My Reflective Post

I'm one of those shy ones in the english major that doesn't jump to contribute at every opportunity in class. Don't worry, it's not the teacher. I've always been that way in any class. Because of this though, I was very apprehensive at the start of the semester. With the weekly blog posts and Google+ posts, commenting, and sharing, I couldn't think of anything that put me more out of my comfort zone. This wasn't even intruding on my shy student personality, but also because I'm a pretty private person. When I used to Facebook all the time, I would never share anything. I always was fearful of some unknown person following my information. For me personally, it was a big deal that I was able to eventually embrace these course requirements. It was definitely hard to think of things to say on Google+ and blogs and blog comments, but it was extremely beneficial. I appreciate so much, the fact that we got to do a lot of collaborative learning in this course. The blog comments were helpful in developing ideas, editing, etc. They were also encouraging and allowed the class to become united and help one another.

I can honestly say that this course will leave a lasting impression on me after the semester is over! I was involved in social media growing up, but when I got home from my mission last year, I didn't find joy in getting back into it. I looked at it in such a negative way where I didn't appreciate what I was seeing from my peers, so I deactivated my social media accounts and absolutely loved not being plugged in to the internet in that regard.

With this class, I have reactivated those accounts and have successfully learned how to filter through pages of internet and social media to find what is beneficial for me. It's allowed me to do so much connecting with others. In addition to filtering, I really value the methods of researching that we were taught through curating and utilizing social media, social proof, etc. There are so many avenues that I always thought were "hands off" in academic research, but it has been so helpful and I've already used it in all of my other courses this semester. I used Springpad to curate research for my final paper, and it is overflowing with other notebook boards for other subjects unrelated to this class.

I really enjoyed following Brittany's focus on the DIY movement. I love Etsy, and it fascinates me to look at DIY in a business perspective and how that can lead to a profession. It makes me want to dig up my creative side and contribute to the DIY community.

The second half of the semester has been a huge focus for me on the subject of youth online. I narrowed it down to the literacy of youth with e-readers and books, but overall, it's been a great subject for me to focus on, because I will eventually apply what research I have gained for when I have children.

I have a new perspective of digital culture and everything that it contains. It's not just the internet and cool technological advancements. It's a whole system that allows people to grow and help each other grow through creative connecting. I definitely need to learn a lot more about digital culture, but I've gotten a pretty good start with ENG 326!