Ashley Hincks article Digital Ghosts in the Modern Classroom talks about how some digital media sites utilize and ‘drag and drop’ formulas in order for users to create a digital project. I have done my fair share of digital work, ranging from photoshops to vector images to even a few Adobe Flash cartoons back in high school. I completely skipped over the ‘drag and drop’ formula sites and jumped right into what Hincks considers to be more open and free software. As such, I initially had a hard time grasping parts of her argument because I simply could not relate to them. I realized however that my other hobby, miniature painting, follows a similar formula to these ‘drag and drop’ websites. You buy a miniature, build it, and then there are instructions in the box or on websites which shows you step by step how to do it. Now of course, the instructions are done by a professional painter, so even if you follow the steps perfectly, your product won’t look nearly as good as the professional one, which is similar to what Hincks discusses. The ‘ghosts’ that she mentions are created from formulas like the ones mentioned previously, and teach students that in order to succeed or produce a ‘good’ product, they must follow the steps exactly as they are outlined. The problem is, this teaches students that they are either wrong or they are right, when in reality they should be taught that being wrong is a necessary step in learning how to do something. As I said in my Powtoon video, trial and error learning should be given priority over the current ‘step by step’ model we employ now, because don’t learn how to creators or thinkers for themselves, rather they create or think in whatever way people of authority tell them too. If every great artist in the world followed the steps taken by some of the first artists in history, the cavemen, the Sistine Chapel would be covered in cave drawings. To create things of beauty, one must be willing experiment and break the rules and go beyond what is expected of them by others and make things that they can be proud of.
As someone who jumped right into open concept programs, I found that these digital media creation sites which present you with a predetermined template were extremely constrictive to what I wanted to accomplish. I found myself chuckling at certain points because of the irony of the situation I found myself in. I was to make a digital media presentation about how template websites limit creativity, and I found myself in that very same situation! While the creation process of my actual Powtoon was quick and painless, I found that I didn’t learn anything from my time in the program. Specifically, I felt very restricted because I only had access to the basic website. As such, I could only use a few characters and my video have to be under 3 minutes long which made me feel even more trapped. Furthermore, I kept comparing my work to other ‘whiteboard explain’ videos on youtube and felt that mine didn’t seem all that impressive due to my limitations. While I had a great time using Powtoon, I think in future reflections I’ll be utilizing a different medium that doesn’t hide all its content behind a paywall. Initially I had wanted to make a stop-motion video about this topic but not having a stable camera stand made such ventures impossible. I think I’ll definitely be doing a stop-motion video later in the school year as that artistic style is just so amazing. I really enjoyed the opportunity to express my thoughts in such a artful way, having come from two writing disciplines, it was nice to not have to write an essay with references for once.
Take a look at my Powtoon below!