Last week reflection

[AlexReid]

[Vinny Thide]

Our group got all the video segments we needed for our project and it is now in the editing phase and will soon be ready to upload to itunesU. This project was very difficult to accomplish, not because of the work or the assignment itself, but because of working in groups of 5. With this being an online class and most of us working on this class at times that were best for us, it was difficult to get everyone together at the same time to produce the final product. Online networking allowed us the ability to plan and figure out when to meet, but the actual physical shooting of the video became a challenge as we all have different schedules. Another problem that we all faced was the work load for most of our classes this final week. We are all a bit overwhelmed and pressured to say the least!

Overall though, I found this class very informative. I was forced to do things I may never have done because it was assigned. Second Life is something I would never have done, but now I can say that I did. I don't think it was my favorite thing to do but it was interesting to see what it was all about. Researching social media sites and reading the blogs of other classmates in regard to their opinions of the different networking sites opened my eyes to the many opportunites online social networking can provide. The podcasts gave me more experience in the technology of uploading media to our website. I think my favorite project was the wiki project as it amazed me to see how much information could be compiled together through online teamwork in a relatively short period of time. Of all the books we read, I think, Shirky and Presentation Zen were the best ones. My least favorite book was Jenkins as he seemed to go on and on endlessly, taking forever to make his point. I also found the pages that had 2 different stories going on at the same time, very distracting.
The discussion about education was in my opinion one of our best. Prof. Reid, you are right about students making the best of what their education is. If all teachers could be motivational and innovative, this would be so much easier to do. You have done a good job at this but there have been teachers in my educational experience that make it very difficult for me to embrace their attitudes and negativity, no matter how hard I tried.

I would definately recommend this class to others and I feel it would benefit all students to take this class and learn about what the future holds in regard to the digital age

[Deanna]

So our group just finished up the video project yesterday. What a mess! We were fine with recording it, as well as editing it. The program we were using however, was veryyy irritating. Everytime we added new things, the program would freeze and then we would have to shut down, and then restart the program and we lost what we had done about 20 times. It was really annoying, but eventually we got what we needed done. ( 3 hours later). We still can't figure out how to get the video uploaded to itunes. We tried, and we sat there for a good 15 minutes while it uploaded, only to get an error message at the very end. We are going to work on getting it up on youtube i believe!

Anyway- about this class... I have to say this was one of the most interesting classes I've taken at Cortland. It really was engaging and helpful from a technology standpoint. Like Vinny, i don't think that i would have ever used programs like SecondLife without this class. I didn't even know it existed before we started using it. I was also very sheltered when it came to social media sites. I never really used personal networking sites on the internet, besides facebook and myspace of course. I learned that there are many other uses for social networking sites, which i believe will help me in the future. I think my favorite book that we read was the Presentation Zen book,because it was very useful and interesting. I found that I could take that book and apply it to more than just this class. A lot of things that we did in this class didn't help me just to learn it for this class,but they will help me in the future also. I think my favorite part of the class was the discussions. I really enjoyed being able to talk to other people about their ideas, especially with social media and the election, as well as the discussion about education and social media. I think it is important to recognize the impact technology has had on our generation and in our schools, and I believe this class helped to do that tremendously.

[Bryce Urbany]

The final video project couldn't of gone any smoother. From filming the first shot to editing to submitting it into iTunes was all completed in under three hours. My group was very open to getting together whenever and where ever and keeping in contact with any changes was done using the social networking sites used in the project. I am very pleased with the end result and everybody's contribution to the project. Thanks a lot guys!

As for the entire class as a whole I can not stress enough as I did in my final podcast that this is one of the most interesting classes I have ever taken in my entire educational lifetime. The way the discussions are built so that we can all voice our opinions and even read the opinions of everyone else is a completely new experience and opens up the door into the classes mind. The content taught was relative to our everyday lives with social networking and media in politics as well as teaching us the advantages of the digital world with Second Life which I would have totally avoided if not for this class and after using it I now can see the complete advantages it offers. The books were also interesting and I agree with Deanna in that a couple of the books like the Presentation Zen and Don't Make Me Think Books can be used in other classes when putting together presentations as well as websites in my web development classes. I have already recommended this class for others to take and will try to make it into your office to fill out a CTE evaluation to voice my opinion about this class to the school officials.

[Sarah Gentillon]

I agree. Having never filmed anything before, filming was not as hard as I thought it would be; it was actually really fun to do...even in the cold. Everyone was really open minded and that really made it easier. I watched the video on Saturday and it came out extremely well so Bryce, you did a very good job on editing. I'm just thankful you were in the group.

Being in this class, for me, was really challenging. Not because I felt it was hard but because I felt challenged to do things I've never done before, especially in other classes. The projects that we did like twitter and Second Life really helped me to realize that there's more to the internet than google, facebook, and myspace. The books we read was really interesting, My favorite was convergence culture. I'm not really a big reader when it comes informative style books but this one was really interesting and it was definitely a page turner. So, thanks Prof. Reid because you made this experience what it is for me...definitely an eye opener. I find myself now using different tools of communication online.

[Taylor]

So, as Deanna said our group did finish the video, but the editing process was a mess!!! The Windows program kept freezing each time we tried to edit some part of our video, so it was very time consuming and tried all of our patience. Anyways, though I thought it was a good project because we got to meet with classmates that we only knew from online. I've taken online classes before and worked in groups over the computer, not face to face, so I liked that part about it. On the other hand though, as Vinny also stated, this was a tough week for this video to be due considering the tons of other work that has been piled on us from other classes. I'm a firm believer that professors should congregate and decide not to give us all this work...it's terrible.

Anyways, I thought this class was actually very important to my poor computer/technology skills. I have learned SO much that I NEVER would have learned elsewhere. I'm actually glad I didn't know this class involved all these things before I signed up for it because I never would have taken it, and would have missed out on a major learning opportunity. Yes, some or most of the assignments got on my nerves and tested my patience, but I got through them and that is all that mattered. The one thing about this class that I am truly appreciative of is your understanding, Professor Reid, of ALL the problems I encountered. You accommodated every problem I encountered and helped me through it, and I really appreciate that because not all teachers will do that for their students. So, thank you because if this class had had another professor I can't see myself getting through it on my own.

[Vicky]

This class is extraordinarily unique from any other one I have taken, including the other online class I took this semester on WebCT. I can honestly say this class is amongst the top that I have learned the most from.

Had it not been for this class, I would've never stepped outside of my comfort zone boundaries. I would've never found the motivation to join a social network other than the ones my friends were on. I probably would've never ended up hearing the voices and ideas of my classmates and myself on iTunes.

While I love the Internet, computers and new technology, I’ve basically been illiterate beyond its basic functions until this semester. I probably wouldn’t have done any of this on my own because I’ve always doubted my own abilities and feared that I wouldn’t understand how to use such tools, nor was I ever required to do so.

But I got past the technical difficulties, which basically come along with everything you do nowadays. It’s not as dreadful or as difficult as it first seemed when I initially learned that we’d have to record podcasts, an enhanced podcast, a video, create/contribute to a wiki (didn’t know what that meant without –pedia), explore social networks beyond Facebook and MySpace and embark upon quests in the unfamiliar territory of Second Life.

I also really enjoyed the readings; they weren’t boring novels or textbooks chock full of terms you’ll never use again. They pertained to what we’re going through in society at this very moment in time, making them that much easier to relate to. They broke down our ever-changing, advancing, technological world into a context that I would’ve never otherwise considered. My favorites were Convergence Culture and Here Comes Everybody. I found them to be the most thought-provoking.

I think it's even better that this course is conducted on the Digital Age Ning as opposed to WebCT because it allows for so much more flexibility and personalization, not to mention that it doesn’t kick you off if you’re idle for 5 minutes.

The cool thing about online classes is having the ability to re-read what we’ve talked about, re-play the videos, and basically see a culmination of everything we’ve done at a glance. Whereas in a face-to-face class, you can try to remember what your professor and classmates said and you can even take the best notes possible. But your memory eventually becomes fuzzy, you don’t have a class transcript in your binder, and you’ll never be able to 100% truly relive/reread/replay what happened in your physical classroom.

[Vinny Thide]

"The cool thing about online classes is having the ability to re-read what we’ve talked about, re-play the videos, and basically see a culmination of everything we’ve done at a glance. Whereas in a face-to-face class, you can try to remember what your professor and classmates said and you can even take the best notes possible."

I found being able to look back extremely helpful. When I was thinking about something and couldn't quite remember it all, being able to go back and read what was on my mind was so helpful. In a FTF class this is not an option and it is not easy to remember everything said verbally in the classroom. Some of the other online classes I took would "close" a module shortly after completion and there was no going back to check things. I hated that. As you said Vicky, using the ning platform was tremendously organized and easy to use.

[Will]

"Had it not been for this class, I would've never stepped outside of my comfort zone boundaries. "

After the first few weeks of class I met with Professor Reid and we discussed exactly this! This class really allowed me to jump from the ordinary. The ordinary for me is structure and planning, this class allowed me more freedom to develop structure in a loose way. I went from making cakes, (a uniform, decorative, more solid looking structure), to making jello, (a much more flexible but still sturdy dessert). I know that is a terrible analogy, but it's all I got for the end of the semester!

"I think it's even better that this course is conducted on the Digital Age Ning as opposed to WebCT because it allows for so much more flexibility and personalization, not to mention that it doesn’t kick you off if you’re idle for 5 minutes."

We talked about that when we met the other day for the video project. If we had to be on WebCT I would have forgot about the class more often than not. WebCT is too boring of a layout and is not suitable for students. It may be set-up in a great manner for teachers, I don't know because I've never been a teacher using WebCT. But I do know that there are many flaws on the student end of the platform, and the student end is probably not the end considered when designed.

"The cool thing about online classes is having the ability to re-read what we’ve talked about, re-play the videos, and basically see a culmination of everything we’ve done at a glance."

I never thought about that, and I really like it! Great pick-up on that fact!

[Lauren]

This class was most definitely difficult for me to say the least. I think it was mainly so overwhelming to me at first because I really did not know what to expect. I think the part of the class that I enjoyed the most was the Web Identity Project, because it really allowed me to see the parts of social networking that I didn't even know existed. By doing this project, I was able to utilize my obsession with music for the better, by discovering sites like Amie Street and Last fm that furthered my love for music, while still providing that underlying social networking aspect that allowed me to connect with other music lovers.

I also really enjoyed the readings and would say that my favorite book that we read this semester was Presentation Zenn. I just thought that his whole philosophy on presenting was on par especially his views on Wabi Sabi while presenting which I spoke about in my Podcast #2. "Don't Make Me Think" also was very eye opening to me, and I have to admit now whenever I visit a new website I think about its usability and I am now a great judge of whether a web site is easy to use or not.

As for the Pod Cast's as you mentioned Dr. Reid in your video, at first I was completely apprehensive to the idea. I didn't even know where to insert the microphone in the computer to be honest. The first one probably took me in total, an hour and a half to say what I had to say, and then the hardest part was figuring out how to post my voice on iTunes U. But with each Podcast the process got much easier to accomplish in much less time, and is actually a lot easier than I initially thought it would be. It seemed that was a continuing pattern with all of the tasks that had to be done in this class. Once I got over the initial fear of accomplishing these projects, I quickly realized that it was sooo much easier than I let on. Like the wiki project. I didn't even know what a wiki was ( I sort of had an inclination from using Wikipedia, but not really). But once I took some time and tended to the project, I realized that it is one of the best ways of sharing information, and contributing to others thoughts while being online. I realized that it was really nothing to be apprehensive about, there are things that are much worse... like second life. I'm most definitely happy that I had the opportunity to research second life, and figure out what is all about because it is such a huge sensation that I honestly had no idea was taking place before this class. But I can safely say that now that I know about it, I am pretty much done with ever visiting again. I think I'm pretty comfortable in my own reality.

I think that the video project was a great way to end the semester, because at this point I definitely have enough confidence to take on anything technological after going through this class. I think the most difficult part of the project was finding a common time where everyone could meet, but the project itself did not cause problems at all, I think the interviews that we conducted allowed us to really get a good sense of how students view the future of politics, their jobs, and the state of the world as graduation creeps closer and closer and the real world is closer upon us.

Overall, although I found this class overwhelming, I feel like I learned more in this class than I did in any of my other classes this semester. I feel extremely informed about what is going on in the state of our world in both an educational standpoint and through the growing aspects of technology. I liked the freedom that this class gave me as well, and I think more than anything else this class definitely prepared me for the real world because you put the learning process and experience in the hands of the individual to get out of it whatever work the person decided to put in.

[Steven Richmond]

In response to Lauren’s posting I was also very apprehensive of the idea of creating a podcast and was very confused the first time we had to create one. It was difficult to think of what you wanted to say in the podcast but submitting it correctly was ¾ of the assignment. I also did not have a microphone beforehand and didn’t know what I was doing at first. Adding the podcast to ItunesU was difficult for me also and it took me several attempts to get it right. After a while though it did get easier and by the second podcast I pretty much knew what to do without re-reading the instructions. I also was not that interested in using Second Life after the assignment was over but found the concept of the program to be clever for those who want to use it again. I wasn’t that overwhelmed by the assignments themselves but it did get difficult sometimes using Audacity, ItunesU, Window’s Movie Maker, etc…

[Will]

Our video project has been edited and completed, but is too large for posting on iTunesU or youtube, so Ed dropped it off with Professor Reid.

The one thing I really enjoyed about this class was the Krug and Reynolds books. These books allowed me to look at things in a new way, and present myself and my work in a fashion that I feel better represents me! I always have looked at things and wondered how the hell the designer or creator was so clever in their craft. I recall my first Apple iMac, a relic nowadays, but I cracked this thing open and was amazed at the skill that went into designing that incredible tool! I knew a bit about computers and how they were set up, but I could tell that every component of the iMac was carefully placed in it's spot with reasoning behind it. The designers at Apple didn't just put something in a location because of whatever, every part had a reason for being where it was. I greatly admired that about Apple, and still do today.

These 2 books gave me some insight on how Apple and other clever designers are able to do that. Since I am a student and give presentations, write papers, and am a DJ, a new way set of presentation skills was very appealing to me.

[Ed Blackford]

Yea editing the video was a nightmare because we had so many different video formats. One member filmed in HD, one w/ a dig cam, one in mp4 format and others in .mov formats. I think this also caused our video file to be a 1.8 gig file. Students should try to use the same formats next year because it will save a lot of time. Haha and since it's so large it is taking forever to upload to dig age wiki.

This class forced me to do things that I havent done b4, like podcasts for example. It was definately more refreshing than writing essays all the time.