So as JMS students we are expected to attend tutorials that cover a range of different topics and issues related to what we are studying. This week we had to fill out a "Suspect Identification Form" the aim of which was to make us look at different aspects of our identity and the way we describe ourselves in different situations. The first part of the tutorial was based on physical appearences while the sencond looked at the way we want to be viewed in different spheres of our lives. Please comment on this post and share with us want you learnt and were able to take away from this tutorial.
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Tania Pehl - The suspect identification exercise was interesting as I do not think about the little details such as the shape of my chin or eyebrows, they are features we are born with and despite, any modification that one might want to go through, it is our natural form thus are mostly oblivious to it. However, in situations where we have to understand a person or indentify them, then these minute details play a major role. For example, with our blogs, weather using a fictional character or not, one must be able to describe to the reader specific details that will make them more interested in the content of your blog. So the reader is able to form in image in their head (besides visual aid) and place himself or herself in the context of the writer. They say a picture speaks a thousand words but at times you need the words to do for you what a photograph does. In terms of my group and I?s blog this exercise is useful, as we have chosen to use a fictional character with split personalities so to understand the exercise is to ensure that we give a clear description of our character. In effect hopefully, more readers will be drawn to our blog. The exercise however, did not help me identify anything about myself that I was unaware of. Furthermore, there could have been more descriptions available to describe ones features. The descriptions that were made optional sounded too harsh and rigid so it was hard ascribing my features to the ones given. The questions that were asked such as what character traits we possess in certain encounters with individuals was interesting because it is interesting to read on paper the traits that come out most. As a whole, it was useful in terms of the characters or the point of view in which we will be writing from.
Stephanie Pretorius - Our tutorial group seemed to find this exercise rather hilarious as we tried to tell each other whether we had 'pug' or 'hooked' noses and noted distinctive marks such as 'missing teeth' or 'nicotine fingers'. At first I was not completely sure as to how this connected to our course on blogging but after thinking about it I realised that so many of these aspects of our identity are things that we only register subconsciously and are not fully aware of. As a JMS student I have learnt from this exercise that all the little details are important and can tell you a lot more about people than you think and that these are the kind of details we need to convey to the public in our reporting. Personally, this tutorial confirmed for me the fact that I believe that I am completely comfortable and sure about my identity as in the second half of the exercise I used very similar words to describe myself to all four audiences. This indicates that I do not feel the need to adjust my identity according to the audience present or that I only want to exhibit certain aspects of my identity in certain situations. Two adjectives that I used the most in my descriptions were honest and critical, this exercise reminded me that these are two qualities are that I value immensely in both a private and public or formal capacity.
Sebastian Gazi Krummer - Well this exercise was certainly one that interested me immensely. One was required to "box up" traits and features about them, that they have either never taken notice of or thought that they were some what obvious...in that sense it was difficult to figure out what you were 'suppose' to tick in the boxes. This exercise encourgaed one to reflect on themselves and figure out what influences you when making choices of how to react in situations, how to speak to people, and what values influence your judgements and opinions, thus helping one decipher what sort of blogger they are. I learnt a couple of new things about me, such as that I am a ver tolerant person but at the same time that I tend to be critical at times. These are things I didn't know influnced my choices, and this knowledge was gained through the "Suspect identification form" exercise. It was however difficult to classify myself under certain categories, as there was not enouph options and this lead to one ascribing to something they either don't believe or are not. Yet the exercise as a whole was worth doing as there was much gained from it and it was enjoyable as we got to converse with our tut group members and have a good laugh...