Author Archives: Altan's Blog

Week One Summary

Entering the back half of my junior year at Mary Washington, I felt pretty comfortable and prepared to head back to school. However, I also knew I was going into classes unlike most of my previous ones. DS106 is, from just the first week, a very different class than I am used to. I had some trouble initially understanding how to set up a domain and create blog posts, but was able to navigate the issues through several help pages linked on the course website. I have never had to do something like that before, so of course it was a learning experience for me. I feel much more confident finding my way around the various websites and communications streams associated with this course now despite initial struggles.

After completing the film review and goals for the course, I felt much more capable of figuring out this course as I go along. It was challenging at first, but as long as I keep pushing myself out of my comfort zone and learning, I will keep improving areas that I do not have experience in. Ultimately, I hope to keep improving my understanding of digital media throughout this course and I think the first week has provided a solid foundation and given me confidence that I can figure each assignment out.

I have really enjoyed learning new things about website design, although I have yet to fully personalize and make my domain into something I am proud of. I’m sure there is a lot more learning to be done about how to properly set up the website and make it accessible, but I am excited to face those challenges and work around them as best as I can!

Meet the Robinsons Review

Meet the Robinsons is a movie that I watched several times growing up, but watching it again focusing on the AI aspect gave it a different feel. The film centers around Lewis, a 12-year-old orphan who is an ambitious inventor. He invents a memory scanner to try to find his birth mother and brings it to his school’s science fair. Going to the science fair, Lewis meets Wilbur, a 13-year-old claiming he is from the future and attempting to recover a time machine taken by someone wearing a bowler hat. The scanner does not work when he tries to demonstrate it because the antagonist, Bowler Hat Guy sabotaged it and ends up stealing it. Lewis and Wilbur go on a time-travel adventure avoiding Bowler Hat Guy and Lewis ends up finding out more about his family in the process.

Time travel is a significant component of the movie, with the usual issues of trying not to disrupt the timeline too drastically. Since the movie has a dystopian feel to it, it can serve as a warning about AI and the growth of technology in the future. The main purpose of the film is not to focus on AI, but it is a key component of the futuristic world portrayed in the movie.

Recently, it has seemed like a lot of TV series and movies incorporate AI in a way that makes people fearful of it. Watching the movie before, I did not realize how much AI can make people concerned about the future of technology. However, since AI has become much more advanced recently, it has led to a growing fear of the potential capabilities of that technology. Rewatching the movie now really made it clear how much the perception of AI has changed over the past few years and the things that stood out to me this time are so different that what stood out in the past.

Digital Storytelling Goals

Digital media has never been a strength for me, but I hope to improve that skill throughout the duration of this course. I enrolled in this course to fulfill a general education requirement, but I want to make an effort to get more out of the course than simply the credit requirements.

Most of the courses I’ve taken so far at Mary Washington have been pretty structured and detailed in terms of assignment expectations, so I have struggled a bit with less rigid expectations. This course, from my limited experience so far, will definitely challenge me and push me out of my comfort zone in that regard. Although it can be frustrating and intimidating at times, I think the best way to improve in any area of life is to get out of your comfort zone.

My focus so far has been on political science and I have recently added business administration as a second major. I am excited to see what connections I can draw between this class and my majors and how I can apply the knowledge gained from this class in my political and business studies.