Coming to a Close...

It was kind of a bittersweet moment meeting with Dr. Burton and my research group today to discuss our papers. We've worked really hard on our research over the past 6 weeks, and it's been almost the sole focus of everything we've been doing for at least the last month, so it's weird thinking that it's all pretty much over. I've really enjoyed the research process, though it is a lot higher-stress than traditional research. I felt really pressured by time and by other people's ideas throughout the process, and that kind of wore away some of my patience little by little.

I have been thinking a lot about why we did all this-- why we recorded our research experience through blogging, why after a month and a half of digital media our professor asked us to go back and write a traditional research paper, why it's been important to get social proof and all that. I had a tough time getting into the digital age, and I've had an even tougher time trying to get out of that mindset for my research paper (it's been difficult to drop the I's, me's, we's, etc.). I think that was really the point, though. We've talked so much about how much digital media can add to a research project, and we've experienced the freedom of blogging (and the joy of social response). I think, in the end, Dr. Burton doesn't want us to ever go back to 'just another research paper' again. And honestly, I don't want to go back either. We've learned to see the life and the reality and the importance of digital media in the learning process, and now, we're going to be cast back into a sea of educators and students who are oblivious to the experiences that we've had, people that will tell us that traditional methodology is the only way to go. Well, this isn't the end of it for me.



I've been really trying to figure out classes and stuff for this coming summer term, and I've been at a bit of a loss as to what I should do. I decided in the end that I would take just one class and then work as usual over at the chem stockroom, and that would give me some time to recuperate from the last year's worth of courses. Anyway, I had thought of taking the online course, as it's like $200 dollars cheaper, but then I saw that my class was being taught by the head of the digital humanities department and would have a focus similar to that of my current class. I have felt for a while that the things that I've been learning in that class are things that will be necessary for me later in life, and I felt really strongly that the on-campus course was the one that I needed to take, even if it was going to cost me an extra two hundred dollars beyond what I would already be paying for my course.

I think maybe the thing that I love most about the whole process is just the humanity in it all. You feel, when you are on the Internet or researching through social media, that your creation has a life, a meaning. You feel that other people actually care about it, and you're ready to share your ideas with the masses. That's what social proof is all about, though. In the end, it makes you feel legit because of all the things that you've worked toward.