Wrapping Up

During the first couple of classes of Info 3.0, we were asked to write a few sentences about technological gadgets we use, how much we rely on them, and what we anticipate on gaining from the course. I was, and still am, a "crackberry" addict, as I cheekily noted, and will remain so for awhile. I still go on Facebook from time to time.

So many of my perspectives on information and technology have changed since the beginning of this semester. I tried to update my Twitter regularly before, when I first had it about a year ago. This class got my interest back into it, and now I have been tweeting regularly, as a distraction from Facebook. What we have learned goes so much more beyond that, however. We regularly used Wimba, which was a high-tech alternative to traditional chalkboard classroom practices. Our instructor could pull up web pages directly on our screens for us to follow along with. People who did not physically attend class could still get credit by meeting on Wimba.

Something that we briefly discussed but did not really get to use as a class was Second Life. It is pretty groundbreaking to have a program where you can meet virtually and do business with people in other parts of the world, all over the internet with your own avatar that you created.

Using an iTouch to conduct interviews is also an extremely useful tool. It's easy to do on the go, and whatever findings you make, you can immediately tweet, email, whatever. So much can be done with the iTouch or iPhone in general; even entire movies can be filmed!

I also learned a lot about how our class is different from the traditional style of teaching and learning. It was, in part, an experimental course. I think that more classrooms need to integrate the use of technology into their field of study. Digital information is very relevant to our day and age because everything is available instantly and at the click of a mouse; there is literally no time wasted waiting. But even with this advantage in mind, there is an equal expense; information gets out so quickly and easily that if something is incorrect, reversing the damage can be disastrous and near impossible. It really puts the pressure on journalists to perform quickly to get their story out first, and accurately so that all of the information put out is correct.

Mainly, what I gathered from this class was the plethora of ways in which our everyday devices like iPods, laptops, and phones can be used. It goes so much further beyond generic social media websites and email. In a few years, what we use today will be considered archaic and all-new technology will prevail. The most we can do to stay on top of this is to at least gain knowledge of what exists today, and guess at what direction it will be going in tomorrow.