Midterm Self-Assessment Post

Learning Outcomes

• Gained Literacy
• When I saw Macbeth this past weekend, I got so excited, because I could understand it! I didn't read any synopsis before-hand, and I had next to no idea what the play was about. But I followed the story from the actors, and it was awesome! On my very first post I wrote about how I started reading this semester with the spark-notes English translation off to the side. Now that I can actually, (basically) completely understand him, it is incredible fun. I'd only ever read two other plays by Will, but now feel like an educated citizen of the Shakespearean world because of the five shows I have read in depth, and analyzed, certainly more-so than I have ever before. I feel like I have a grasp of his works, an idea of how to look at a performance, and resources to find new and contemporary media on the subject.
• Analyzed Critically
• I feel like I have put in a lot of effort into contemporary/cultural/contextual analysis. I'm trying to relate my posts to things I am interested in. Like Musicals, and music, and sometimes trying to imitate another favorite authors' writing style. I tried to relate to another class I'm in by talking about a lecture on Petrarch's poetry.  I also feel like I try to analyze the text in appropriate ways. I have talked about foils, and patterns showing certain aspects of humanity. In my analysis of my individual play, I really felt like I dove into textual analysis to come up with a theme.
• Engaged Creatively
• I am in the middle of memorizing Hamlet's soliloquy, and am hoping to have that down solidly by tomorrow (wednesday the 2nd). I will DEFINITELY keep you posted if I succeed with that. (ha no pun intended). I am also in the middle of writing a one-act that will (hopefully) incorporate all of the shows we've read thus far. It is thus far in imitated shakespearean writing, we will see how long I can keep that up. I will definitely call in help from my peers in my final project group.
• Shared Meaningfully
• I really have tried to share my knowledge with the world at large. I have had countless discussions with my roommate, and even more with my family. In my classes, I always find myself bringing up something recent that I found in Shakespeare. Probably the most, surprisingly, is in my Spanish 101 class. I commented on many, many other people's shakespeare reviews out in the world wide web, and am just waiting on a response. I'll be very excited it one ever comes!

Self-directed Learning

• I feel like I've done a pretty good job at taking charge of my own learning. one example is for  Julius Caesar, I started with an idea of an approach I wanted to take, then found out I wasn't really interested in it, so I changed my focus. I am planning alot. I don't document half of what I am planning, because it would simply be boring, but I really feel like I am focusing myself well ahead of time. I'll admit that maybe I'm not doing the best job at documenting my learning. For a blog, I sometimes feel like I have to pick just one thing from the reading and just roll with that, when often I find many really interesting things (that's when phone calls to my mother come in, and when my roommate gets sick of me) so then by the time another post comes along, I will have moved on to pick another one thing. I also have some trouble finding GREAT outside sources, but so far they've been alright. I'd like to step up the level of academia there I think. It's a hard question to say how am I doing at measuring my learning... I think I'm doing alright. At least I have seen huge progressions in my own thinking, if the blog has not. 

Collaborative and Social Learning

• Gosh, I really love my group. I feel like we have meaningful and interesting discussions every class period. I love reading their blogs, even though I could definitely be better at commenting on them. I've gotten a real taste of their individual personalities through their sites. I feel like we are a great group. Everyone participates and furthers the content of the conversations in every medium. I mentioned before how much I talk about this class, to pretty much anyone who will still listen! And I'm really looking forward to my final project  (still being formed) which will hopefully REALLY involve other students from the class...

Looking Ahead

• First of all, I will be better at commenting on my group members' blogs. They sometimes have such complete thoughts I'm not sure what to add. But I will try harder!
• Second, for outside sources, I will try and search for a higher level of academic source. wikipedia is merely the beginning
• MY FINAL PROJECT. I am SO excited about. I think it's really going to encompass nearly, if not all, the learning outcomes for this class. It will be a collaborate effort, and hopefully it will turn out as good as the idea in my head! :D