Digital Literacy & Me

I apologize for taking so long on this, it's been a rough couple of weeks for the technology in my life. I used the movie maker because my current netbook's mic is not working, so this is all text based. I'm trying to think of it positively as a learning experience and coping strategies test. Hopefully this works.:

Digital Literacy & Me

This assignment was a challenge as I do not have a extensive online community and I am not familiar with all the new digital technologies. Podproducer seemed overwhelming and I did not find any online manuals or blogs to help me feel comfortable with the program. I ended up using Window’s Movie Maker as it allowed me to import the files and then drag the files to a "work area". I played around with different ways to record the audio. I found that using Window’s Movie Maker was the best alternative as it kept the sound consistent with the music audio. This was a challenging project but now I feel more capable of working with some web applications.

Digital Literacy & Me

My experience of podcasting

This journey of creating a podcast was an exciting one. In the past I have tried audio podcasting just out of curiosity. But working with a video format for podcasting was my first attempt.  I learned a lot. I figured out new applications and effects.

I started to record with an external microphone and with audio recording software available with the Microsoft accessories. But the output volume was very low – i couldn’t work with it. So I tried various other programs. Then I went back to my handheld digital recorder. I transferred my file to the computer and added it to the windows movie maker, which I was very comfortable to work with.  

I learned some new tricks of transitions and extending the voice file as music input and played around with captions. I prepared a script on what I wanted to speak; organising my ideas with digital literacy. This in a way made me reflect upon the influence of digital technologies in my life over the years. Thanks for the opportunity.

Digital Literacy & Me

My first attempt at creating a podcast certainly was not a walk in the park. Put a learning curve together with a computer that will be going into the Mac store tomorrow, for repairs and you have some moments of panic. Having listened to podcasts before mainly for music remixes, I certainly had a different understanding of them and still wonder if they aren't meant to be audio only. I used Garage Band and Imovie, both of which had some technical issues that really took some time. Uploading to blip.tv was probably the easiest part of the whole assignment, although I do have to say I'm a little concerned about having this in such an 'open' forum.

The assignment had it's moments where thinking back to the different technologies and when I used them brought some laughter. The chaos in working to get this done on time while learning on the fly really made it intense. I think that in general, technology becomes so intrinsic to us that when we have to deal with glitches, it really does become unnerving. I would say that the issue I always have with technology is that once I start using it I want to really understand it and know how to use it 'well' - I want to be completely literate. Even as I post this I wish I had more time to really learn the tool and do a better job. I need to tell myself that it takes time.

The images used in the podcast are from my own photo collection.

Digital Literacy & Me

When I looked at the first assignment, I knew this was going to be a challenge. I had never created a podcast before and had only viewed a handful of them. I tend to think in terms of abstract ideas, ultimately corralled by textual representation. Although I have experience with a number of different hypermedia applications, my role has primarily been one of a user, rather than creator. My limited interaction has consisted mostly of commenting on blog posts and other forms.

Given the tight deadline for this assignment, I knew I would have to scale the learning curve quickly. I had no idea even what type of software was required, or how to use it. Fortunately, I had access to a 14 year-old who explained it to me. (A 14 year-old who has already posted over 300 videos to YouTube and even been paid for some of them.)

My goal with this podcast was to somehow convey the strangeness that is me while still answering the questions in the assignment. I think I achieved this goal in a modest way, although I feel I could significantly improve the end product if I had more time. (In fact, as the video was uploading to YouTube, I thought of at least three improvements I could have made.) Initially, my planned process was to write the script first, and then think about what images/sounds would enhance the presentation. However, I was surprised to find that while I was writing the script, I was consciously thinking about images and music, and these thoughts ultimately had some influence on the shape of the narrative. This was an interesting discovery for me, and will consequently influence how I approach future hypermedia projects.

Digital Literacy & Me

This was the first time I created a podcast. I have listened to podcasts for news and radio episodes but never had interest in creating one. I tried to use PodProducer but found it to be challenging. I was not able to align two sound inputs, which I required to include music in the background. Instead, I opted to use Windows Movie Maker, which worked well but I was unable to incorporate links of any sort. My voice was a video input and I covered the lens so that the music in the background could be an audio input. Blip TV was very easy to set up and use. I could have used Blogger to upload the video but figured this would be a good chance to try out something new. I will definitely play around with podcasting software and decide if I should use it in the future.

The assignment was an interesting one since it gave me a chance to reflect on the history of my online activity. The reasons why I started or stopped using applications were strictly based on what was going on in my life at the time. It brought back some memories about the excitement and frustrations I experienced when learning new software. The names and functions of online web technologies has changed, but they all allow for collaboration and community development. I should also note that I used several tools to help me prepare this podcast. I used Youtube and Twitter to get some tips and tutorials. I also used message boards to answer some of my questions.

Here are some of the links that were mentioned in the podcast:

Twitter: @sunil_agnihotri

Blog: http://sunilagni.wordpress.com