“We need to embrace technology to make learning
more engaging. Because when students are engaged and they are interested,
that's where learning takes place.” 
-Anonymous

In our class English 366H: Literature and the Other Arts, we were challenged to redefine how technology can be used in higher education to enhance and innovate the learning process.  By focusing first on sound and then incorporating visual elements, we experimented with how composing techniques such as volume, layering, and placement, could help produce even richer analysis than traditional, written compositions.

At the beginning of the year, I did not understand why we would be using sound and video in an English class.  It was uncomfortable to compose using primarily sonic and visual elements and difficult to discern where to begin the process.  How can I provide deep analysis with sounds?  Is this visual appropriate to use?  Why is this four minute video taking me longer to produce than a ten page paper?

However, I now believe that learning how to compose with sonic and visual elements leads to greater analytical skills.  I used creativity to draw connections between the sounds of magnets and Cal Stephanides, a character in the novel Middlesex by Jeffrey Eugenides.  I asked for feedback from peers on my audio essay to create a more engaging product.  Most importantly, I gained a sense of confidence in my analysis and composing skills and saw tangible evidence of my growth throughout the year.  This is most evident in the e-poetry assignment, where I combined my knowledge of Audacity and Camtasia to orchestrate a live and edited e-poem. 

This portfolio is a chronological representation of the projects I have completed throughout the year.  In each composition, I ask the viewer to think about tactics being deployed to share the message of each work, how sound or video unearths a new layer of analysis, and how effective the projects are as a whole.  After viewing my projects, I encourage the reader to pay particular attention to "The Author's Corner."  Here, I provide a refection of my personal thoughts, the project process, and lessons I've learned while working in sound humanities. 

Technology has opened the avenue for a new way of learning.  Meticulous attention to minute details beckons students to analyze prompts from an entirely new, creative perspective.  This is the future of education, and I am incredibly excited to share a glimpse of how technology can be used to “BOOST LITERATURE.” 

Table of Contents

I. Soundlist

II. Audio Essay

III. Improvisation E-Poem

IV. Edited E-Poem

V. The Road Video

VI. Teaching with Sound