Technology

Last night I had a challenge: I wanted to make viewing my photographs for the photography project easier and more interesting for all of you, my classmates, and I feel like I hit a wall. Even though I've been told iMovie is pretty easy for the novice, I've never before made a short clip. Crystal's video was very well done, and I felt intimidated to try that version of the presentation. Instead, I firmly believed I'd be able to group all of my photos onto one JPEG document (much like the images that were posted by our instructor). That way, people wouldn't have to scroll through several Facebook photos while trying to read my commentary. Several hours later, that's exactly what I resigned myself to post. I was using my Mac from work and realized that I didn't have any software (like Adobe Illustrator) on it that I could use to create a document like that. I twisted and strangled a Word document, only to realize that Facebook wouldn't load it. I scoured the Facebook Group Page, thinking I could create an album, like I can on my Facebook profile page. I couldn't. Close to midnight on Friday night, I resigned myself to the reality that my presentation itself would NOT be that compelling. Much as I realized that many of my photos had to do with chance, timing, my camera's slow speed, and luck, I felt like HOW I presented my project in an interesting and meaningful way was also dependent upon elements that were not in my total control. Does lack of technical knowledge mean that I won't be able to create as compelling projects for this course? Will I hit the same kind of wall trying to create some kind of compelling project for my work? Do I have to be technically cutting edge and savvy in order to be compelling?

My day to day work as an academic advisor relies heavy on interpersonal skills: group and one-on-one outreach to students; one-on-one advising sessions with individual students; collaborative work with my fellow advisors, the provost, and academic and residential life staff.  However, technology can impact the kind of interactions I have with students. The National Academic Advising Association's Technology in Advising Commission (a committee of the leading national organization for academic advisors) gives annual awards for innovation in technology and academic advising programs. From websites to newsletters to interactive blogs, some academic advisors are finding creative and effective ways to bring more technology into these face-to-face contacts with students. 

So, do I need technology to be compelling? I don't think this is necessarily so.  However, I believe that technological skill can allow one's work to become more compelling if used with creativity and thought about the needs of the students one works with. 

Photography

I'm in the middle of working on my photography module for this week.  I'm not a trained photographer, but I am moved by my subject: basketball.  I've read the articles on creating interesting photographs, and even though I'm caught up in the midst of attempting to create a more compelling photograph, in the back of my head is this nagging question: how do I apply this to my daily work of an academic advisor?  What does it mean to create a compelling environment for university students to feel more supported, excited, and in touch with their emotions? I'm reading about design elements: clustering, the rule of the thirds, making detailed elements unified and cohesive. 

The first obvious thing that comes to mind is our advising newsletter.  We use a very straightforward, linear, cut-and-paste template with some cheesy downloaded images.  I wonder: do any of our students read this?  Perhaps this newsletter could be made more interesting from a design standpoint and could, potentially, allow students to better digest the information.  Then my next question: who has time to redesign the newsletter? 

The bigger and harder question, though, is how to make the entire experience for students--from their first contact with us to their last--more compelling, given all the constraints we have. I don't have an answer.  

I'm struggling to convey the emotions I feel about basketball in one photograph; similarly, I'm struck by the difficulties of making an advising experience more compelling for students.  We all cherish those moments of insight and inspiration, yet why are they so difficult to fit into institutional settings?