with the idea of culturally remixing. It made me realize just how much remixing I do on a daily basis. I believe as a democratic, consumerist and capitalist society, that it is impossible to dismiss the idea of remixing. We remix music, videos, ideas, culture, each other’s opinions, clothes. If you’ve thought about it we’ve probably altered it in some form or fashion. It brought up the idea of read only culture and I believe this type doesn’t exist especially since the author says that commenting on something is remixing it.  
2. I think because one of my personal objects is combing new media and old media, I particularly liked the section on “old forms re-envisioned,” particularly the section about comics and mangas not being taken seriously in schools. Every artist/ illustrator I know has had the “anime phase” and everyone has said that they were better for it. It helped them develop their personal style and who they are as an artist. It also helped them make more sense of proportion and depicting the human body more realistically. There is value in all art forms whether we understand them or not. 
3. This weeks readings has a lot of examples of resources which I always find valuable because these are technologies that I'm not familiar with. I want to teach students to use a multitude of media even if I'm not good at it or familiar because I don't want to limit them. This really goes back to the idea of interest-based learning and teaching students within the context of their own knowledge and interests.