Final Thoughts on Technology

            Until this semester, all of my courses at Yavapai College had been online. This class, however, has far exceeded the others in the use of technology as a communication tool. In comparing online learning to my other in-class courses, I have found no real difference in the amount of learning or effort necessary between in-class and online courses. I do however enjoy online as it gives the student and the teacher an incredible amount of flexibility in submitting and grading assignments.

            One of the benefits of taking an English class online is the amount of various resources available to present ideas. Handing in a paper limits a student to the words on the paper. Assignments turned in over the internet can make use of video, presentations, posters, images, and so much more. The English language, as with any language, is a means of communication. An English class is meant to help students to better communicate through writing, but also through the new forms of communication available.

            Blogger was definitely the most used technology. Its user friendly interface and posting were a great help to me. I also enjoyed the manner in which it archived the posts for later viewing. This was immensely helpful when trying to retrieve an old post. Of all the internet resources used, though, I would say the Prezi was my favorite. It gave the presentation an interactive feel while still providing easy use. The way in which you could enlarge or shrink words, pictures, and shapes gave the presentation more personality than a regular blog post.

            All of the skills I learned in this class, including my technology skills, will be helpful to me in the future. Blogging, presentations, video blogs, and writing in general will all help me to be a better communicator. Blogs and vlogs are useful because they remain in an archive for people to later go back and reread (or watch) your post. Presentations will provide a dynamic way of sharing my message with others, be it in the same room or over miles via the internet. In short, nothing compares to the advances we have made in technology. Not to use them will be a great mistake.


Farewell God knows when we shall meet again..- Shakespeare
J. McNerney addendum "hopefully sooner than later!"
 Finally, a song on the transiency of life........
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YISE0wk9XbY&feature=autoplay&list=PL819505D7D157BDD2&lf=plpp_play_all&playnext=1&shuffle=15067