Looking back on the past 8 weeks, I am sure that I haven't been this interested in what I have been learning in a long time. The course was intensive from the perspective of really trying to invest myself in the products I was creating. I consider myself to be fairly good at navigating electronic tools, but I quickly realized that I wasn't a bonafied Web2.0 Tool user...
The process of learning to record, cut, & embed information into comprehensive blog posts was initially a rather tedious slow process. Because my desktop computer at work has so many firewalls in place, despite the notion of being able to work from anywhere, I just couldn't get different Web2.0 tools to fully function at work, so I had to do nearly all my homework on nights/weekends. I heard a lot of "are you playing on your computer again?" at home. It was probably a good thing in the end, because I had to install a number of sound/video free tools to be able to properly integrate things, so now my laptop is 'blinged out' with lots of tools for creating & embedding media on the internet.
The investment of my time in these projects, I believe, was a good investment. As the weeks passed, I gained proficiency working with the tools, and my projects became a little more comfortable to create. By the end, I was able to stretch a bit more on my final project without spending countless hours because I was much improved at navigating the tools I had and seeking out others relatively quickly. I feel confident that I can move forward using Web2.0 tools in my work activities, and share them with others. I also got better at just using my electronics for personal use, so hopefully my family & friends enjoy the pictures/videos that I have started creating & posting to my Facebook account more frequently :)
From the standpoint of future productivity, I am already using LiveBinders for work. I have taken my initial project from class for the tool review, and am expanding it to provide residents rotating on my service with a more comprehensive introduction to the rotation and resources for learning. I am planning to use Cacoo or another diagramming tool to help out with a user's instructional guide for a procedure we do at work. I am fairly new to my position as an Assistant Program Director, so I am not quite to the point yet of engaging in educational research. However, the research proposals made me think a great deal about integrating these things into my program.as I move forward with programming, I definitely think that utilizing the Web2.0 tools will enhance the program and I plan to study our results if possible to share with others.
In conclusion, much was gained & learned in this intensive semester of study, with much practical & useful application for future endeavors! Well worth the time & energy...now if I could just quit my day job & focus on playing with my computer, I would be a happier camper!
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