reflective blog #6

This past week, we had the pleasure of watching "Myspace the Movie" in com 301 class. This is the first time I had ever seen the homemade flick on youtube. The movie was pretty well produced and made for some good laughs and most importantly, it kind of put everything into perspective. Stopping to think about myspace, facebook, and other social networks, they have become a significant part of our lives even on a daily basis. Since coming to college, I have an obsession with checking my email everyday mainly because it is a vital part of communication with faculty, friends, and family. However, I (along with many others im sure) also seem to obsess over checking my myspace and facebook accounts. I think the main reason deals with what we discussed in a recent reading which is identity. We want to make sure our facebooks and myspaces are up to date and accurate because they represent us in a way. If we are not in touch with these social networks, how can we be in touch with ourselves considering social networks are a part of ourselves?

reflective blog #5

With the short week, there isnt a whole lot that comes to mind for me to blog about. We only read one chapter during the week and it dealt with ethics of the internet. One thing that stuck out to me in that chapter was how so many parts of the world do not have access to the world wide web. I mean, isnt that why we call it the "world wide web?" Everyone in the world needs to be connected so we can all communicate with one another. I cant even survive one day without accessing the internet, I dont know how some people have never and will never be able to use the web. Imagine if everyone in the world had access to the internet and how great it would be if we could communicate with people from all cultures throughout the world. Wouldnt that be cool? I think it would result in better understanding of one another's cultural beliefs and could lead to less conflict between cultures and countries.

-Chris

reflective blog #4

It was pretty nice not having class at all this week. I figured that this online class thing would be pretty simple and straight-forward and that I would like it alot. However, I found it to be somewhat of a hassle. To me, when I come to class, I know exactly what the professor is expecting from me for an assignment. I can easily ask questions and get immediate answers. Also, I can easily communicate with my group members before, during, or after class fairly easily. With the online class, if I sat down to work on an assignment during a particular time of day but had a question for Mr. Corso or another group member, I would most likely have to wait for an answer. Why? Because I cant expect Mr Corso to respond to an email instantly or expect a class mate or group member to respond to a question right away via IM, text, or email. This could pose a problem because much like everyone else, I have a busy schedule and find it difficult to find time to sit down and work on online assignments. Therefore, when I finally do sit down, I need to have all the required info and dont have time to wait around for answers from others. Also, I found it difficult to keep up with my online work because without a daily reminder from my professor or group members, I tend to forget and take for granted an important upcoming assignment. Overall, I felt it was a good experience to see how online learning takes place. Of course it was nice not having to go to class each day but I feel more comfortable and productive with an in-class learning experience.