Hypertext Blog Reflection

As apprehensive as I was about blogging my thoughts to the whole world, the connection with the internet developed my knowledge on the class topics more thoroughly. The class discussion combined with the blogs of myself and my classmates kept the class in motion throughout the week. Our continuous digital discussions created a wealth of information on each other as well as our assignments.This digital method of organizing and sharing my thoughts added a modern relevance from the topics to my learning. 

Blogging helped digitally "free write" my mind while discussing large, uncomfortable, or compelling topics this semester. Throughout each blog post I tried to organize my thoughts for both my own benefit and in order for the "people of the internet" to understand them. Normally, I have jumbled and, often times, too many thoughts on one subject at one time. In my blog post on Smith and Watson's autobiographical tool tips I organized my thoughts through bullet pointing under each question for one, overhead tool tip. Since the writing form of the blog was so open and digital (my comfort zone) it gave me the freedom of thinking as much as I wanted to about each question while still keeping an organized flow of information for others. I also used a similar method in a comparison between two of Translations largest characters. Translations had three acts that marked clear sections of change for an outside reader, and my inclusion of them in this blog post exemplifies the characters' transitions. While it connects with oIutside readers, the post deciphers my thoughts into meaning for the political situation in Ireland as well as the characters. Clear organization through digital blogging tools allowed my thoughts to be open but cohesive for both me and outside viewers.

Other times, the blog put a face to a name and deepened my reading, interest, and connection to the topic. While blogging connects directly to the internet, it was easy to search for images or people, artwork, or places relevant to the subjects I struggled with. For example, Girl, Interrupted discussed facets of womanhood in the sixties through the harsh conditions of a rehabilitation center. As random as my post on Elizabeth Moss, who played "Torch" in Girl, Interrupted, seemed, it helped connect me with the material. While I discussed her ironic role in Mad Men (a show I really like) as a successful woman in the sixties in comparison to "Torch", I broadened my understanding of the range of "female" roles. The pictures I added also show the extremes compared to each other as well as a woman of today and strengthen this point even further. I also included helpful images in my post on Pierre Bonnard. The author of Circling My Mother's inclusion of art by Pierre Bonnard gave me a connect to the work. Through posting about the artwork I gained a better understand of the mood and specific details in the story. Adding images to difficult topics helped form more intelligent and aware thoughts during class discussions. 

Connecting to the class through a blog occasionally included pitching my ideas for its assignments to my peers. For the first research assignment I'd be proposing an argument on whether or not Woolf's argument held water. Later in the class, we discussed a close reading blog post and if we succeeded or not. In my Close Reading post I practiced analyzing evidence on one of the stories I'd be including in the assignment. The chance to pitch my ideas to the class gave me insight on what I need to work on with my writing. The blog gave me a method of exploring ideas I was interested in while practicing for assignments in front of the whole class.

Blogging for Lives and Times gave me a real outlet to test my thoughts against the internet as well as my classmates. Keeping it interesting for both parties became its toughest challenge but greatest reward. The thought of my posts being out in the world forced me to keep them organized. Its connection the internet also allowed me to search for other, sometimes outside, connections to the topic. Bringing in outside interests, images, and organization partly helped my learning, but it also made it appealing to someone who might be looking at the blog. It's as if I tried to sell my ideas to others through interesting and appealing topics, and therefore connected them to my thoughts. My knowledge of the internet community compared to the classroom community brought a hybrid type of discussion, but an effective one for my learning.


Extra Credit Responses: "The Yellow Wallpaper" library exhibit viewing