Never say never...

I was wrong again. I didn't think it would really work. I thought there would be like three people at our end-of-the-term webinar. And digital media proved me wrong again.

I am constantly amazed by the power of digital media in connecting people of similar interests and creating a habitat wherein they can share their ideas and collaborate. It was so neat to hear everyone's ideas today, to respond to their questions, and to feel their excitement. It really was enlightening and refreshing. There is nothing in a traditional research paper that compares with the feeling that I had when the webinar was over-- that feeling of "just a minute more" or of "is it really the end?" I've loved the journey. I've found new light and new inspiration in the vitality of the internet, and I don't ever want to go back. Really, I've discovered so much about myself and about the creative process, and now, my task is to go forward and implement all the things that we've been learning. This is kind of a short post, but I'll end it now in just saying how great a blessing the webinar was for me. It is the defiant "I can" in the midst of a sea of uncertainty, and it will be something that I look back to for years to come as I embark on my quest of digital discovery over the rest of my life. So glad to have been able to take part.

The Fountainhead of Human Creativity

I'll be working to integrate more of the primary work into my analysis, but for now, this is the final draft of the research paper that I wrote for my digital literacy class.

The Fountainhead of Human Creativity

          From the very genesis of recorded history, mankind has sought to create, to bring his thoughts into reality and to leave his indelible mark upon the world around him. For some civilizations, that has meant erecting massive monuments to gods and men; others preserved their ideas and culture through literature– within epics and songs and the tales of the past. In the modern, globalized era, however, the rules of creativity are changing. Especially over the last few decades, the desire to create has taken on new forms as the Internet and other digital media resources have made accessible the realms of thought and creativity for the world as a whole. Ayn Rand, in her landmark novel, The Fountainhead, investigates the concept of creativity, championing the individual creative ideal and warning against the collectivization of creative thought. Rand died years before the invention of the Internet and a great many other modern digital resources, yet her commentary on creativity and thought abide today as a lasting monument to the human spirit of creativity. A thoughtful study of digital media through the lens of Ayn Rand's The Fountainhead clearly reveals the value of independent creativity and unveils digital media's role in providing a new and living medium through which creative thought may find expression.

Learning Outcomes Revisited

I've been thinking about the different learning outcomes that we had as our goals for my digital literacy class, and it has me reflecting back on all the different things that I've been doing this semester to try to meet them.

• 1. Learn and Follow the BYU-Idaho Learning Model

  1) Prepare

  
  

  -I've done my best to be ready for discussion in each class period, and I've worked at making sure that I complete assignments on time. I've learned a lot not only from the things that we've covered in class but also from independent study. I studied Amusing Ourselves to Death and read pretty much anything that I stumbled upon that had to do with blogging and digital media, and I've worked to not just do what was required.

  
  
  

  2) Teach One Another

  
  

  -I've been consistent about contributing constructively to other classmates' work and have tried to post numerous comments on everyone's work throughout the semester. I contributed research materials and ideas to my cohort members and others throughout the research process. In terms of my own research and learning, I have shared my research with as many people as possible, as evidenced by the almost 1,200 blog views that I've gotten over the course of the term. I've shared things that I've learned in class with friends, roommates, my mom, and others, and I have advocated blogging to a number of writers that are working on getting their works published.

  
  

  3) Ponder and Prove

  
  

  -I've tried to make digital media a major part of my life, especially over the course of the term. I've thought a lot about the implications of digital media and tried to use digital media in new ways (E-books rather than regular books, Google hangouts instead of regular get-togethers, collaborative work through GoogleDocs). I have tried to embrace digital media in multiple forms in creating 2D art based on the premise of binary art, creating a video blog, composing and recording a song to Youtube, experimenting with various programs and engines (Wordle, Icerocket, Twitter, GoAnimate, Photoshop, Adobe Illustrator, Prezi), creating Wordles (and for various purposes) and GoAnimate videos, creating "Samemes," and in my blogging, I've really tried to put as much of myself out there as possible.

  
  

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.

Take 3: The Fountainhead of Human Creativity

Greg Bayles

Research Paper

Dr. Gideon Burton

6/8/2012

The Fountainhead of Human Creativity

          From the very genesis of recorded history, mankind has sought to create, to bring his thoughts into reality and to leave his indelible mark upon the world around him. For some civilizations, that has meant erecting massive monuments to gods and men; others preserved their ideas and culture through literature– within epics and songs and the tales of the past. In the modern, globalized era, however, the rules of creativity are changing. Especially over the last few decades, the desire to create has taken on new forms as the Internet and other digital media resources have made accessible the realms of thought and creativity for the world as a whole. Ayn Rand, in her landmark novel, The Fountainhead, investigates the concept of creativity, championing the individual creative ideal and warning against the collectivization of creative thought. Rand died years before the invention of the Internet and a great many other modern digital resources, yet her commentary on creativity and thought abide today as a lasting monument to the human spirit of creativity. A thoughtful study of digital media through the lens of Ayn Rand's The Fountainhead clearly reveals the value of independent creativity and unveils digital media's role in providing a new and living medium through which creative thought may find expression.