When I chose this course I thought it sounded so different than the typical courses I have taken in the past four years. Imagining a class that centered around MySpace, Facebook, blogging, and online gaming was so refreshing because it was content that was both entertaining and educational. I want to be "in the know" regarding social networking and other areas of online, virtual worlds because that is the future.
My experience online consisted of searching on google (probably 10+ times daily), going on MySpace, Hotmail, PUC.edu, and occasionally playing simple online games, like Yahoo Spades. This class has introduced me to social bookmarking, which I knew nothing about, Flickr, "Second Life", and the terms "MUD", "MOO", and "MMORPG". I feel like I can legitamately say I am a digital native now.
I also enjoyed the discussion boards because we examined these virtual worlds for all of the purposes, not just entertainment. In particular, Facebook, MySpace, and role-playing games are used as networking sites to foster business relationships and help in training the military and pilots.
I felt our group project was very successful as well. It has not been officially "launched" yet, so I won't give it away, but I realized how simple it can be to create a virtual niche of my own through highly accessible (and free) websites.
My online role prior to this class was a participator. I would view other people's online photo albums, post replies to discussion boards, and use the basic features of MySpace and Facebook. During this class I learned not just to participate, but to create in online virtual worlds. Instead of viewing other's photos, I could compile my own album using Flickr. Or, I could create my very own blog on blogger.com, instead of just reading and commenting to other's blogs. I even help create something that will be valuable to many students long after this course is completed (group project).
I am not afraid of virtual worlds anymore. I used to feel overwhelmed and intimidated by anything other than simple researching, MySpace, email, or online card games. I now feel like I am part of the virtual world and will not be afraid to create new things online.
I am most satisfied with our group project. I felt it was a successful collaboration and something that will extend when this class is over. After we have posted our final projects, I will continue my final blog. I would first like to see the feedback from classmates. I learned a lot in this class, but mostly I have learned that there is a whole world of online tools out there for our entertainment and education, and I should not be afraid to explore these tools.
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Great final post - part one! I agree, I did learn quite a bit from this class. Exploring and being an active participant on several websites was a great educational tool. Although I may not have enjoyed everything, I still learned from the experience and have a new respect for the virtual world and its participants.
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