IV drips, possums in trees and googling ourselves: the second “Unlecture”

As I (unexpectedly) furiously jotted notes into a few pages of my notebook (no laptops allowed!), I thought to myself that this ‘unlecture’ was very engaging and successful because Adrian actually answered questions that we had, instead of a curriculum program outline assuming we have. The more direct answers you receive, the more clarity you get, thus engaging you more with the course.

My favourite quote of the non lecture was something along the lines of “you’re students, not sponges! I’m not going to hook you up to an IV of information and education!” I completely agree, most Uni and high school courses will do that, undermining your value as a human being and an active student. I feel that this unconventional no-sponge learning is kicking in and working for me, as I love being able to remain completely creative and individual while participating in the course.

The questions answered were all quite broad and conceptual which is good for a first week, as I felt myself really starting to understand the nature of the subject. However, my simple technical question of “how do you embed a Youtube video into a post?” wasn’t wacky funky cool enough to make it into the “yes” pile, so I’ll have to wait til tomorrow for that.

I loved what Adrian (who was wearing fantastic shoes) said about us being content producers now, and being the students who would thrive as the dynamic “media and communications” industry underwent a revolution, ultimately to be the most important sector of society in a few years time. This honestly made me feel valued and important (sorry for the cheese); something I haven’t felt in other courses which essentially tell you this industry is impossible to get into and we probably will end up running coffees til we’re 35.

This unlecture was thought provoking, engaging, interesting and helpful! I really enjoyed it, although my hand started donning the classic “stop handwriting and get back on the computer” cramp after 4 pages of old school pen to paper notes!

My first experience with an ‘unlecture’

“Hmmmmmm”.
That mostly sums up my feelings towards the unlecture and the first week course.
Like walking into every first lecture of a new course, I opened up a fresh blank document, created a brand new folder to save it into, stretched my fingers out and prepared myself to write down every tidbit of information I was thrown, hoping that at least 20% of it would stay in my head, or at least in my Word Document.

However, at the end of the “lecture”, I merely clicked the little red cross without habitually saving it, as I had actually written no notes. I had listened. I had actually listened to Adrian’s every word (needless to say I was completely hypnotised by his fantastic shirt) and retained the information. I felt a little Dead Poet Society, half-expecting Adrian to stand on a table, kick a laptop, set a text book alight and tell us that we were no longer tools in an educational factory. Totally not complaining, that’s one of my favourite films. And although Adrian (sadly) didn’t do this, I felt like I was about to embark in a very unconventional journey that is this course and get a lot more out of it then a simple GPA at the end. To be honest, I am sick of being treated like a university robot, having information thrown at us left right and centre and being told that if we couldn’t blurge it all into a perfectly formed essay, we were failures. This is why I’ve always strayed away from science, maths and even classic English studies and more towards a creative path. Therefore, this unlecture really got me excited to creatively thrive within the organic constraints of the course and truly get something out of it in return when it’s all done.

The “Hmmm” refers to my curiosity. In no way is it a bad “hmmm,” it’s a good one! I pondered how this course and the next few “unlectures” will pan out, how I will do in this learning style, where my strengths will lie and whether or not I’ll need 398204238082340 coffees in order to complete all the assignments.

I’m excited, really excited!

I just bloody hope Adrian continues wearing such fabulous shirts.

Class 1

Like starting any brand new class, I was a bit nervous but excited walking into Room 17 of Level 2 of Building 9 on Thursday at 9:30am. From the lecture, I got the impression that the subject would be a bit unconventional and abstract, so my expectations were varied and odd about class. However, the fact that we were handed three sheets of paper that essentially outlined what we would be doing for the entirety of the course really concreted my understanding of the course and I felt that within the guidelines of our assessments I could creatively flourish. After reading through the assignment sheets and wrapping my head around them, I began thinking of plenty of ideas of how I could make the most of the subject and for myself. I began thinking what I wanted out of the course and what my personal and academic goals are, all creative and logical ideas from my own personal Networking Media ‘ocean!’

Admittedly I spent a majority of class time choosing and perfecting my blog’s theme (time well spent, obviously…) but throughout the week found myself jotting down post ideas into notepads or my phone and trying to explore the technical side of this site to successfully utilise this opportunity. I’ve been looking at other blogs around the web and really starting getting my head around this whole ‘blogging’ tomfoolery.