Monday, February 21, 2011

Course Feedback - Web 2.0 Reflections

I have done so many new things as it applies to the internet in the first few weeks of this course it has been a bit overwhelming. When I look at what we have done so far I get a very clear picture that Web 2.0 Social Networking is a huge place. I think I had my first realization how big when we each researched and posted various applications. That was when I saw that it includes everything from Craigslist to Facebook to You Tube to Delicious. Each is vastly different for the user but each clearly qualifies as a form of social networking. One irony is that I check out Craigslist regularly but before taking this class I wouldn't have called it a form of Web 2.0 activity. I have learned that Web 2.0 is a big playing field.

I've used Wikipedia and Wiktionary each on a number of occasions for scholarly research and personal use. In the past when using Wiki information for scholarly research most professors advised students to use caution and some would not allow Wiki research without another source to back it up. I think we've all heard the argument that those types of information don't have the foundation of a reliable and trustworthy source and are therefore suspect. When I saw how easy it was to get a Wiki account and start editing I saw what those professors meant. However, I felt a need to proceed cautiously and not change the true substance of any articles I revised for fear of changing the meaning. I would like to hope that anyone working in that capacity would share that same sense of community and not purposely "screw it up". I know, there are always a few. Hopefully the good guys keep the screw ups in check. In the meantime some sort of confirmation might be good before we bet the farm on a Wiki posting.

About my Second Life experience, I had heard of Second Life but I never bothered learning about it. I certainly see the utility of Second Life for this class and it would be real easy to have a meeting in Second Life without having to set up the traditional bunch of logistics. If you did something like that in a business setting it might even act as a form of virtual team building. Moving forward, I'll use my Second Life account for this class and any other classes I have that require it. Do I think I'll be in Second Life beyond course work? Probably not but I'm keeping an open mind.

I think the most enjoyable aspect of the class for me has been keeping a Blog. I've never been one to keep a journal but I do enjoy writing. I've been challenged to think of relevant topics to write about and that has been an enjoyable activity. The video postings have posed a similar challenge with the added twist of speaking to a camera. That's been a little weird but tolerable. I wonder what the video topic will be this week? I really like my classmates and their upbeat attitudes. Everyone seems willing to help and share their experiences.

Things I'd like to see: The Engineer and Planner in me would love a syllabus. I haven't looked at the grades page lately but the last time I did it didn't show much compared to the work we have done so far.

1 comment:

  1. I'm glad you're enjoying the blogging. I have enjoyed getting your views on different topics. Your vlogs are also interesting and always tie into the topic. You make this look so easy.

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