I’ve learned that when the creative process includes a deadline for a final project, it can be a lot less fun than working on a hobby or personal project. I’m not very good with setting deadlines for myself, but I want to work in a field that does, I will have to improve on that. Creative writing is my goal, and while I can write novels on my own time, if I wanted to expand into the video game industry - which I do - I will need to set deadlines and meet them. Being creative on a time crunch is very difficult, but not impossible.
The biggest technical challenge I had was how to create an interactive video in the first place, which I overcame by using a tool that has a GUI for adding links, hotspots, etc. By using the HiHaHo service, I was able to create videos which linked together and contained outside links for further study by the viewer.
For now, I won’t be taking any steps to further my learning in media arts. It’s an amazing field and I greatly enjoy it, but I plan to study creative writing in my post-graduate studies and will be busy working until then.
Looking back on the expected learning outcomes for this course, I believe I have met most of the expectations. I have created an interactive video, which demonstrates advanced level mastery of the media arts project by including sound, imagery, and story in an integrated web-based form. I completed this project in a series of progressive steps, with milestones and deliverables which were shown through graded assignments throughout the course.
Through module discussions, I engaged in analysis of media arts elements such as audience, contexts, tools, and environments. In these discussions, I also demonstrated an understanding of historical, current, and future trends in media arts. By critiquing my peers’ projects, I critically analyzed media arts in various contexts, such as aesthetic, ethical, social, and professional considerations.
Unfortunately, I was unable to successfully collaborate on an interdisciplinary media arts project with peers. While my group and I did our best, we were unable to settle on and create a project in the timeline we were given.
I think my most significant learning experience in this course was how difficult it is to complete a group project, as it happens - it requires a large amount of clear, timely communication. While I initially suggested switching from the school forum to a chat engine, my group chose not to do so. I think I should have pushed a little harder for this, as it would have made communication clearer. Not getting notifications without logging into the website - which isn’t available everywhere - makes it harder to know when my teammates had replied to a post of mine or made an original post of their own.
Overall, I do believe I have learned a lot in this course. Much of it was things I need to work on in regards to organization and time management, but those are important lessons in any field of study. While I do not plan to continue using media arts in my professional and personal life (beyond writing, which is only one aspect), I do have a good basis in the case that changes.
