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.

Welcome to WordPress. This is your first post. Edit or delete it, then start blogging!

Throughout the first week of camp, the campers including myself set up all of our media outlets including, YouTube, Twitter, Flickr, Hippie Hosting, Word press, and others. I have slowly started to explore these different media web sites. I posted my first YouTube video about a family legend, which is my father.

I watched a video about Dr. Michael Wesch, an Anthropologist professor at Kansas University. His questions and research involved why students have trouble learning in class and if more people were driven by questions what would the world be like. More questions that he thought about while spending time in New Guiney is who am I? How will I get recognition from it? People only feel the need to know who they are if they are in a society in which they are familiar with. He came to realize that there is a new type of media. An identity is not about yourself but about the people around you, who actually know and care for you. The media can mediate relationships, especially with new outlets such as Facebook and Twitter.

Also discussed was Global Collaboration. People share things over the Internet sometimes with out even knowing one another. For example music and pictures are often used in peoples films, advertisements or short clips. Wesch believes that students learn exactly what they do outside of the classroom. He thinks that social media can be a positive and negative influence among students. It creates community and surveillance, isolation and participation, a better democracy and distraction for all students.

I’ve already had somewhat of an understanding of social media and how it alters relationships and builds them, but after this week I have learned so much more. I am excited to see what is to come in the following weeks!