From the DMS to the DSL
I have worked at the Digital Media Specialists (DMS)Desk for over two years now — since I was a sophomore. This is the desk in the lower level of Raynor that rents out laptops, chargers, cameras and adapters. Here I established a relationship with Elizabeth Gibes, Digital Scholarship Lab Aficianado, who convinced me to start working as a Digital Scholarship Lab (DSL) Tutor a year later.
I have learned a great deal over my time here as a tutor, from how to edit a movie to creating a booklet on InDesign and more. As a nursing student, I did not have a huge grasp of technology before these jobs, but working at the Digital Media desk helped me pick up trouble-shooting skills for the equipment and software.
As a tutor, I was determined to learn new skills with Elizabeth’s help. Most of the students I have worked with have needed assistance with programs like Wordpress, Medium, iMovie, or Timeline JS. As a newbie to technology, my explanations of how to use the technology consist of phrases like “thingy in the right corner” and “press the thing that looks like a bell.”
I have learned that this can be an asset because I feel like I am good at explaining to other newbies without them getting lost in the technical language of it all. As a tutor I have answered questions such as “How do I start an email on google?” to “this project is due tomorrow — can you teach me how to edit?”
As cheesy as it sounds, I learn just as much answering these questions as the student who asks them.
