Focal Theme and Personal Learning Goals for ILT5340

Cuban rice and beansWhen I was asked to select a focal theme for my Digital Storytelling course, I knew immediately what I wanted to choose…my food memories.   I’ve found myself talking about them quite frequently lately, to my husband, my friends, even my cube-mates at work.  I also find myself thinking about them constantly as I’m always attempting to get my 2 year-old daughter to try new foods.  And I am reminded of them weekly, when my husband and I sit down to plan out our meals for the week (yes, we are those people) and he jokingly asks if I want meatloaf.

Most of my life’s memories involve food, or I just love food so much that it’s easy for me to associate food with so many moments in my life!  Either way, my food memories are ever present in my mind and I am very interested in exploring those memories over the next few months.  I’m excited to utilize my creative energies to turn those memories into digital stories.  I also look forward to discovering and analyzing digital stories about food memories and food cultures that were created by others and learning about how food has shaped other people and their lives.

My personal learning goals for the semester:

  1. I’d like to learn to love the Cucurbita family (or at least learn to like it, even if just a little bit).
  2. I’d love to learn how to use my husband’s Grandmother’s krumkake maker, especially so that I may pass down the tradition to our daughter.  
  3. I’d really like to learn to forgive and move past the negative food memories from my childhood.

My academic learning goals for the semester:

  1. I’d like to learn at least a dozen new ways to create media or digital stories.
  2. I’d love to learn about food as it pertains to other cultures.
Cuban Black Beans image from here.
Cucurbita image from here.
Krumkake image from here.