Rebecca Klamen English 2150

In my multimedial remix project, I wanted to convey my argument that a dual curriculum is beneficial to a child in many ways. Statistics and studies were an easy way to show that in a paper. Having others write and prove that dual language makes your smarter, dual curriculum gives you multiple thinking processes, all contributed to helping me create a paper that effectively got my point across. But doing this remix project presented a challenge- making the same argument, using a completely different medium. The toolbox this time was different. I know longer had the security of statistics and studies. This time, I had to make the argument on my own, using a whole new set of tools. I thought that it was easier than doing another whole project, with another whole argument. But after doing the remix project, I know think otherwise. Approaching this project was like having to solve a puzzle a second time, this time not being able to use anything you used last time. And then having to get the rest of the world on board with it as well.

 

I honestly opted for the medium of a movie simply because I know how to make one, and not because I thought it was the best choice for my argument. The idea of doing a podcast sounded intriguing, and hearing one presented in class was incredible, but I didn’t think that I was able to do it. I tried to think of something more creative, something more out-of-the-box. But I am very happy that I didn’t, I found, after starting the project, that creating a video was actually the best possible way to show this argument. The visual scenes helped to portray my argument just as I wanted.

 

My argument was not just proving to it’s audience that something they knew of, maybe even thought negatively of, was beneficial. My argument was more complex that. Before proving to my audience that a dual curriculum was beneficial, I had to first teach my audience what a dual curriculum is. Informing an audience that very likely has no previous knowledge of this topic that I consider part of my basic nature is a serious challenge. It’s something I have ingrained in me, almost a natural fact.  Using the visual and audio tools of a video were the best way to do that- I didn’t just tell them, I showed them. I used my piece to show the both the contrast of both curriculums, and the merging of them together.

 

The next challenge was the time limit. Sure, I could teach an audience about what a dual curriculum it is, and prove that it is beneficial, for multiple reasons. But doing it all under 3 minutes was where it became complicated.  I had to make it not too fast- with each point being effectively argued, but at the same time make sure to bring enough proof to fully support my argument- all within 3 minutes. It was a challenge, and I worked really hard on finding the balance, and I think, or at least hope, that  I accomplished that.

 

While I chose to make a movie because I knew how to, and thought that I was good at, I learned there was a lot I did not know. I was figuring out just how to take that specific ten second piece of audio from that 15 minute video clip and attach it to those images that I hope perfectly explain my point and that took forever to find. But of course- the prefix to that was having to sift through video after video, arduously attempting to find just what I needed in each one. That didn’t always happen. But when I did find something, when I did “stumble” upon a few seconds that look so insignificant alone but may fit together as a piece of the puzzle that is my remix argument- I needed to pair it perfectly with the audio, or with the visual. I needed to make it blend properly, which I worked on much further after the comments  received on my draft. I wanted to make it look like although all of the pieces of the video come from a large number of sources, they are all part of one bigger thing- and they fit together. They belong together.

 

When all is said is done, and the project is finished, if I did it correctly, I should be confident to post it publicly for all the world to see ,and hopefully get my point across to a true audience. I am confident in my work, that’s for certain, but I am not confident enough to leave it up as permanently public piece. What prevents me from doing that is my fear about the lack of information about dual curriculums that there are on the public domain. Before doing my research, I thought that it would be easy. Simple. But what I was surprised-shocked, to learn, was that the concept of a dual curriculum is not common- it’s actually very rare. And the people who know about it, know about it because it is the system that they are in, and don’t need to be informed. Thus, by adding my video to the public domain, I am not adding to a plethora of sources to find information- I am perhaps creating the only one. That I am too scared to do. There’s a flaw in that, I do admit. I should be confident enough that my argument is strong and completed- enough to stand alone as the sole source and argument for this topic, but I am not yet confident enough for that.

 

https://youtu.be/xARIVSEnvVQ