How has the process of planning your individual products and group project been going so far, and how can aspects of adrienne maree brown’s Emergent Strategy inform the work you continue to do?
I think planning our projects both individual and group has been going really well. My group had a lot of things prepared from last semester so we had a good amount of stuff already ready to go so now it’s just a matter of putting everything together and figuring out what we want our target audience to be. I think the reading will be able to help us remember to be flexible and understand that not everything will always go how we want or expect it to.
What aspect(s) of “land as pedagogy” do you see reflected in your work in CODES/in your life?)
Okay, so I wasn’t sure what land as pedagogy meant so I looked it up and it said it was land as education or a teaching concept primarily focused on nature. I hope that is right because if it isn’t correct, this is awkward. I’m not sure how much that would be reflected in my CODES work because we haven’t done much education with nature. But when I think about it being reflected in my life I think about how many times I’ve been on vacation and learned about the different lands or natures in each place I go to. I also think about when I’ve taught students,preschool aged, and I’ve had them do outdoor activities such as scavenger hunts outside just to get used to nature and learn about the ecosystem.
Question: Which of the five principles has been most relevant in your work with CODES in previous semesters? Which of the five principles is most relevant now?
I would say the one that has been the most prevalent in our work has been communicating through images. We have been working with digital storytelling since we all started at SIUE. We have been communicating with images since day one, and we continued doing that last semester when we were working with the students of Alton Middle School. I think I would still say that the communicating through images one is the most relevant to at least me now, since I did a presentation via google slides, and I used images but also because of the work in Alton last semester. I think another one could be tell better stories. Since our work last semester focused on the students telling stories about their life I think that plays into our work just as much as communicating through images.
Question: Think about the target audience for each of your products. Now, consider yourself at the age of that target group, and/or in the context of your other shared identities. What drew/draws you in to peoples’ work? Think about aspects of writing, imagery, sound, design, etc. How might you shape/modify your own work, with this in mind?
My target audience was adults, specifically teachers, who want to start an after school program. People who want to start one but don’t know where to start or what to expect or what all needs to be done in order start said program. If I was that person who was looking for help with starting a program, I would look for something that is informational and has good advice and also has small tips for the future. I would also look for parts that say the experiences they’ve had. If i’m being fully honest, I would probably also look for something that is cute and visually appealing to grab my attention with. I think going forward, I would make sure my work is more visually appealing. Not just cutesy and stuff but I know for me if I need to read something I am more likely to read the whole way through if there are bullet points or smaller sentences.