Self - Designed Assessment #1: Screencast

I have to say, it feels kind of good to be back in the swing of self-designed assessments and their analyses. I will also say, though, that it proved very difficult to choose a medium for my assignment this time around.

Obviously, I was looking to do something in which I could shine a light on things that I learned in the lab but also provide an adequate foundation of knowledge for anyone who would be following my project throughout the year. So that led me to C. Elegans as they have pretty much consumed my attention over the past couple months, but even then, my choice was broad and I still did not have a medium for presentation. Then I thought, let's start from the beginning, which to me was understanding C. Elegans' life cycle and their various stages of development. So I landed upon the idea of making a cyclical diagram which identified and explained the 4 stages of worm development. As I began to create this diagram, I realized that putting all of the information probably wasn't the wisest move because diagrams or really any visual aid should be concise. To remedy this, I figured I could simply come up with a supplementary writing piece that provided an explanation of and expansion upon my diagram. But then I thought that since I will be doing quite a bit of writing throughout this year for my thesis paper, I should think of some other way to deliver the information.

This time was also when I decided to explore other mediums besides just Canva or different chart/diagram making programs. What really caught my eye for this particular assignment was Prezi because of its dynamicity and the various choices I had in the layout of the final product which would allow for the most accessible communication of information. Once again though, I struggled with putting all the information I wished to include because I did not want to overwhelm the presentation. So that left me exactly where I was previously with the diagram.

This part is a little bit of a tangent but its what led me to my product so please bear with me; if you followed my project last year, you probably remember how I attempted and largely failed at doing regular Periscope broadcasts. I used these video broadcasts as a vehicle by which to explain various concepts and give project updates throughout my year. This was something I abandoned for many reasons but one was because I felt that they were missing a visual aid (besides my face, of course).

So long story short, I decided to bring back the broadcasts, well, at least this one time. I presented my Prezi (consisting of pictures and very minimal words) through a screencast where I was able to highlight/emphasize certain things and talk about the stages of development to an extent that I felt was adequate for those receiving an introduction to C. Elegans. Another thing that I noticed with the Periscope broadcasts last year was that I would often lose track of time and continue talking for up to 30 or 40 minutes. But, let's be real, no one is going to want to learn about worms for that long. Anyway, I guess we can all be thankful that screencast-o-matic has a 15 minute time limit. So I tried my very best to be concise and not overload the viewer with too much information.

Now, the real test of success would be with respect to our 5 Cs (there actually might be more of them, I've been losing track...) So, here we go.

1) Creativity: Okay, let me just tell you, if you don't already know, that creativity has been plaguing me for pretty much ever. I'm getting better at it as the years go by, I think. But I've still got a long way to go. In this particular assignment, I think the thought process and the various steps I went through to arrive at my final product gave me some advantages in the creativity category as I had to figure out an effective medium through problem solving and a little reflection on things I learned last year. I also tried my very best to find pictures and diagrams that weren't too busy as I did not want them to distract from what I was saying but also that held a substantial amount of information to be presented. Prezi gave me the template so I can't exactly take credit for that but I think the way the presentation was moving/transitioning helped add a certain organized creativity to the mix.

2) Critical Thinking: I'm not sure critical thinking showed through this particular assessment as much as it has in the past because it was not particularly difficult or complicated, but I really tried to turn it into a story, as we are often advised. I wanted to also use this video as something that could glean a little bit of light on my experience in the lab and the learning I did throughout the summer because it wasn't just a matter of reading about C. Elegans and educating myself, I was there. I was in the lab ( a lot) and I was getting firsthand experience with C. Elegans, microscopy, and so much more. For this reason, I tried to slip in little examples here and there to illustrate that particular aspect. Additionally, I only had 15 minutes so even though I was kind of talking on the fly, I had to think quickly and ahead in order to pick and choose the information I wished to convey.

3) Communication: I believe this C goes along nicely with creativity. If something is creative enough to attract an audience, then it will most likely communicate the information optimally. So I probably wouldn't be the judge of such but from my point of view, because I'm substantially invested in studying C. Elegans, I probably would make time to watch a 15 minute video on their life cycle. Whereas someone who has just come across this type of nematode for the first time might not feel compelled to learn that much about their development.

4) Which segues us perfectly into the next C; collaboration. Part of Collaboration could be to let me know what the feedback is about my video, whether people think it's too long or too boring or too science-y. Whatever it may be, my peers' point of view offers me a perspective that I could not otherwise have on my own. And it makes me very sad to say that I did not in fact have a chance to collaborate with others on this self-designed assessment. Mikayla and I had collaborated previously in the summer, but at that time I was not necessarily ready to decide what my assignment would look like. Then, when I did decide, I felt it would have been too short notice to bounce ideas off of her. Time management was a little bit of a struggle this time, but please do recognize that quite a few unexpected things came up and this is not normally how I roll.

I think though, I did quite a bit of virtual collaboration in that I wanted my screencast to model something similar to Youtube lectures or those Khan Academy videos so I had to spend some time looking at examples and taking what I thought were beneficial features from each one. I also asked Dr. Norman for various book/database recommendations to see how professionals have presented this information and what I could do to further its dissemination.

5) Curiosity: At the beginning of the video, I introduce C. Elegans as having a strange name, but an amazing anatomy, and I only said that because I truly believe so. The fact that something microscopic can teach us about our own huge-in-comparison bodies kind of amazes me every time I think about it. That's why I haven't gotten bored or bitter that I have to study worms instead of getting to open up a mouse's head or something bigger. Maybe it's because when a mystery is encased within something that is micrometers long, it just becomes that much more of a mystery. Making this video maintained my curiosity for studying C. Elegans because it reminded me of what I began learning at the start of this summer, where I have currently arrived, and where I have yet to go. Which could be never ending as I don't think one could ever know everything there is to know about these little worms.

I enjoyed making this video. Although I really wish I had time to collaborate with others as that was one of my goals for this year, I will try to make up for it as I go on. And I also don't think it's too late to show people my video and ask them for their feedback. We have our EMC summer workshop tomorrow and it will be good to talk to others and see what ideas they've been mulling over throughout the summer. I'm excited for this year as everyone's project is unique and every single one of us brings a great mind to the table.

To view my video, click here.

To view the Prezi on its own, click here.