Blog Post #5

I have completed my Genius Hour Project!  It feels good to finally be done.  I'm happy with what I have created.  The project definitely took me more time and work than I thought it would.  However, I feel that it was all worth it, as I think I have produced something of reasonably good quality and value.  Perhaps most importantly I have established an educational resource of my own creation.  A resource that I can continue to build on and curate over time.

I have learned many new skills on my journey to this project's completion.  When I started this project I had no idea how to set up, organize, and implement a blog.  Now I feel comfortable navigating a variety of features both essential to blogging and supplementary to blogging.  This includes applying images, URL links, videos, and much more.  I feel like this has been a worth while project.  I have enjoyed the independent nature of the assignment combined with the experience of learning various aspects of digital technology.  I now think I am fully capable of using my new found knowledge for educational purposes.  I believe these skills will be useful for both personal pursuits and academic applications.  I look forward to applying all of these skills in the future.

Special thanks to my professor Taylor Downes who assisted me throughout this process and patiently answered all of my novice questions.  Thank you Taylor!

I hope my readers enjoy the blog and return to it from time to time as I continue to develop and contribute new ideas!

Blog Post #4

I'm back again with another blog post to discuss the progress of my Genius Hour Project.  So far things are going well.  I have finished my Ted Talk video that I will use to explain some important aspects of my project.  I'm still putting some finishing touches on my intro video, but there is only a bit more work to be done before that's complete.  But, most importantly, the material for my genius hour project itself is finished.  Most of the research I have done for this project was recorded the old fashioned way (pen and paper), so I am still in the process of transferring my hand written notes into digital text.  I should be able to finish all of this and polish up some of my ideas and connections over the next few days.  That should keep me on track for my project due date, which is October 19th.

I think I have learned quite a few things since starting my Genius Hour Project. Perhaps what has been most surprising of all is the amount of time it takes to create the ancillary projects that support my main project.  I've enjoyed doing most of these tasks (creating videos, summarizing my progress in blog posts, etc.). I can also appreciate the value behind their intended purpose.  That is, to create a more engaging, entertaining, and flashy production.  These production tools have been useful assets in helping me to design a more well-rounded and digitally friendly presentation.  Notably, I definitely need a lot more work and experience when it comes to fully incorporating my use of technology into an educational setting.  However, I now think I have a novice grasp of digital technology that can be useful for supporting a presentation by making it more appealing and interactive.

I look forward to the completion of Genius Hour Project.  I hope that I can continue to build on it as an academic resource long after my class in digital technology at Brock University has finished.  Hopefully everything will go smoothly from now until publication!