“Lock up your libraries if you like; but there is no gate, no lock, no bolt that you can set upon the freedom of my mind.”
― Virginia Woolf, (A Room of One's Own, 1929)
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| Photo taken by Nicole Muchowicz, Arcadia, Michigan, 2013 |
I recently participated in a Webinar regarding the educational and technological tool, "Thing Link". This is the second Webinar I have ever participated in. The first Webinar I attended was a business development Webinar that pertained to my former job as a Photographer's Assistant. Interestingly enough, this most recent Webinar, on "ThingLink", focused on the interactive capabilities of an image with academic content and how to use it as a teacher's resource.
What is a Webinar?
First, I can explain what a Webinar is, as I have experienced it. The word itself is a portmanteau which reveals part of it's meaning. "Web" and "Seminar" are combined to make an informative presentation accessible in any venue with an internet connection. There is a mediator, a presenter, and participants, all of whom may write their comments on the side bar during the live seminar. Unlike a traditional, lecture format, the participants may voice their ideas and questions in an immediate and intimate manner with the lecturer. However, all of the audio and instruction is done by the presenter. Option for dialogue is available after the seminar.
"ThingLink" Webinar
The "ThingLink" Webinar was mediated by Nicole M. Zumpano (our instructor and a representative from ICE) and was presented by Sue Gorman. As someone who appreciates art and aesthetics, and certainly photography and literature, I also appreciate an interactive tool to make the connection between texts and mediums for students. Currently, I am a graduate student candidate, grant researcher/writer, assistant yoga instructor, substitute teacher, part-time barista, and independent photographer. As a woman of many ambitions and passions, I find the opportunity for all of them to interact on the canvas of my life is a very satisfying experience. ThingLink allows for all of the myriad mediums of interest to come together on a canvas of your meaning. During the Webinar, Sue Gorman covered the many ways that ThingLink could be a useful resource in contacting teachers, allowing students to connect interdisciplinary curriculum, and connect to each other on site. This technique of information organization is also beneficial to brain image mapping and cerebral organization. I found this webinar to be extremely informative. I enjoyed listening to Ms. Gorman present the benefits of ThingLink and its relation to the stages of Internet Integration and SAMR. Although, I would have loved to have part of an interactive segment to test of Thing Link with the instructor and mediator, I feel that the lecture format was appropriate to eliminate distractions...which on the web can be many.
Image and Meaning:
As a future literature and theatre teacher, I value the exploration of the relationship between meaning and myriad mediums. In the instance of "ThingLink", an image is used as a canvas for links and points of meaning. The meaning is interactive as well, which makes the meaning experiential for those who use the tool. Participating and maintaing a dialogue with any medium or tool is crucial to understanding it. The interactive aspect of the image allows the points of meaning to become a more intimate experience.
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| Photo Taken by Nicole Muchowicz, Illinois, 2014 |
Final Reflections:
My initial reaction to the idea of creating my own Thing Link was excitement. I had the perfect idea, I thought. I uploaded an image of a supercell storm cloud that I took one humid day. The storm cloud was my canvas and I wanted to incorporate literary texts as links onto the image. I desperately tried to save the link of the poem, "Proud Music of the Storm", by Walt Whitman (1900). To no avail, the link would not save any time I clicked on the "save" button. Anyone reading this, knows how frustrating that can be. So next, comes the troubleshooting phase...but what to do? I want to add so much more to the image. I want to add songs that were composed and titled after storms; I want to add links to so much more poetry invoked by the sublime nature of a storm. This interdisciplinary and comparative approach to teaching appeals to me. I just have to get over some internet glitches in the meantime...
After seeking the help section of ThingLink, creating a new account, updating my computer programs, and seeking advice, I was still unable to save my tags to ThingLink. However, I wanted to share with you "what would have been"...
My Interactive Image was titled: Storm (See below photo for background image); I wanted to set a literary theme upon the image of the storm and incorporate multiple texts as links that used storms as a thematic presence. The use of multiple mediums as texts expressing similar theme is a way to explore a lens of Comparative Literature, which I am very interested in. The links contain poems, articles, films as well as resources to access more literature. So please, enjoy the links and the image and imagine them together. :)
The poems and their links are as follows:
- "Proud Music of the Storm" by Walt Whitman
- "Storm Fear" by Robert Frost
- "When the Levees Broke: A Requiem in Four Acts" Directed by Spike Lee
- "The Hurricane" by William Cullen Bryant
- "Storm and Sunlight" by Siegfried Sassoon
- "Storm Ending" by Jean Toomer
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| Photo Taken by Nicole Muchowicz, Illinois, 2013 |
Please explore ThingLink for yourself:
ThingLink
I'm sorry you had a frustrating experience the first time around. Try using a smaller image resolution and see if that does the trick. Thanks for including your links!
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