Your Name:Llana Dunagan
Course:E 330C
Part A
A.1 Interview with another person who knows you well-for example, a parent or other family member, close friend, or teacher. The interview should focus on the person's impressions of your development as a reader, writer, and thinker. If you have completed an interview like this in a prior class, please pick a different person to interview for this assignment.
1/31/96--It was not very hard to find someone who has seen me grow as a reader, writer and thinker. I chose Marilyn, my mother, who has been with me all my life. It was awkward interviewing her because we have experienced almost everything in my life together and I thought I already knew her perspective. However, I thought some of the things she remembered were not important, but to her, it really showed how much I had grown. When we discussed my growth in reading she immediately thought back to when I was in kindergarten. She said the teacher assigned me as her helper because I could already read fairly well. I didn't even remember this but she was very candid about my school grade years. She said I had a very high comprehension reading level in first and second grade and at the end of second grade I was given some type of advancement test. The next year I started fourth grade instead of third grade. From what I remember, starting fourth grade and only being seven years old was not very difficult. My mother also told me that every summer my sister and I belonged to the library book club and would read all kinds of books. Going to the library is something I definitely remember. When we talked about writing, she pulled on a specific memory from when I was in seventh grade. She reminded me of the poem I wrote about our cat that won first place in the school's poetry contest. It is interesting that she sees me as a poet because I see myself very differently. I write in journals about my feelings and thoughts and sometimes I compose a poem but I never thought of myself as a poet. The subject of thinking was easy for us to talk about. She claims that when I was growing up I always asked questions and came up with scenarios about life. She remembered specifically about a time when I was in high school and I said, "Mom, why can't my brain just stop? It is always thinking and asking questions. Sometimes I wish it would just stop so I could say 'Oh, I'm not thinking about anything.'" I really remember that time in my life. I wanted to relax but couldn't because I kept taking in so much information I sometimes felt as I did not know what to do with it all. She concluded our conversation by saying, "You have always looked beyond the horizon whenever you started something. You never just scratched the surface instead you always went deeper into what you were doing."
A.2 Reflections on your own development with respect to reading, writing, speaking and listening, and technology.
1/23/95--Llana Hines has a keen interest in the study of social issues that is reflected in her personal reading list as well as her writing. As both a mother and a hopeful educator, she is especially interested in the concerns of children and how they effected by our culture and our "cyber-culture". She is very comfortable with computers but is still eager to learn more about the history and prospects of computers in society. Llana enjoys reading outside of the academic environment. Her interests in fiction include works dealing with mysticism and the supernatural. Some of her favorite readings are set in the American Southwest and explore Spiritual themes in Native American culture. Besides fiction with spiritual or supernatural themes, Llana enjoys fiction that addresses interpersonal, social, and cultural topics. She finds that science fiction in particular is an excellent medium for exploring contemporary social and moral issues. It can recreate existing debates with a new perspective or it can raise new moral questions that have not yet become urgent in our own culture. Llana also likes the play, Woyzek, by Bushner, a protomarxist, and Tartuff by Molier. In the academic setting, Llana enjoyed reading the feminist writing of Emily Martin. Llana has kept a journal for a long time and found it very helpful for Òworking outÓ things in her life. As a mother, she keeps a mother's journal in which she records all of the personal and spiritual feelings that occur to her as she raises her son. In school, Llana enjoys doing research papers on culture, geography, and economics. Llana is very familiar with computers and considers herself an intuitive user. She has worked at ACC working on the networks and maintaining servers. She also trained professors at the school on how to effectively use educational software in the classroom. Llana thinks that she is rare because she is a woman who has worked in a highly technical area of computer applications. She has browsed casually on the internet, but has not become involved in programming or ÒhackingÓ. She is especially interested in learning more about the history, development of the internet. Skepticism is LlanaÕs dominant sentiment towards the progress of computer technology. She wonders if the current rush to make all aspects of our culture available on-line is a good thing. The effect of cyberculture on children and how to mitigate it is a topic that concerns Llana and she hopes to learn more about those issues in this class.
Data Collection: FIRST HALF OF SEMESTER
1. Observations (made periodically during the semester). Observations should include a range of interactions: individual activities, small group work, whole-class activities. These are very brief, informal notes.
* Observations of reading and research activities
2/1/96 Research for Project #1-- I learned new ways to access information by using the U.T. online libraries and databases. However, once I located the information it was only available in print form. I was unable to find on-line sources relevant to my topic.
2/20/96 Reflections of Nielson--I reached one of my goals when I read Nielson. I found out the history of the Internet and hypertext. I also realized that I have been exposed to hypertext for a long time with out knowing what it truly was and its capabilities.
2/22/96 Virtual Worlds Reading--Prior to taking this class I had never heard of MOOs and MUDs. When I read the Virtual Worlds reading assignment, I finally understood what they were and why they are so important. MOOs and MUDs helped me recapture my imagination in a text environment because I can actively participate. I enjoy reading but my imagination is limited by the authors descriptions. However, when I am in a MOO I can utilize my imagination to create and add to the environment.
* Observations of writing activities
1/23/96 Interview: Chad Currie--Writing this interview for me was hard. I did not have enough time to talk to Chad about all of his experiences therefore I lacked detailed information in some areas. The writing process was difficult because I was unsure of the format for the interview. After reading your comments, I realized what the format should have been. Now I know what to do.
2/15/96 Storyspace Project #1--Writing for this project was a challenge. I had two choices: 1)write a regular paper and divide it up into my different areas in the storyspace document or 2)write each area on its own. I chose the second option and learned a great deal about the writing process. I had to look at what the reader might choose to read first and all the possibilities the reader could choose. I had to do this in order to make all the links connect in a logical manner and hopefully make my storyspace environment more intuitive for the reader. When I finished the project, I realized I had written a series of essays related to the topic. My topic served as an umbrella for all my essays to fall under. This writing assignment help me target a weakness in my writing - the passive voice. I really want to work on my style and make it more active.
* Observations of collaborative activities
2/8/96 Draft Workshop--I felt scared walking into class with my Project #1 draft. I felt confident about my project but not about having my peers critique it. I learned that positive feedback from David and A.J. helped me overcome this fear. Even though I did not have a lot of text in my storyspace document, their comments about the organization let me know that I was headed in the right direction. I learned how to communicate positively with David and A.J.. By reading their drafts, I saw how they used storyspace to fit their topic, especially with the textual links. I learned that the textual links were an integral part of the storyspace project.
3/4/96 Project #3 Proposal--Brainstorming with Taqdees Malik helped spark my interests and imagination. We bounced questions off each other which helped us form our MOO and Web theme. Her questions really helped me formulate my ideas.
* Observations of technological activities
1/25/96 Platinum Blood--I came in late and didn't get to finish the reading. I felt like I was in a maze trying to piece the characters and the story together in my mind. I found it hard to read the text fast because I couldn't always get a clear picture in my mind of what was happening. I like having control over what I can read next. At first, I was fustrated about making the decision where to go and what to read. After a few minutes, I liked having that power because I could follow what I found interesting. It seemed like I was trying to solve a mystery by trying to figure out the storyline and the characters. This type of story and format is definetly different and somewhat hard to follow. For me to appreciate this, I am going to need some practice.
2/6/96 Storyspace Experience--After playing with Storyspace for a while, I figured out most of the functions and how to use them. Towards the end of my project, I started critiquing the program. For instance, if Storyspace wants to be used for writing, then it should have more word processing features, such as a spell checker and more text format options. I figure it never hurts to learn a new program.
2/6/96 Interchange--Interchange taught me how to speak more specific about a topic instead of using gross overgeneralizations. It did this by forcing me to type what I was thinking. Even though I was having a conversation on interchange it was very different from actually speaking.
2/22/96 MOOspace--Visiting the MOO opened my mind. At first, I felt lost because everything was happening so fast. I wanted to respond to people but I couldn't type fast enough or I would forget the command. After exploring and getting a feel for the MOO I gained more confidence. Being in the MOO really invoked a deep feeling I have had for technology for a long time--skepticism. This whole other sense of reality intrigues me but for some unknown reason I can't seem to fully emerse myself. I must fear losing my true sense of reality - it is such a fine line. I wonder how many people have already crossed it because of technology like MOOs. Everyone has their form of escapism but with some technology like MOOs this escape can become a true reality. Like you say, these worlds aren't virtual...they are real.
DATA COLLECTIONS: SECOND HALF OF SEMESTER
1. Observations: SECOND HALF OF SEMESTER
* Observations of reading and research activities
3/22/96 Web research--The internet never ceases to amaze me. Taqdees and I found graphics and information particular to Kashmir by doing a simple search on Yahoo.
4/11/96 Mind Over Media--I didn't really care for this book because the reading was too simplistic. I guess I shouldn't consider myself at the beginner level anymore.
* Observations of writing activities
3/22/96 Web writing--Designing the web page takes more time than I thought. We continue to search for the perfect background. We don't have large amounts of text on our page but just enough to inform viewers about our MOO.
4/11/96 Update Status--I failed to mention that our project proposal changed. We realized the world was a little too big for us to tackle so we scaled it down to one region (Kashmir) and one city (Jamu).
4/12/96 MOO in storyspace--I love writing for the MOO in Storyspace. I realized why design is so important. Design dictates what you do and how you do it and determines how you should write to fit your design.
4/29/96 MOO Log--I finally understand the MOO! It really is a cool place. I like being able to create things and describe them. I gained confidence on this visit to AcademICK.
5/2/96 MOO vcommands--Cool! I can make things happen in the MOO. I figured out the vcommands and now people who explore our MOO can sprinkle their surahi, eat food at Taj Palace and drink Coke.
* Observations of collaborative activities
3/22/96 Web design--Taqdees and I figured out how easy html can be. We agreed upon the web design fairly quickly and continued our search for graphics.
4/4/96 MOO--Working with Taqdees is great! She lives next door and her time schedule is flexible. She has a great sense of humor.
4/9/96 MOO--Taqdees and I finished the MOO design. I am really excited about it! When we write the descriptions it seems like we are writing our own novel. I think the hardest part is figuring out the explorers point of view and anticipating their next move.
4/10-4/19/96 MOO descripitons--Taqdees and I have worked on the MOO descriptions everynight. We work for about two or three hours at a time. We have noticed how our writing has changed since we first started the descriptions. It fascinates me to see our writing evolve over such a short period of time.
4/24/96 MOO--I really have learned a lot by working with Taqdees. She is very open about her religion and culture. I like being her partner. She also has taught me some principles behind programming.
4/28/96 Programming the MOO--AHHHH!!!! It took us four hours to build two rooms and link them together. At this rate we will never finish on time!
4/29/96 Programming the MOO--Taqdees and I figured it out! There is still hope.
4/30/96 Programming the MOO--YIPPIE!! We completed our MOO space. We had a blast working on it in the lab. We even have enough time left to add extra stuff if we want. A.J. said he likes sitting next to us in the lab because we get so excited when we figure out how to do something. I took that as a compliment.
5/1/96 HTML programming--Taqdees and I thought programming the Web would be a piece of cake (for lack of a better term). But to our suprise the process consumes large amounts of time. Using bbedit is not difficult but putting everything together is going to take longer than we anticipated.
5/2/96 HTML programming-We finally figured out the frame concept. I never realized that frames were just an overlying layer inside the index.html file. Taqdees and I finsihed four web pages in time for class.
* Observations of technological activities
3/31/96 Storyspace--Storyspace works great for mapping and organizing our MOO information.
4/29/96 Connect AcademICK--I figured out how to connect to AcademICK using Muddweller from my house.
4/30/96 MOO--I like having the power to create, destroy, and manipulate inside the MOO. My knowledge has replaced the skeptic feeling I had towards MOOs, MUDs, and MUSHs.
5/1/96 MOO-MOO space is a powerful learning tool. It really makes you think about the writing process and especially grammer.
5/1/96 Web-I like html programming, especially the design aspect. On the web, your options seem endless and you have just about everything at your fingertips.
2. Evidence: FIRST HALF OF SEMESTER
* Samples of written work (formal and informal writing)
1/23/96-Assignment #1: Interview-Chad Currie
2/6/96 Interchange
2/8/96-Project #1 Draft
2/15/96-Project #1 Final
2/20/96-Reading Reflections
3/5/96-Project #2 Proposal
* Samples of comments by others (professor, other students)
1/23/96: Assignment #1-Peg Syverson Llana-
Readers can get a very good sense of Chad's background in reading and technology through this summary; there might be a little more specific information about wha t he has written. The last paragraph is not really necessary, since this is a descriptive summary, which is intended to focus on the interviewee rather than the interviewer, but it's a good job overall.
2/8/96: Project #1 Draft Workshop a) A. K.:
-I really like the web design of the hypertext. The color coding in the text and the boxes makes much more visually interesting. Obviously more text needs to be added, but I like the direction. -The coherency in what is introduced is very good. I like the idea of presenting definitions. -YES, if the information is in there the navigation will be excellent. -I think your use of a list of questions was much more effective than a dry paragraph. -Three ideas, (i don't know if they are good or bad): 1) You may want to limit the amount of colors in the text, it is somewhat distracting. 2) You may want to try and use the notes to do definitions, it could make it more hypertextual. But, that's a tough call. 3) It seems like you have an enormous amount of information, you may wanna try and limit it. But I look forward to reading the finished copy.
b) D. S.:
-My first impression of the project was that it is very well organized. The structure of the project as a whole is very easy to follow -The controversy is how technology has helped/hindered exceptional children in the education system. - There is not a substantial amount of information in the project right now; there was more attention to the outline and structure of the project rather than filling in the information. -The hypertext structure is VERY coherent. Everything seems to make sense. -The color-coding in the topic box is very useful for understanding where the terms introduced are further explained. -Include graphics (images) when appropriate and continue using the color- coding throughout the entire project. -The structure of the project as a whole usually dictates what the final project is going to be like. So far, the project looks very good. With the inclusion of the actual text information, this project will most likely be a very well made hypertext.
2/15/96: Storyspace Project #1-Peg Syverson Llana-
This is quite a wonderful project! It shows a great grasp of Storyspace and its features, and uses them to good advantage. There is plenty of help for readers to remind them of navigation strategies. The topic is a very interesting one, and you've provided good coverage: I learned something from the web, which makes it very enjoyable. To engage readers quickly, I think I'd open with your profile, which gives a specific case. I love the photo; it really gives a human touch. This case will help orient readers to the more general information provided in the other spaces. Your research is thorough and well-chosen, with a properly formatted bibliography. For in-text citations you will want to give a page number as well as the author's name, to help readers find the citation. The content and organization are great; now the thing to work on is style. I've noted in the text several examples of weak sentences or vague and general writing that can be tightened up. Fortunately, style is something that can be worked on and developed with further reading and writing. My comments are in blue, red indicates material that should be deleted. Great job overall!
* Samples of other activities (i.e., interchanges, notes, planning diagrams, and so on)
1) 2/6/96 Interchange in portfolio
3) Other Planning: Most of the planning I did for Project #1 is in my class notebook (paper based). I still favor writing down most of my brainstorming and thought process on paper.
2. EVIDENCE: SECOND HALF OF SEMESTER
* Samples of written work
4/11/96 Project 2.3 status update
4/19/96 MOO draft-Storyspace
4/28/96 Dunagan/Malik MOO log
4/29/96 Dunagan/Malik MOO log
4/29/96 Dunagan/Malik MOO2 log
4/30/96 Dunagan/Malik MOO log
5/2/96 Dunagan/Malik MOO log
5/2/96 Web-final draft
5/8/96 MOO-final log
* Samples of comments by others
Many of the comments for our MOO space and web pages were verbal and not written. However, Justin was nice enough to log his encounter in our MOO space:
Main Terminal
I would describe DARK exits so if someone looks before trying to go there they know it is something special. Some sort of first time users guide would be helpful also; it could read something like "there are many hidden things..."
j. c.
* Samples of other activities
1. JAMU MAP-created in Pagemaker then converted and altered in Graphic Converter
2. Schedule 2.gif-created in Pagemaker then converted and altered in Graphic Converter
3. Web graphics-used graphic converter for all our graphics
4. Other Planning: Many of the decisions affecting the design of our MOO space and our Web page were reached verbally. Taqdees and I used a black board to help us visualize the descriptions of the rooms and objects within our MOO space, especially when Taqdees was unable to make a direct translation of the object's name into english. This visualization technique proved very useful in our situation.
Part B: FIRST HALF OF SEMESTER
B.1 Summary interpretation of observations and evidence in terms of the four major strands of work and the five dimensions Four major strands: rhetoric, research, technology and collaboration five dimensions
* confidence and independence
* knowledge and understanding
* skills and strategies
* use of prior and emerging experience
* reflectiveness (critical awareness)
This class helped me identify my strengths and weaknesses. In the area of rhetoric, I need to work on writing more effectively. I am confident about achieving this goal because now I recognize my weakness. Since I have prior technical skills, focusing on my writing style will not be a problem. I am gaining a better understanding of writing and how essential it is in our society. I am also learning to view the technology we use as a medium for facilitating writing instead of replacing or inhibiting it. Research has always been a favorite area of mine. I really enjoy the hunt for new information. When I researched for project #1 I learned a new way of gathering information. I also realized that not everything available to me is in the library. Even though I did not find on-line sources for my topic, I did find many other sources pertaining to my other classes and interests. I never realized how much valuable information was at my finger tips. Technology does have its advantages. Mastering new technology makes the learning process exciting. I am very familiar with the hardware we use however, learning new software is always a challenge. Using Storyspace helped me map my thinking and visually see the associations I make with related pieces of information. It was very easy for me to make an outline of my topic. This suprised me because I really have a difficult time creating outlines when I write. The MOO also taught me something new. After exploring on the MOO and seeing how essential writing is for creating and maintaining an environment, I feel more confident about the writing process. I don't feel intimidated about writing because I feel empowered with the ability to create my own environment for the reader. Collaboration has also increased my confidence and critical awareness. Working with others stimulates my mind and helps me develop my ideas. I really like the feedback from my peers because it makes me answer the 'how' and 'why' questions pertaining to my ideas. Their feedback forces me to look at myself and my ideas more critically. I notice that when I can see the bigger picture I want to create it all at once. This approach is not always realistic. A perfect example of this is our MOO space: Geography of the WORLD! After Taqdees and I talked about it after class we decided to cut it down to size and approach it on a realistic manner. Overall, I am learning a great deal more than I expected. This class gives me the freedom to monitor my own learning, determine my own learning goals and really individualize the class to fit my learning needs. By having this set-up I can monitor my own learning and achieve what I feel necessary for my development.
SECOND HALF OF SEMESTER B.2 Summary interpretations of observations and evidence in terms of the four major strands of work and the five dimensions. Four major strands: rhetoric, research, technology and collaboration Five dimensions: *confidence and independence * knowledge and understanding * skills and strategies * use of prior and emerging experience * reflectiveness (critical awareness)
I gained valuable skills and confidence about my writing during the second half of the semester. Writing in the MOO was a challenging process that helped me focus on my writing style. The MOO forced me to think of how my writing would be interpreted by the reader and whether or not the voice was passive or active. I realized that writing creatively is fun and not painfull. Since I did not have any prior experience with creative writing, I felt lost at where to start. Working with Taqdees helped me face my creative writing fear. Once we began writing our MOO descriptions, I could see how our writing matured throughout the MOO. We became more adventerous with adjectives and verbs and decided to take risks and embellish the reader with rich text. It really was a neat experience. By doing this we created a writing strategy. First, we would make a list of things that would be in the type of room we were trying to describe. Next, we would make a list of words relating to all the senses that we wanted to discuss. Finally, we used these two lists to formulate our sentences which ultimately became the descriptions found in our MOO. Using this strategy really helped us work efficiently and made the writing process more adventerous.
The MOO and Web projects required some research about the region we were creating. Our original project required massive amounts of research because we wanted to re-create the entire world, country by country. We decided this task was nearly impossible to complete within two months. Instead we chose 4 places and focused our attention on one complete region-Kashmir. We conducted most of our research on-line. We gathered most of our information and graphics from Travel agency homepages and Indian homepages found through searches on Yahoo and various search indexes on the internet. Taqdees offered another source of information since her culture and religion are close to Kashmir. She is from Pakistan and has traveled over to Kashmir. Many of our descriptions come from her traveling experiences. I gained confidence using the internet for obtaining information. I love physical libraries and sometimes I shy away from the electronic databases because I miss the physical feeling of being within the walls of the library. However, some things can't be found in the library just like some things can't be found on the internet. I think this will soon change.
Technology always offers opportunity. Learning new technology and obtaining skills that are usefull in today's society is very essential to a college graduate. This class taught me useful skills and gave me confidence in how to use these skills properly. Now I know how to program using HTML and MOO commands for AcademICK. Learning these skills helped me pinpoint an interest within geography. I decided to switch my track from secondary education to Geographic Information Systems (GIS). With your encouragement, I contacted Dr. Foote and discussed my interests with him. He gladly welcomed me to work with him this summer at the Virtual Workshop Conference in June. I would have never been able to work with Dr. Foote if I did not have any experience with HTML programming. This class really opened a door for me and I would like to thank you for giving me the opportunity to learn new and valuable skills.
Collaboration is an essential component in this class. Working with a partner, especially Taqdees, helped ignite my creativity and focus on my writing style. My partner increased my knowledge about programming and in the process, we developed a great friendship. We helped each other with grammer and style. It was easy to accept constructive criticism from her because we were working as a team. Our project reflects our team effort. We both focused on each part together. Overall, I enjoyed working with a partner on these projects because it helped generate creative ideas and we shared knowledge about our technical expertise.
Part C
C.1 Midterm portfolio
* Estimated evaluation in terms of grade.
I think I am in the B range at this
point because I have achieved some of my goals in this class but I still have a
few more to accomplish.
* Suggestions for your own further development during remainder of semester
I want to learn HTML and the MOO programming language so I will be faster when I interact on the MOO. I also want to work on my writing style.
* Suggestions for class activities or for the professor to better support learning.
I think it would help the class if you wrote assignments to be turned into you on the board or post it on the web page. Sometimes when you announce things in class it is hard to determine if the assignment is formal or informal and whether or not you want us to turn it in.
C.2 Final portfolio
* Reflections on semester's learning experience
I have learned valuable new skills and confidence about writing, research, technology, and confidence. This class has helped me overcome my fear of writing, constructive criticism, and collaboration. At the beginning of this course, I outlined a list of goals that I wanted to achieve. All of my goals are reached and it feels good to see the fruits of my labor. I had specific intentions for taking this course. I wanted to learn something different and use my technical skills in the process. My expections have been met and greatly exceeded by the course content and the professor. I love this class because I genuinely feel like I have learned something and not just memorized stuff for an exam. Being able to see my own development in terms of learning amazes me. I can leave this class with marketable skills that are useful in the work place and in other areas of my life.
* Any supplementary information or comments not included in Parts A & B
MOO--Possibilities for the MOO are endless...I wish we had more time to elaborate within the MOO. I also think it would have helped if we were given a few short writing assignments to do within AcademICK.
* Any suggestions for the professor for future classes
I think this class should have a scheduled lab or the class should be scheduled as a three hour course once a week. Students should have more time to work in class on their projects since the lab hours do not cater to students' needs. Also, the lab should be open on the weekend throughout the entire semester.
* Estimated evaluation in terms of grade
I deserve an A for this course. I accomplished the goals I set out for myself and I learned more skills than I anticipated. I also feel that my work is of good quality and substantial quantity.