LIBR 246-04/13 Web 2.0 (Spring 2010)

1. How has your view of social software changed since starting the course?

Let's be honest. I thought I knew a lot more about social software than I really did when starting this course. This course has taught me not to be afraid of the tools that seemed too complex for me (such as starting a wiki from scratch). It has also taught me the value of planning, moderating, and truly knowing your audience. Just because certain social softwares were simple to set up, better results are always acheived after taking a moment to pause and get organized. I can also now see the value of social software applications in specific educational and community-building aspirations. Or rather, I have the knowledge to back up these concepts which I already believed in to the powers that be.

2. What technology did you find most interesting for your personal use? What technology did you think would be most useful professionally?

I have to admit, I started to finally see more professional reasons for keeping my Twitter account. I've also been inspired to start a community-wide wiki for my hobby. Professionally, I was really intrigued by Drupal - and was especially impressed by some of the more customized communities using the open-source software, and the planned improvements they have set to roll out.

3. What surprised you during the course?

I think I was surprised by how comfortable I became in a more public environment discussing our assignments. At first there was some hesitancy when approaching the marketing critique. I was concerned with critiquing hopeful future employers in a public forum. However, that aspect actually ensured that my blog entries and assignments were well-thought out and supported since they were open to a broader audience than the closed discussion boards on ANGEL. I was also surprised at how little I really knew about social software despite feeling fairly technically competent when signing up for the course.

4. What suggestions do you have for improving the learning activities (exercises, assignments, blog posts, readings, examples, etc.)?

I think the biggest suggestion we made after the course began - the consistant tagging of the blog posts. I know that some students have more strict schedules (as does the instructor juggling work, parenting, and educating). However, I really loved our Elluminate sessions and would have loved at least one more. The hour-long presentations of social software in action by those who set them in place were really inspiring!

5. How did your experience using Drupal differ from your experience in Angel classrooms (or classes using other traditional course management systems)?

As mentioned before, I was a bit stand-offish and cautious of what I said in my weekly blogs and assignments since I knew they were open to the public. However, I do love the layout and the features much more than Angel.

6. Looking back, how would you sum up your experience?

Fun, inspiring, and most importantly... immediately useful to both the rest of my educational experience and my future career path.

Thank you Meredith, and to my wonderful fellows! I shall see you on Facebook in our spankin' new group! :)