Wk4 Synthesis: Curating Through MCBS

I believe it's been a mix of everything I've learned so far that helped me to create projects this month that were more "pro-looking" than they otherwise would have been.  From past projects in previous courses to the curation of assets within this class, I was able to put everything together to find things that worked better, and use new media tools to get me there. I definitely appreciate all the links provided to us through the MCBS Symbaloo web mix. It made finding what I wanted and needed so much easier knowing that they were higher quality than I would have used. But I will go on to say that I don't necessarily believe anything I created in this class are ones that I want to keep. They definitely still need more work, but they help to show where I'm starting so that in the future I can look back on them and see where I've gone. So in that regard, I'll retain them in my back pocket.

Having gone through the course I've developed a much keener sense for pre-production. Planning, planning and MORE PLANNING are the key to success in the long run. With the help of this class I've been introduced and had the opportunities to learn more about the various media tools that are available to me, and to learn them and utilize them. Although I don't believe I'll continue with Symbaloo per say, but I will definitely use Popboardz which I discovered, as well as all the various Adobe platforms. 

Whenever I go about any sort of project, I am always the type to give myself more than I need to ensure that I am successful. Romney Whitehead stated in her article "Curation Before Creation" that "curation is not only deciding what you want to keep of what you have taken, but also thinking more about the shot that is being taken, how it is going to be used, how it would be looked at in the future." For me this is a totally new idea, that I should preplan to a particular extent, so that I go out and create SPECIFICALLY that. On the one hand I understand, but on the other, that's a lot of confidence in myself or who I'm working with to produce what I want, exactly how I want it, when I want it (which is instantly). I get planning ahead and putting yourself into a position where you are as prepared as possible with a clear understanding and sight towards what you want to achieve and create. 

 In Phil Spiegel's article " Not All Digital Media Assets Are Equal",  he goes into the idea that "the ability to manage exceptions always exists, so fears of missing something that may have value in the future should not prevent us from maximizing our workflows, processes, resources and infrastructure today." It's this overarching theme of quality over quantity. It's up to us as media specialists and media communicators to make choices based off of what will relay the message in the best possible way and showcasing that at the beginning, and not later after trial and error. Companies count on us to create something and get it right the first time, so we need to ensure we curate before we create.

Curation Before Creation & Not All Digital Media Assets Are Equal