Time transcripts of DMACSocialRelations1019

[00:00:00:060]	One of the draws to DMAC is the chance to meet, interact, collaborate, teach,

[00:00:06:810]	and learn from a variety of people across the country. 

[00:00:10:330]	The technical skills such as Audacity, WordPress, or iMovie 

[00:00:13:267]	could be learned online through video or text tutorials, 

[00:00:17:360]	but for many participants the personal learning experience is more effective and valuable. 

[00:00:22:195]	In this section, I focus on the social relationships 

[00:00:25:201]	that characterize for so many scholars their experience at DMAC. 

[00:00:29:264]	More specifically, I'm interested in how the DMAC participants characterize the social relationships 

[00:00:35:960]	at their home institutions in terms of digital media and composition, 

[00:00:39:261]	how the social relationships at DMAC have impacted their learning experience, 

[00:00:44:540]	and subsequently what can be generalized about the participants' experience 

[00:00:47:258]	as we apply their thoughts to other digital learning situations. 

[00:00:50:285]	When asked about their home institutions and the types of support 

[00:00:53:273]	available for digital media and composing work, 

[00:00:56:225]	many of the interviewees immediately began to detail the physical and material infrastructures in place. 

[00:01:02:279]	Computer labs devoted to other classes, broken or outdated technologies, 

[00:01:07:219]	and lack of funding for new technology or training were some of the shared concerns. 

[00:01:12:207]	Interestingly, it was only when prompted to consider the social relationships 

[00:01:17:330]	as part of the support available at their home institutions 

[00:01:20:240]	did the participants consider the social capital that was available or lacking at their school.

[00:01:25:255]	On-campus technology centers and individuals engaged in digital work were identified 

[00:01:30:255]	as some of the social resources available to interested parties at home institutions. 

[00:01:35:246]	However, there were both significant benefits and challenges for the interviewees 

[00:01:39:249]	in accessing and maintaining these relationships. 

[00:01:42:270]	Many of the interviews expressed that there were places on their campuses 

[00:01:46:231]	where digital work was occurring. 

[00:01:48:141]	[Rachel] The Digital Storytelling Project because we're conceiving of it as community literacy. 

[00:01:54:261]	In other words, taking writing into the community and creating opportunities

[00:02:00:240]	for community members to write around issues of significance to them. 

[00:02:03:138]	[Crystal] There's also the Sweetland Center for Writing at the University of Michigan. 

[00:02:06:102]	So at Sweetland there are lots, lots of things going on with new media. 

[00:02:10:360]	There are specific classes over there offered through Sweetland for, you know, 

[00:02:13:237]	like blogging or different types of technologies and platforms. 

[00:02:19:111]	[Nicole] We have a faculty technology center which will train people how to use things, but they don't look at pedagogy at all, 

[00:02:27:102]	whereas the rest of us in our department are kind of looking at pedagogy first, 

[00:02:31:273]	and "OK, How can we do this? 

[00:02:33:204]	How can we use this to help teach the things that we want to teach? 

[00:02:38:270]	How can we have students use this to help learn the things that they need to learn?" 

[00:02:43:204]	[Crystal] So there are some things going on, 

[00:02:45:183]	but I would say they're a little bit diversified and going on in different places. 

[00:02:49:270]	[Narrator] The participants overall emphasized the need to establish stronger relationships 

[00:02:54:360]	with like-minded individuals and groups who are engaged in digital media work. 

[00:02:58:207]	In addition to the support of permanent structures such as on-campus technology centers, 

[00:03:04:330]	the DMAC participants also discussed the individual social relationships 

[00:03:08:123]	that characterized their home institution's support of digital media and composition work. 

[00:03:14:780]	[Lanette] Our desire outreaches our grasp so far.

[00:03:19:930]	[Nicole] We have a lot of people who want to do things, 

[00:03:21:249]	but maybe we don't have the language or the tools right now. 

[00:03:26:390]	[Rachel] It's like everyone is using the same language to mean different things,

[00:03:31:930]	if that makes any sense at all, 

[00:03:34:150]	and getting everybody on the same page across disciplines to talk about digital media

[00:03:41:330]	in the classroom seems to have been very difficult in the department and across campus. 

[00:03:46:147]	[Charlene] Many of them did not know what I meant when I said "digital composition," 

[00:03:54:174]	and it seemed to create such a large gap 

[00:04:00:810]	that I was running into problems of explaining it to certain people. 

[00:04:05:150]	[Narrator] For the participants, the DMAC experience provided them 

[00:04:08:165]	with a model of another way of learning about and practicing digital media and composition. 

[00:04:14:204]	All of the interviewees identified the collaborative experience 

[00:04:18:990]	as vitally important to their learning experience because of the opportunities to teach, 

[00:04:23:186]	learn, and support one another across positions.

[00:04:27:168]	[Lanette] It helps me to sit in the student spot. It's been a few years.

[00:04:33:900]	It helps me to bite my tongue and let others speak

[00:04:39:252]	because as a teacher you're always used to being the one that's speaking.

[00:04:44:300]	It's, it's a good experience. 

[00:04:47:960]	[Sean] I learn really well from, from, teaching and sort of explaining to other people. 

[00:04:53:207]	Sharing what I know with somebody else really helps me with my learning, 

[00:04:58:195]	and it helps me just saying those words out loud to kind of think critically 

[00:05:02:930]	about my beliefs on the subject, whatever it is. 

[00:05:07:030]	And DMAC has provided a lot of opportunities for those kinds of interactions. 

[00:05:11:140]	[Narrator] Due to the transactional exchange of digital technology information and skills, 

[00:05:16:100]	the emotional support from peers, and the nonhierarchical, non-competitive

[00:05:20:280]	social atmosphere, the DMAC experience emphasized the community 

[00:05:25:170]	as essential to the practice of digital media. 

[00:05:29:020]	As many of the participants reiterated, DMAC's focus is on people first,

[00:05:33:260]	not digital technologies and tools.

[00:05:36:120]	By participating in DMAC, the individuals identified various ways to engage 

[00:05:41:020]	other stakeholders at their home institution in order to create community of practice. 

[00:05:47:090]	[Sally] Enlistment through excitement, you know, what we do really is exciting. 

[00:05:51:270]	And if you can get it out there and showcase it and still, you know, pitch it 

[00:06:00:160]	to the interests of the university, I know that's the way to go. 

[00:06:04:080]	[Charlene] Maybe, no, not even maybe, I think I will go back and be like, 

[00:06:09:160]	"Hey, I've got some stuff that I learned that I think you guys can use.

[00:06:14:160]	Let's talk about this." 

[00:06:16:190]	[Pennie] I guess I'm hoping that maybe I can help other people who are also, you know, 

[00:06:22:040]	not as able with this kind of stuff. Like maybe I can be a bit of a "returning native," you know. 

[00:06:29:130]	I visited the Land of Technology and all of this stuff, I was there for two weeks, 

[00:06:32:250]	I've learned some stuff, now I can talk with you a little bit 

[00:06:35:140]	and help you get a little more comfortable. 

[00:06:37:040]	[Narrator] Overwhelmingly, the participants focused on the social relationships 

[00:06:39:280]	that would facilitate such a culture and what it would feel like as 

[00:06:43:040]	opposed to what hardware or software would be present. 

[00:06:47:030]	The DMAC participants suggest that the power of communities of practice like DMAC is rooted 

[00:06:52:000]	equally in the community and practice component. 

[00:06:55:230]	As composers, researchers, teachers, administrators, practitioners, 

[00:07:00:170]	and community members, we should consider how to facilitate the social aspects of a culture, 

[00:07:05:300]	including the community and practice elements, 

[00:07:08:180]	in order to best support and advocate for digital media and composing work.