Digital and Social Media Adaptation: An Ode

 

This creative project illustrated the various “texts” that can inform a text’s creation. As I reflected on the texts that were a part of creating An Ode (my text), I recognized that the literary text itself, Ode to an Orange by Larry Woiwode, was only one source of inspiration and information that led to my creation. Other media adaptations of the primary text served as sources and determining influences, such as the other videos and images. These “texts” served as texts to inform mine. As I look toward the classroom, it becomes clear how it’s important to implement a variety of texts for students to interact with, because it provides multiple points of inspiration and jumping off, through which they can have the capacity to feel empowered to create their own texts.

When it came to processes, I recognized how different instances of process were crucial to the overall development of my piece. A basic understanding and capability of these processes provided me with the resources to accomplish that which I had set out to do. The research and gathering information processes enabled me to understand the kind of medium that I was to create. As I interacted with and considered the structural and thematic elements of the original Ode to an Orange and the other adaptations, I began conceiving ideas for the make-up and mood of my piece. Other processes included the ideation or brainstorming session, in which I came up with a few ideas to fulfill a text that I wanted to create. The development of this information led to hands-on experimentation. With my future classroom, I think it’s important to emphasize the importance of processes as a concept, but even more importantly, to help students to recognize the processes that they are working through as they are doing them. This will help them to remember the use and value of the process for future applications.

Finally, it was interesting to think of the variety of literacies that took place in the development of my creative project. A literacy of photography was important to the creation of the still images that I made. Understanding composition and focus helped me in developing visually effective and compelling shots. Further, the use of this literacy could perhaps be broken down into more detailed (or more general) literacies, such as color, shape, lighting, collage, and others. Later on, in creating the video (using the still images), it was important to have a literacy of video-making to be able to put together the short film. Again, further literacies included storyboarding, timing, and other basic elements. There were also various other literacies that informed and aided the process of the creative project, including drawing and a knowledge of oranges! In the classroom, I believe that it’s important to seek to know and build from students’ existing literacies. Supporting their growth requires that understanding of their current placement. It also important to provide training and education of the literacies that they are expected to engage with, so that they can confidently and successfully navigate them.