Proof of Learning Week 4

I am going to take the chance with m final POL blog to share some thoughts on the course overall as well as my research project.

Week 4 was nothing but research. It actually took me far longer than I thought it would to sit down and get people together for interviews. Two of my interviewees did very well and had great answers to my questions. I ended using both of their interviews as the case studies in my research project. They had very clear and well formulated opinions about what I was going to ask them and it was clear they took the time to think about my questions before the time of the interview. Their preparedness really made my job easy. Sadly another interviewee I wanted to use was not nearly as prepared. She gave very short answers without a lot of useable data for my research. Since I was seeking opinion from these people and a short glismp of their life stories over the past few years these short answers did not go well.

I ended up using MS word in away I have never used it before. I created a document with picture media. While the interface was simple enough to pick up on it actually took me sometime to get things just the way I wanted them with different types of word wrapping. Cropping the images actually ended up being far easier to do in MS word than using MS paint first then importing an already cropped image. The most challenging part of that was locating the button which would allow me to crop an image.

This course was overall rather challenging now that I reflect upon it as a whole. While on the first day I felt very overwhelmed by everything, I quickly caught on. But in week three I started to become lost again and wasn't exactly sure what to do anymore. Of course week three wasn't made any easier by having to play catch up in mid-week, but I couldn't exactly place my finger on why I felt lost in the 3rd week, and thus couldn't really think up any good questions. The research project part of the course I found be entertaining more than anything. I allowed the people whom I interviewed to see the document before I submitted it and each said it peaked their interests into perhaps looking into their own ideas about their online communities and caused them to think critically about their own situations. I found it strangely satisfying that my interviews perked their curiosity enough to do research of their own.

Proof of Learning Week 3

This week started off very hetic for me. I started it by coming back from a trip late and mostly out of contact with the internet. So I spent Thursday and Friday catching up on my two online classes. A little overwhelming but I am almost finished as of writing this blog.
Research has been the focus of this week. While I have chosen a tradition media to present my project, I am doing things I have never really done before such as interviews. I am not sure how this will turn out, but so far I've actually managed to peek the interest of those I've asked to do an interview with me. Hopefully they will all follow through and be able to make time for it. I've chosen to focus on something for my research that I've talked about at length on the discussion forums: The positive social relations and the construction of online communities. I've chosen to look at one that I use to be heavily involved with the revolves around a game called Eve Online.
I found many of the topics for the reading this week to be sadly boring. The article on Ezines was perhaps the most interesting, but only from the perspective that I am using it as a basis to point the rapid evolution of online communities. This website is an interesting example I've found. While not complete, it shows a rough outline of progression.

Proof of Learning Week 2

For the second week I tried to more actively engage other classmates and change my posting style. While I achieved a great deal of success I believe with my initial posts in generating questions for people to think about and reply too, my follow up posts were very impersonal and sometimes confrontational. Instead for the second week I attempted to take a few small steps that I will continue to build on as the course moves forward. Firstly, I started using peoples names when I replied to them, as that creates since of familiarity and comfort for many people. I noticed many others doing the same and would reply to me starting with my name on the discussion board as they addressed me directly. I focused heavily on trying to not confront people, but more ask them questions and invite them to respond much as I would do with my first posting of the daily discussion.

Secondly, I attempted to really get more involved in some discussion. I don't feel I was able to really catch interest in running a long debate with someone yet. I either strong agree with most of our posters or only slightly disagree with others. I tend to a heavy debater, but I need a strong counter-argument to get that part of my brain going.

Note taking in Sparklix I am finding clunky and odd. I usually take very sparse notes in class and work for reading later that will allow me to expand on idea in a few bullet points. While I am aware there is no requirements for what I take in these notes, I can't help but feel as though my notes will seem as though I did not put much effort into them.

Overall I feel as though I am doing well. But if I had to pick one Genre in which I do not feel comfortable it would be this blog itself. While I do actually maintain a blog elsewhere on the web, it is a private blog viewable only to closed online community and contains a great deal of personal day to day information. This blog is a different beast all together. I look at it as a professional but public work. This is a field I'll have to work on as I'm not exactly sure yet what to do with this genre and I am hoping for some additional feedback.

Topics Close to Home

I was forced this week to think critically about many subjects pertaining to something I spend a great deal of time invested in, mainly Online Communities and how they effect people. I would be lying if I said I've never given this subject much thought.

What was the most interesting for me was seeing how other people, especially those who know little about this subject, or those who's experience is limited to simple social networking sites view the topic. I've gotten to discuss this before at length with people who share similar views and experiences as I, but never have I been exposed to so many at once whom have never partaken in one of these communities.

I'm looking forward to seeing what more people have to say and reflecting on it as the class goes on.

I did not have any difficulties accessing any of the information, and I hope I helped a few people out who were having trouble, especially with Friday's reading as it was not as straight forward to access as some of the others.