abhijaykulkarni.com

These last three months have been one of the most exciting and transformative months in my life so far. I have never learned so much in a semester at Rutgers until this one. This spring, I learned to use software like Audacity, ArcGIS, and Autodesk. If it weren’t for the classes I took this semester, I wouldn’t have known how to use these programs and that they existed. One class that I found incredible was Strategic Presentation Methods in Digital Media. In this class, I got exposure to a whole new world. I learned how to express myself online through various forms of media such as blogs, podcasts, and screencasts through a website. In doing that, I learned about the small details that make a blog stand out and attract many people. In addition, I got introduced to more unique forms of media on the web that I never heard of before. Taking this class influenced my life since I started a youtube channel and personal website because of it.

Online Image

One fundamental aspect of the class was learning to describe different parts of my life and show myself in the world. I introduced myself by developing a website through WordPress, a free website development platform. Through my website, I have written a series of 12 blogs describing who I am and what I want to do; explicitly covering topics like my favorite movie and where I want to be in the next ten years. Through taking this class, I could describe myself better over time by using sophisticated words and phrases in my writing, along with adding captivating visuals and sources that relate to my blogs. The visuals made the blogs much more attractive and, as a result, made for a rewarding experience every time I published one. The additional sources I embedded also helped my blogs by making them more informational and accessible, which brings me to the next idea I learned from this class.

Tags

Another fundamental concept I learned from this class was how to make my content stand out and become accessible to hundreds of people online. Since my website is relatively new and needs to be well-noted, it is difficult for most people to find and read. Fortunately, there are several different ways to solve that issue in WordPress. Before publishing a blog, it must have many tags associated with it. A tag is a word used to identify content within a blog or website. For example, If the blog is about the fastest cars in the world, the appropriate tags that can be used include the words: cars, speed, engine, and fast. The more tags there are, the better, as it makes the blog more accessible by having a wider range of words to reach it. The tags improve the SEO (Search Engine Optimization) process by enhancing the site for search engines. As a kid, I always wondered why some websites are at the top of the page regarding search results; after taking this class, I realized that it was because of the SEO process.

Different Forms

In addition to writing blogs, I also recorded podcasts and screencasts in this class. I learned about so many other forms of digital media that I had never heard of before. Starting out, I still needed to understand what a screencast was, and my preconceived notion of a podcast was false. I learned what a screencast and podcast were in this class by recording them. I recorded my screencast on SketchUp, using Canva, a graphic design platform, to create a visual presentation on designing a simple house in the program. Later I uploaded my screencast recording on YouTube. By literally creating one, I learned that a screencast is a recording of just the speaker talking through the slides of the presentation without the camera on. Before taking this class, I always thought a podcast was a youtube video of two people talking to each other where one guy hosts it; however, that is not the case. A podcast is just a voice-over of the speaker discussing a particular subject or idea. My podcast was on the newest technologies in the construction space. In addition to learning what a podcast is, I also figured out how to record one and make it live to thousands of users worldwide. Looking back, it was one of the most fantastic projects I have ever done.

Final Reflection

This class was a spectacular experience since it taught me how to write and express myself creatively with unique mediums I have never used before. In addition, it has given me the tools to portray myself in the newest ways of the twenty-first century when everything is starting to work online. Lastly, I want to thank my professor for doing an excellent job of teaching me these last few months. Specifically, I want to thank him for helping me write blogs and create podcasts that mean so much to me by always staying supportive and accommodating through occasional difficulties. As I progress, I will miss this class and hope to do something similar soon.