You know that guy in the office everyone goes to with their technology problems? You know, the one who never had a problem with the VCR blinking 12:00; the one who thought building a new computer out of old computer parts was a fun way to spend the weekend; the one who had a Palm Pilot before it was cool? I used to be that guy.
Even with the Web 2.0 Gold Rush in full swing, I thought I was fairly savvy on current technology - I have an FB account; I frequently use SMS/MMS; I am an iPhone addict; I can read 733t $p34k; I know what a blog is (and the etymology of the term), although I don't blog. Accordingly, I figured taking Dr. Dennen's Web 2.0 class would be a fun way to get a jump on the fall semester.
Well, here I am at the end of the first day and my head is spinning so fast that I may need to patent it as the first confirmed perpetual motion machine! Some random ruminations:
* Perhaps it is just my intent to be better engaged in the Bb dialog. Perhaps not. Either way, the volume of introductory postings today is astonishing.
* In the past couple of months I have been seriously challenged to step out of my comfort zone. For example, I don't sing. In May I found myself singing and performing as part of a rite of passage. Likewise, while I FB, I am leery of putting too much personal data out on the web. Even so, I am now (reluctantly) committing my personal thoughts to an electronic journal. Did I mention that I am not a fan of journals? *sigh*
* For so long now, I have enjoyed being on the cutting edge of technology. Am I slowing down now that 40 looms near? I never thought of myself as a curmudgeon...
Despite some hesitancy and misgivings, I am still enthusiastic about this course. As we progress through the class, I hope to share more of my thoughts on Web 2.0. While I am skeptical about embracing some of these technologies in the Social Medial realm, I am interested in how they can be useful tools in non-traditional instruction and in what used to be referred to as knowledge management.
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Kent, I think many people share your concerns about privacy and putting information online. I should mention that you are welcome to use a pseudonym on this blog, if you like. As long as I know who you are, that's all that matters. And you can delete it when the course is over, too.
ReplyDeleteAnd I agree with you about the volume of intro posts. I've never had so many in a course before! Most were 1 or 2 liners intended for a specific person (e.g. "nice to see you again") but WOW there was a lot of that! Of course, that brings us to the crux of a key Web 2.0 issue: how to filter. We should continue to explore this issue during the class.