Reflection

"By three methods we may learn wisdom: First, by reflection, which is noblest; Second, by imitation, which is easiest; and third by experience, which is the bitterest" -Confucius.

On the first day of class I was nervous when we discussed the form of the class. Just hearing the word technology is intimidating for me, let alone having to do all of my assignments through the web. When I came home that day I contemplated switching to a different UWP section, one that was "standard" in the way the class was constructed. Standard equals safe to me. I know what to expect in a typical English class: we read books and write essays on them, turning the final product in by hand. Deadlines are strict, and the syllabus is rigid. I decided that I was going to challenge myself by staying in this UWP class. It turns out that one can learn a lot about him/herself when placed in an uncomfortable situation. In the past 6 weeks of class I have gained a new way of thinking and have a new found respect for the technology that provides the different forms of mediums that so heavily influence our society.

Despite my initial hesitation, this system of blogging all of the assignments has proved to be a beneficial one. I feel more relaxed in this medium than I do in Word Document, allowing my words to flow more effortlessly. The smaller text box is not as daunting as the large, white, blank document in Word. The intended audience of blogs is much larger than writing solely for a teacher(as in tradition English classes, only the teacher reads your paper) which is a menacing concept. I realized this is just another style of writing and after I published my very first blog, the anticipation and my timidness seemed to disappear; despite the large audience, this form of media is anonymous which comforts me. 

I enjoyed the "close readings" that we performed in this class. While it causes me to constantly question every add I see and analyze seemingly easy, everyday things (thanks a lot Kara), I now understand the importance of having an acute observation concerning  the media  and what they are trying to sell us. For example, before this class I would have thought that the Blackberry add that we analyzed was just another convincing commercial, not even recognizing the deception and false advertising. 

I found most interesting our discussions about the real v. virtual. It is such a fascinating topic and maneuvering through Second Life helped explore this binary. Second Life also brought our textbook's definitions of ideology and identity to life. 

I now realize that the experimental form of this class, one in which I feared, actually allowed me to learn more than I ever would by simply handing in essays. It created an environment that was inviting and encouraged creativity in the way we thought about certain topics. I am glad that I did not take the easy way out and switch classes, it allowed me to grow as a person by experiencing something new that was not "safe". I'd say that this experiment was a success.