https://www.pinterest.com/court_miller_/courtney/

The use of Pinterest is an interesting way to express myself. Pinterest is something that allows people to more or less give themselves a very specific "brand." As I looked at showing who I was through this medium, I found myself highlighting comedy and fashion, and showing who I wish I could be versus a more accurate picture of who I really am. This can be limiting in some aspects, especially when trying to look at a whole picture of a person. Pinterest is an area where people can truly filter their brand, and that is a definite limitation of the media. I think there could be a lot of different ways that this limitation could be beneficial in an educational setting. There are ways to look at specific aspects of a character’s personality or life choices by what they would pin and choose to share publicly on Pinterest. This would be very beneficial in a theatrical setting. This characterized version that is portrayed on this Pinterest board is a version of myself that would be interesting to explore and see what elements are most relevant and apparent.

Digital and Social Media Application -- Ode to an Orange

The project of re-imagining “Ode to an Orange” is something that brings up interesting conversations in a theatre classroom. First it could be used in discussing the performance of a non-theatrical text, or the performance art of every day life. This particular project, in relation to this poem, could be very interesting as well if you made sure that the orange was the central characterized focus of your new medium. It would pose its own set of challenges, but it would also allow students to look at what makes a character come to life as they bring to life this inanimate object.

Another adaptation of this assignment could have students also look at the subject of this poem and devise a character off of what is known about him, and create a social or digital media resource off of that, whether it be a Facebook page or a Tinder profile.

Naturally, this poem lends itself to storytelling as well, and this project could be used as part of a greater storytelling unit. A unit that involves telling the stories behind this poem could also start with finding the modern stories that exist in social and digital media upon converting this poem. Finding a story and creating just that story would allow students to engage with the text in a familiar language, making the story a part of who they are as students in a digital era, and allow them to find parts of these stories that engage them.

Thinking and Writing About Digital Media

While initially I would like to think that I don’t buy in to a lot of popular culture and spend a lot of my time on it, in reflecting on my day to day life, media and popular culture dominate most of what I do/consume/subscribe to/etc. From my phone to my laptop and even my television, in someway or another I am almost always online or plugged in in one way or another. Even gospel study has become a media based thing in my life. It would seem like there is no getting away, just embracing and learning from it.

I am an avid Netflix connoisseur, something that takes up a lot more of my time than I would care to admit. I am someone who likes to have a show like Parks and Recreation running in the background even if I am just cooking, cleaning, or even just sitting around doing nothing. If it is not Netflix, chances are I am streaming something from Spotify or some other media platform. Media and streaming is something woven into the fabric of my life. 

News in the year 2017 has become a very social thing as well, with the latest information being available at our finger tips. I, personally, have multiple news apps on my phone that alert me when major news breaks. Between that, and other social media posts, there is always something keeping me connected to the outside world.

Personal guidelines are a difficult thing when it comes to media and the modern world. It can become so easy to hide ourselves in our own little media hole where in we only see the things that we like and enjoy, and avoid contention or discussion simply by unfollowing/blocking someone. I, personally, try and remember the importance of seeing all sides before making any decisions on who to friend or not, and that uncomfortable is not always a bad word. I think as a Latter Day Saint, there is a whole other layer that is added on top of this, however. We are taught to be selective in our media in a way as to not “corrupt us” in one sense, but to allow us to be able to feel the spirit in another. I think we as Latter Day Saints must also remember that we have to be willing to see and acknowledge what is going on in the world around us, without letting it consume us, a balance I am still struggling to find. We can not heed the command to “be in the world not of the world” if we are not allowing ourselves to actually be in the world.

I think teaching balance in a secondary setting is one of the most important things that we can teach our students. Showing them how to access credible sources, to see every side of an argument, to give them access to every benefit of the modern world, these are some of the greatest things we can give our students.