Semester Reflection

Two months of constant online activity have alleviated my prior concerns regarding the strain a spring semester English option could create. When our class first started, I thought an entire semester riddled with constant writing assignments would become extremely time consuming and leave me with little remaining academic drive. This has most certainly not been the case after taking Writing in a Digital Context. This class has taught me several major things about the Internet and the importance of online communication.

The first thing learned through the course was how to create an online blog. I found this very helpful, as a blog is a great way to express one’s opinion, free from regulation, regarding any subject. Blogging can be done by anyone without budgetary constraints and accessed by audiences around the world. I personally loved the conversations our class had on controversial issues through the course blog. Commenting on other people’s blogs was mandatory and this provided an opportunity to hear from individuals who otherwise would remain silent. The diversity of opinions and expertise on issues ranging from online gender inequalities to online gaming seemed shockingly reflective.

I also learned how to use social media for the first time with Google+. Through the complaints of friends and family members, I had created a Facebook account years back but had never used it to any extent because I felt it was a waste of time. After this course, I now see the value of this medium as it allows for people to build connections at an incredible pace. By simply posting a few comments every week, one can communicate to 20+ people at on time. My blog entry on which I currently thought was the best boxer in the world spurred 11 comments on my Google+ post with people I would have otherwise never come into contact with.

The ability to distinguish between a credible online source and one that has a high possibility of being false was also very helpful. Class discussions on the freedom for anyone to post anything opened my eyes as to how unreliable information can be. For instance, our Wikipedia project showed how easy it was for someone to purposely post wrong information for others to see. My changes to Wikipedia, where I changed the names of major cities in China to my name, remained on the site for nearly a week. If I had changed population figures, those changes would be less noticeable and could have easily been taken as true by someone relying on Wikipedia as a credible source.

Although these topics were important, perhaps the most important class focus for me was the community’s assignment. It was refreshing to connect and have fun with other people who shared my hobbies without worrying about whether this interaction was time well spent. The mandatory component of this activity may have encouraged my initial participation within Fanpop.com, but the friendships I made will spur future involvement with this community.

This semester has been very refreshing, surprising to say about a spring course, while remaining academic in nature. I enjoyed learning a great deal of new skills that will be crucial to future success, as online activity increasingly shapes our society.