Have you read any of her stuff that she gave links to yet, or sampled any Shakespeare-oriented fanfic? Brave new world...
Think of yourself as a pioneer -- I'm serious -- leading the way for other students out of the darkness of artificially academic and isolated papers into the sunshine of real application and connection...
Can I have a witness?! I say, CAN I HAVE A WITNESS?!
I was telling someone else yesterday about your project, Kayla, a business professor who also tries to get students reaching out to authentic audiences. He thought yours was a really great idea. Glad you could think quick about some possibilities for targeting that group.
Thanks for responding, Bonnie. You echo some of the concerns that Brian Jackson mentioned in his email (which I've just appended in an update to this post). I think we are getting both the tools and the habits to distinguish among our various online audiences, and that is helping. I use Google+ circles to circulate things more meaningfully, and even Facebook is getting better with selective sharing. On the other hand, I have found that defaulting to a public sharing of most things allows for serendipities -- such as when a friend like you that I know from a religious and neighborhood context, not an academic one, makes welcome comments on this academic topic!
Excellent points, Tara. You've also put your finger on the biggest problem with academic blogging: the feedback loop. Commenting is very haphazard and usually brief. In another class I have students channeling all their blogs through Google+ and this has helped promote discussion. We could still do something like that for this class but it is not a 100% solution, either. In the past I have found that focusing in on authentic projects ends up generating the interest and reason to overcome communications barriers. That's one reason I did want to post about Phase Three. If you think that is the easier part, then actually you are on track in your approach. I appreciate your feedback, and your steady and interesting blogging.
Jon: This blog has IntenseDebate installed - a commenting system that we had everyone using last time we taught this, and that's why you can't comment via your Google ID. Hopefully, that won't matter too much since we plan to be taking comments and discussion more into Google+
James: Ariel's right. More info on circles coming your way.
That's a great idea, Bri. I hope we can get some discussion going about it. The main question to ask has to do with the utility of anything we do for stakeholders in Shakespeare. I'm very willing to consider unique and popular formats (as happened with the music video last semester). But I also want it to really connect with people that would care. So, when we think about new formats or possible creative projects, it's as important to think through whom this could benefit and how. What purpose and what audiences are served when choosing a specific format or medium? That said, I do think your proposed animation could certainly create a lot of collaborative opportunities and could be very fun. Is there anything out there already like that?
It will be awesome to have you in class again, Shuan!
Brooke, did you follow up on any of these students' suggestions for connecting with creative writing teachers? How will you be connecting all of this to Shakespeare? Looking forward to your hub post...
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