Reflections...

There's so much to say, so I am just going to try to take it one step at a time.  The amount of immersion into the web thus far as impressed me.  We really are getting our feet wet in a lot of areas.  I am learning a lot.  I have been trying to keep track of all of the accounts I have created over the past few weeks for all of my courses and the number rings in around fifteen or so.  This course has a different setup than my other classes, which are more project based.  I like that style.  But, it isn't very applicable to this course.  If there is anything that this course has taught me thus far it is that the Internet is a vast universe and if we are serious about immersing ourselves into that world then we are going to have to do a lot of little things.  The great thing about it is that as we become more deeply rooted in the course we also discover more tools that enable us to handle everything more efficiently. So, the course set up really complements the material very well.

The videos and articles that we have reviewed have been extremely informative.  I have really enjoyed learning from D.I.'s resources.  Second Life is a new experience.  Unfortunately, I don't think that I will have the time (at least not now) to really immerse myself in that world and do everything I would like to.  It will have to wait until this course load is over and I have a little more time.  I really do think that virtual worlds such as Second Life are going to be the new Web 3.0.  Virtual reality is becoming a reality that will be here soon.  Real life immersion into video gaming software will be the first type (like the Wii).  This will lead to virtual reality in gaming, which will eventually make its way into the Internet, beginning with applications like Second Life.  At least, that's how I see it happening :)


I have also discovered a lot of tools to use in my personal life, such as blogging, doing videos on YouTube, etc...My brother and I are planning to start an online ministry utilizing our own web site, YouTube, Blogger (click for my profiles) Facebook and any other resources that come along in the mean time.  This course has introduced me to a lot of tools that I can take advantage of when working on this personal project.

My only negative comment about the class is the inconsistency on things like peer rating.  Even when I do peer rate, Moodle doesn't save the fact that you have rated something already, so I have actually rated the same thing more than once. It's hard to keep track of...I wonder if we could change the options in Moodle to only allow us to rate once (hint, hint, D.I.) :) 

All in all, I really enjoy the class.  I can't wait for us to dive into learning some of the Web 2.0 tools like Prezi.  We put together a pretty sweet list and I am itching to get started.  The Google group was a nice idea for the General Discussion Forum.  Replying by email does make it easier sometimes, especially when using a mobile device.  Also, it gives us a place to file-share and share photos (especially of Alana's new baby), as well as links, etc... Well, those are all of the comments I have for now.  Take care, everybody!