The video of Michael Wesch’s presentation was extremely insightful and relative to me. I loved it and really got sucked into what he was talking about. His passion and belief in his approach shows very strongly. Dr. Wesch really got to the problem of today’s educational system. The lack of enthusiasm in schools is truly unbelievable compared to the passion and excitement my generation displays for other things. This failure to connect what is taught in classrooms to students’ self journey is hindering students and professors alike. I can see this in my own experiences. Courses that step outside the box, and focus more on grading me based on what I have LEARNED rather than just assignments turned in tend to interest me more. And I tend to perform better in them. Also courses that I can make a direct connection to- whether it be my identity, career choice, personal interests, etc – usually end up getting more of my time and genuine effort invested in them.

When I think about ‘creating my own space online’, his explanations and views on media immediately clicked. I started a personal blog about 5 months ago. It was nothing serious or extravagant, just things that interested me or caught my eye. As I grew more and more addicted to blogging, I found that it really was reflecting my emotions at the time, things that inspired me, things I could relate to, and identified with. Looking at my archive I realized that it really was ‘my own space’, it was an embodiment of myself in this blog. So when Dr. Wesch stated that ‘a whole lot of our identity is actually what is reflected back toyou by your environment/people’, I completely understood it. My identity is structured in the paradigm that is my environment- my school, family, friends, workplace, area. If you have ever traveled, it becomes clearer. I spent 3 months last summer in Egypt (first time going in my adult life), and thought how my identity had been restructured because I was no long in familiar stomping grounds. I was surrounded by a new language, people, culture, and ME in relation to the people around me was different then back home because my familial/social relationship to them was different from the people back home in the states.

As I create this blog, I recognize I am yet again creating my own space online. This time it will not only be tumblr posts of quotes and pictures that I like, but more personally created things. So I will not only be expressing myself through other objects, but by creations of my own. Creating that much more vivid an identity online.

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