The Learning Screen

 

Blogging as Integral Praxis for Method

 

As established, the method of this course does not consist of “mastering” material (memorization and recitation) but indeed involves putting into practice theoretical ideas — those both proposed by Ulmer in the textbook as well as developed in our experiment throughout the term. The combined endeavor is our attempt to invent and practice a new discourse, as “applied theory.” Blogging serves as the immediate “practice” in two sense of the term: effort as “attempt” and “development” as well as the demonstration of the logic and expression (as in “cultural or academic practices”). This form of composition — precisely writing through media — is an important component of the course for numerous, noted here and in class.

 
On the note of our reflexive focus (gaining “self-knowledge”), your blog serves an important communicative function: your audience is not only the course participants, including “instructor” and “peers” (fellow bloggers & social network members), and the world wide community. A unique feature that we will also examine is the “self-address” (middle voice) of composing and reading your blog. In a simple yet informative way, your entries comprise a narrative of your semester and illustrate progress and insights during the experiment. Beyond simply “illustrating course work,” this narrative and process generates ideas:

Consider one analogy (of many): the creative moments that occur during “band practice,” in which one does not just refine old songs but also sparks creative impulses. “Practice” (blogging) in our experiment involves “warming-up” as well: “tuning” our composition and performance skills, and simultaneously becoming in tune or “attuned” to different frequencies than our daily thought patterns.
(We’ll read about and discuss attunement in Ulmer’s chapter 2.)
 
» Inventory of notes (“Fakebook” section of blog) will be essential to projects and to “Studio” (workshop) days when the “Bands” (groups) review praxis through “relays” for composing the projects.

 

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One perspective is our scholarly examination of our “objects of study”; at minimum, your “research journal” entries will address (at least) one topic/issue from class readings, media, and discussions. This strategy helps generate ideas specifically for assignments. As “praxis” (applied theory), discuss a specific question or prompt from our particular reading in Internet Invention on the particular week; additionally, provide a specific example from your experience, especially media and culture — which can be presented and/or referenced digitally (“hypertextually”); see instructions below.

As I mentioned in class, students’ blog entries necessarily will supplement our limited selection of cultural examples — especially with neglected yet important forms, including songs, music videos, visual art (e.g. painting, photography), video games, and digital/social media.

 

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This strategy foregrounds and incorporates into our course the additional “frequencies” within your assemblage: document any observations and connections from your unique perspective and experiential knowledge. Specifically, explore insights through associations and connections between our texts or ideas and material “outside” of class: this deliberately includes your experience from the past and at present, as Ulmer demonstrates in the introduction — e.g. memory, anecdotes, courses, activities, media.

In short, composing an assemblage involves thinking and writing with your entire popcycle, “three-dimensional” or 360° perspective: personal / autobio.; career/discipline; community; entertainment / culture.
(prompt: Try specifying and noticing which dimension emerges most prominent in your thinking and writing at first, through your entries.)

 

In both cases, an important and productive practice is posing new questions that our readings and discussions generate — not necessarily directed toward anyone, to be answered (unlike a Q. to an instructor), but to contemplate and to consider later. Finally, any and all reflexive knowledge is vitally important: e.g. what you are considering, or how you are thinking, newly or differently — as consequence, parallel with, or “thinking through” our method and objects. Blogging serves to document insights for yourself as reader, which feasibly will help us cultivate our skill of intuition.

suggested exercise: start noting your understanding of concepts before “Googling” them; then, note any observations or reflections subsequently….
— even better, note unfamiliar terms in your reading Internet Invention: more for yourself for later, to see when you “get it,” but also for speculating (blog) and for inquiring directly (class).

 
 

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blog entry tip:

Feel free to address an “Exercise” prompt from Internet Invention from the week’s reading, which we are not undertaking in a response assignment.

For example:

— Exercise 1 (due 13-Sep): “Obtuse Meanings” (p. 46)

So, might compose entry addressing other Exercises:
 

“Term Extensions” (35), “Counter-Dictionary” (40), “Haiku Design” (51), or & “Illuminations” (p. 63)

 
Just remember to cross-reference the assignments page before choosing a prompt, throughout the term.

 

 

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Connecting your blog and social network accounts

→ Publicize feature (WP.com instructions)

 

— to publish new entries in your Facebook NewsFeed:

— there is a WordPress App for Facebook that connects your accounts.

— also an App Mirror Blog,
which has some additional and interesting functions (not sure though, as I haven’t tried).

 

» Note: this certainly is not required!
However, benefits of cross-posting into your social network — especially regarding our focusing on our “entire assemblage”… — might expand perspective and outcome of blogging.
For instance, generating and/or extending conversation of topics and examples; receiving extra credit for replying to a comment received on your blog (as long as response is thoughtful and purposeful, e.g. elaborating a concept from class/book pertaining to our method & experiment).

 
 
Additionally, your blog Theme likely has a widget for Twitter, if you use that service — perhaps applicable for brief (“micro”) notes, to share timely links and/or elaborate in blog entry later (for example).
If current users are interested, perhaps we could agree upon a hashtag? (e.g. #eng1131?)

 

 

more coming soon…