Final

It's finally time for my last blog post of the quarter.  I'd like to use this opportunity to sum up what I believe I have learned this quarter. The most important thing I've learned in the past 10 weeks is to keep a running list of Web 2.0 sites I use along with the username and password for each site so I can continue to access all of my accounts with minimal effort. There are simply too many of them to keep it all straight in my head.

The most useful technology I learned in this class was how to create audio over my PowerPoint presentations, export them as videos, and upload them onto YouTube. I'm sure I'll be getting a lot more practice with this process over break as I continue to add pictures and artwork to my current portfolio. I also have an incredible audio-recording device I can use instead of recording my audio live.

The most relevant website for me that we covered is webex. I don't think I'll need to record or present anything else anytime soon, at least one can only hope (the presenting made me so nervous I could barely get out any of the material I wanted to cover); however, knowing how to set up online meetings will come in very handy once I begin interviewing for new job positions.

I've also enjoyed this class tremendously. Learning how to use a few of these new technologies was a bit frustrating at times, and I could certainly use a more structured, linear environment for processing all of the new information, but, overall, I'm very glad I took this course, and I believe it will benefit me greatly throughout the future.

Functionality

     Recording a PowerPoint presentation is my favorite assignment we had for this class this quarter. I know my instructor is always saying how regular PowerPoint presentations are boring, but I disagree. You do so much in PowerPoint, and I haven’t even taken the class yet. I really look forward to taking the PowerPoint class. I think it’ll be awesome to learn how to use the software much more extensively. But with the amount of knowledge I do have and the features I do know how to use, I think making a presentation on it was priceless.

     Now I can use the software to make videos for YouTube. I can make a bunch of slides using whatever pictures, annotations, texts, and animations I want; then I can record my songs to use with the visuals. I think this approach will work a lot better than presenting a video of myself singing, which is what I have now. Watching me sit and sing in front of a blank wall is not very entertaining in my opinion.

     The best part of the Web-based Technologies class is that we’re learning to use technology that we are actually going to use in real life, and we are learning how to learn how to use new technologies so we will be better at adapting and adjusting to our ever-changing world. The flow of information and products available is evolving at such a fast pace, it’s not possible to keep up with everything. But if we know how to figure things out as we go, we’re much more likely to be successful. 

Freedom

     I am so glad I front-loaded the blog assignments. The end of the quarter always gets so crazy; my load is finally beginning to lighten up. Only my final projects are left to go. I still have a few blog posts to write, but other than that, I feel like I’m doing rather well at the moment.

     Learning the various web technologies had my head spinning for a while. I wasn’t really sure what I was supposed to be learning or why I needed to know it. Now, I feel much more confident about navigating the web, finding the information I need, and locating helpful tools that ease the attempts I make at online communication with the limited hardware I have access to.

     I have to admit, I felt very professional sitting in the Learning Lab with my headset on and my webcam set up. It seemed like the whole world was available to me through the digital technology before me. I also felt competent with what I was doing. The technology didn’t always work the way I was expecting it to, and downloading the programs I needed to use was challenging. It also seemed to take forever to get everything up and going, plugged in, set up, and coordinated with the system; but it got there.

     I look forward to using all of this technology in my new career path. I need to make sure I have better tools – my own headset that won’t rub the top of my head raw – but with a minimal monetary investment, I can accomplish anything I need to do from anywhere I’d like to be. That’s a very freeing feeling.  

Balance

I’m so fried by mid-quarter, I don’t know how I’m ever going to make it the rest of the way through. Between two jobs, four kids, and going to school full-time, my week is consumed by constant busyness. How do I achieve adequate self-care to keep myself going? Is there a way to maintain enough balance between work and play to prevent total breakdown?

In Web-based Technologies, we learn about how social media and collaboration software can contribute to a positive work environment. We receive an introduction to various forms of digital technology, all of which claim to save time and make life more convenient, which is true in many ways, undoubtedly. However, there’s not a lot mentioned about precautions we need to take to ensure the use of technology doesn’t consume us and take over.

As with any other life-benefiting tool, technologies possess the power to help or to harm humans, depending on our responsible or careless use of it. The ability to work from home allows us the opportunity to get all of our work done in our pajamas while tending a sick child and avoiding an atrocious commute. Yet it also affords the chance to isolate from the rest of reality until we cease to function as a normal part of society.

Therefore, while it’s absolutely imperative to be able to negotiate web-based tools, it’s also important to learn the rights and responsibilities which accompany such an awesome privilege. The accountability aspect seems to be missing from the curriculum, so far as I can tell. We are blessed to live in the information age, where everything we could ever want or need to know is simply a few clicks away at most. But now that we have this endless supply, whatever are we to do with it?

Practice

     It was really hard for me to participate in class online because there were too many distractions going on around me and in my head, and I was in the learning lab. I don’t know how I might ever be able to actually work from home where the distractions are many fold. I already had other tabs open on my PC; I was pursuing other interests online while waiting for class to start. Also, I was able to browse through YouTube on my own as the instruction was progressing. I had difficulties following along as I only had one screen available. I couldn’t see what the instructor was walking us through and my own account for the site at the same time.

     However, it was pretty cool to be able to receive moderator privileges and share the quick little test video I made using my webcam with the rest of the class. I just wish I were able to see what it looked like from the perspective of another student as I was playing through it on my own machine. I know it’s supposed to look just the same on their display area as it does on my monitor, but I would have liked to have been able to see it both ways at the same time. Hopefully, we’ll be able to walk through it all again in class next week so I can see my neighbor’s screen and my own screen at the same time. That would be cool. 

Issues

     Today it took me 45-minutes to get all of my technological pieces set up and ready for use. I certainly hope it doesn’t take this much time in the future. I had to check out a webcam from the library because, although my MacBook has a built-in webcam, I wasn’t able to figure out how to use it for Blackboard Collaborate. I also have a headset with a mic that I checked out from the library, too.

     When I finally got all of the webcam software up and running, I still had to get onto the Blackboard Collaborate site. It took forever to get everything loaded and working properly on the computer in the Trio Learning Lab. The computers here are usually really fast, but when I bogged it down with all of the equipment I was using, it slowed down significantly.

     I wasn’t able to get Blackboard uploaded on my own. It seems like any time I try to use a new piece of technology, I get lost in the process or end up going in circles with the computer asking me whether I want to open the file or save it and what application I want to use to run the software, and I have no idea what program does what with which format or anything. It’s all very confusing for me. I want the computer to just already have everything on it that I need to use so I can just sit down at it and get all of my work done.

     Now, I’m tired and frustrated, and I still have a bunch of homework left to do before I have to get to work this evening. Here’s hoping for everything else to go more smoothly for the rest of the day.

Collaboration

     Today, we discussed Google Docs, which is something I’ve been very interested in learning about. I’ve had several students in the Learning Lab present their homework assignments to me in Google Docs instead of in a Word Document. It’s a foreign concept to me, and I still think it’s better to use Word if you’re not collaborating with other individuals on an assignment, but I feel relatively comfortable using the program now for the group assignments we are responsible for completing this week.

      The problem with doing a group project, for me, is finding the time to do more homework. I’m already running from work to class to the library to work again without so much as a lunch break. My nerves are getting worn thin, and we’re not even halfway through the quarter yet.

     I am really looking forward to the group project though as it will be great experience working with someone over a long distance without any face-to-face time. I still prefer to be in the physical presence of another person. There’s a palpable energy present that simply doesn’t transfer through any form of technology. But it’s an invaluable resource to be able to communicate and get work accomplished with another individual even when there’s no possible way to meet at the same time or in the same location.

     Exploring alternative forms of collaboration software for this week’s discussion is also a helpful assignment. There’s so much information out there about an abundance of products currently available; it’ll be great to get some feedback and recommendations.

Challenging

     I keep forgetting about posting on my classroom blog. With all of my other homework, life responsibilities, and updating the social media sites, blogging seems to have fallen onto the back burner.

     I feel particularly challenged in this class because the only computer I have to work on when I’m not on campus is my Mac. Blackboard Collaborate doesn’t seem to want to work on my laptop, and I don’t know if it’s a Canvas issue or a compatibility issue. But at least my laptop has a webcam built in, so I won’t have to check one out from the library if I can get the software and hardware to all work properly on my laptop.

     Not having class in the classroom threw me off also. I spent most of that time posting in Google+ and reading the article for our group discussion page and writing a discussion post. I was barely able to get everything done on time as I also spent a lot of time trying to upload Blackboard Collaborate on my laptop and figuring out how to use the headphones with a microphone.

     There’s so much to learn, and it feels like there’s information pouring in on me from several different directions at once. It’s a lot to take in. Maybe it wouldn’t be so bad if I weren’t also working approximately 40 hours a week in addition to going to school full-time. But, big dreams take a lot of hard work. No one said this path was going to be easy.

Blogging

     I began my first blog in December of 2009. At first, I just wanted a place to record a few aphorisms I had ingeniously invented. Then, I figured it would be a great place to store the poems and songs I’ve written as an online back-up to my flash drive. Now, I would really like to learn useful, free ways to advertise my blog so that once I begin an active writing and editing career, my blog will actually get viewed. This class will hopefully be advantageous to my future goals and aspirations as a writer.

     I have intentionally requested my in-class blog to be viewed by class members only because my blog is atrocious and my posts are rough draft forms. I certainly hope no one else reads this blog because I’m a much better writer when I take my time to write well and to edit the content than I am when I simply write free-flowing consciousness.

     I’m eager to read everyone else’s blog posts and to see how they have designed their pages. I don’t know how much I’ll have time for, but I’ll check out as many as I can. I think blogs are interesting and entertaining, and they can also be quite informative.

Google Docs is actually what I’m most eager to learn about. A lot of the students I tutor in the Learning Lab use Google Docs instead of Word, so it’ll be great to get more familiar with any differences there are between the two.

     I also apologize if there are any typos in these blog posts. As mentioned earlier, I am not editing them.

Articles

     I really liked the article Keats shared today about the options available on the EPA website: Social Media at EPA. It's important for everyone to be able to stay informed about environmental awareness and to be invited to participate in existing programs that help sustain the habitability of our planet.

     I also want to go back to the blog presented by Brianna, which presents the photography of Mark Graf: http://www.grafphoto.com/. His pictures are amazing, and his blog is more interactive and similar to a website, which is what I would like to emulate with my own blog.

     I’m feeling miserably sick today; I’ve been fighting off a flu bug for the past two weeks now. But I’m glad I came to class today anyway because I would not have wanted to miss out on all of the information that was shared here today about how social media is used in the business world and the various blogs that I would have never thought to have gone looking for on my own.

     I wasn’t particularly eager to share the articles and blogs I initially found in my search because my interests in editing and songwriting seem like they would not be relatable or engaging. I was a bit apprehensive about sharing the information from my assignment because these topics are very personal for me and close to my heart.

     The One Drive document sharing is also a new experience for me. Having everyone editing the same page at the same time is an interesting occurrence. It’s one of the most important things I’ve learned in class thus far because the work I plan to pursue once I finish this course requires the ability to edit and share information virtually.