Look Upon Thyself

Since the beginning of this course I have learned so much. When the course started I didn't think it was possible to learn everything I have about the media. The books I have had time to read so far- Understanding Comics, Amusing Ourselves to Death and Ways of Seeing have opened my eyes to a lot.
I am doing really well in this class as well. It really brings out my creative side because it is more hands on than programs like business and justice studies. In high school I had initiative but now I don't even need it. I actually enjoy doing the work because I have been interested in the media for a long time. It isn't a question of doing the work it's a question of when. I usually do it as soon as I can because I'm excited about it.
When Mark told us about writing blogs I didn't think I would enjoy it. I had never written one but after a couple I realized that I really enjoy it. It's a fun and easy way to express myself. I have been writing them to the best of my ability too. Surprisingly, I haven't been lazy this semester like I was in high school.
One of my main problems in this class is not participating in class discussions thus far. I am self-concsious about what my peers will think of me if my opinion differs from there's or if I give a wrong answer. I am getting over this though because I'm beginning to realize that everyone who participates in the discussions will give a wrong answer. That's no reason to look down upon them because everyone makes mistakes and we learn from these mistakes. I also realize that everyone has their own opinion and chances are it will be different from yours. This isn't bad at all either because it creates class discussion and we learn a lot more when we have different opinions. I am going to begin participating in class discussions.
My main strength in this class is that I am able to quickly grasp communication, culture and media theories. I can quickly find relationships between novels, other novels and other types of media in terms of the theories. This is a crucial skill because it really helped when I wrote the semiotics paper. It will also be a great skill to have when I become a professional writer.