September 18/20: Patterns and Information
Information is presented through specific designs.
What are some different ways of presenting information/arguments/narratives about a subject?
- Think about the different parts/pieces of the subject.
- What kinds of different patterns can those pieces be put into?
- How do the different patterns help to convey that larger information?
- Examples:
- This American Life
- Folks Songs for Five Points
- Pittsburgh Signs Project
Let’s get some practice at creating patterns. Get away from your own project for a moment. Imagine that you’ve been asked to create a documentary about this class. Your assignment is to document this class for an audience who is not in the class. Simple, right? You simply need to capture a “slice of life” for your audience. Convey to them everything you can. In short, help people to feel like they’re getting the “full story” of this class.
Simple, right? But should you just jump right in? What are the advantages and disadvantages of starting “at the beginning” and creating a narrative that way?
Instead of trying to tackle the topic as one giant whole, try to write by creating patterns from the pieces of that topic.
o Think about your topic.
o Think about the pieces of that topic: images, quotes, descriptions, conversations, thoughts, sounds, feelings. These are pieces that you have discovered, from your unique perspective.
o Come up with a “pattern” that presents those pieces in a certain way (i.e., in a unique way) and helps you to tell a story.
Example:
- The topic is this class. I need to tell my audience what this class is like, documenting its world for them.
- What are some of the “pieces” involved in this class?
- Images I see- students, the computers, the desks, my screen, the faces of everyone sitting together or apart, my notes, the windows with students moving around outside, etc.
- Quotes I hear - “Dang it!” “Dr. Rice?” “Does anyone have any questions?”
- Thoughts I have - Will they answer my questions? I wonder if they’re into this. Did they do the readings?
- Sounds I hear - Silence! Typing.
- Feelings I have - Anticipation (at seeing projects development), hope (that the readings will spark a good conversation)
- How can I arrange some of these pieces into a pattern that will help me to tell a story (not THE story) of this class? See two examples here.
Now, you try the same. Create the world’s shortest documentary. The subject will be this class.
Work together in pairs with someone you have never talked to before. Do this entry on one person’s blog that you began last Tuesday. We will read these on Thursday at the beginning of class, so prepare to show them off.
