This blog post contains a summary of my journey with giving and receiving feedback with my classmates for our BCM325 Digital Artefact pitches. 

Providing feedback is about actively listening, taking the time to analyse and giving solutions that ensure individuals can revise their work before submission (ActiTIME 2021). Both positive and negative feedback is useful in ensuring we make valuable decisions (DeFranzo 2022).

Before writing each comment for my peers I acknowledged the following framework for what each pitch should have included:

The first pitch I commented on was Phoebe Well’s. She is doing a DA on indie music and here’s what I had to say:

“Hi Phoebe, I LOVE this DA. It’s clear how passionate you are about this topic, it really shows through in your communication and execution. I love the aesthetic of your Instagram page, you have a real talent for graphic design. A really important topic as the creative industry is often neglected by government funding etc. Im not sure where you’re located but it could be cool to film an interview with a small band in your area. I find these types of videos create a more personal connection to artists where you can get to know them a bit better. My friends ( https://www.instagram.com/midwifecrisisband/ ) might be keen if you DM them. A gig guide like you mentioned in your first post would be such a good idea, there’s heaps of gigs under your genre on in Wollongong atm and often you only hear of them via word of mouth. A post telling people how they can support local artists who have suffered from COVID would be cool as well. Selling your own merch to raise funds? Just some random suggestions. You seem to have everything under control and well planned. Great work!”

Second up was Tyneesha Williams who is writing fiction about her future self as a DA. Here was my comment on her post:

“Hey Tyneesha, love your pitch! Could tell you were a writer from the first few sentences of this post. Similarly to my pitch, we have chosen to integrate our future careers in with our DAs which I think is super motivating and constructive. I love how you are pushing yourself to do something you don’t naturally sway towards. This is really bold and will shape you into a more well versed writer for the future. I love how you have kept your goals simple with the three blog posts- this is great and super achievable. This book could be useful for your project
https://www.amazon.com.au/101-Questions-Need-Your-Twenties/dp/0802416918“

Lastly I reviewed Laura’s DA pitch on making conspiracy theory TikToks:

“Hi Laura, great pitch! Conspiracy theories are so fascinating and there is definitely a large audience out there that will be interested in your video. Love how you already have certain conspiracies you want to look at but just as a suggestion it would be cool to look at ones that relate to current times, for example cloud seeding causing the Northern NSW floods or how COVID is turning the world cashless. I’ll leave some links for more info on these but all up, you have done a great job at planning out this DA and I’m keen to follow you on TikTok and see your vids!
https://www.frontiersin.org/articles/10.3389/fpos.2021.642510/full
https://www.abc.net.au/news/2021-12-26/cashless-society-economy-australia-covid/100725728
https://www.aap.com.au/factcheck/conspiracy-claims-about-nsw-and-queensland-floods-fall-flat/
https://www.perthnow.com.au/news/natural-disasters/rain-bomb-is-actually-a-river-expert-c-5903472“

Peer reviewing these three pitches broadened my perspective of digital artefacts for many reasons. Firstly it was great to read about topics I wouldn’t ordinarily be exposed to. Secondly it was insightful to see each students individual approaches to a DA as displayed on their timelines. Lastly it was a wakeup call for me to get on top of my DA in terms of setting clearer goals and creating more consistent and frequent content. 

Phoebe’s pitch inspired me to identify a stronger social utility for my project. Tyneesha’s pitch encouraged me to brush up on my written skills as I loved how easy her pitch read. Laura’s pitch reminded me of FEFO which is a concept that has helped me a lot in past digital artefacts. 

Throughout this process I learnt that I can work on being better at giving constructive criticism. My comments may have been a little too positive and although I gave all three students suggestions, I maybe could have criticised something they had already proposed. I could have also done a bit more research into their chosen topics, looking back I feel like my suggestions may have been irrelevant to the direction they had already chosen. 

I appreciated the opportunity to comment on my peers’ projects, I hope they gained something useful from my insight on their projects.