WEEK TWELVE - THE FINAL CHAPTER - REFLECTION

In semester two we were given the option of which module we wanted to take; Project Management or Business Web Innovation. Having previously worked in a Project Management role and having completed a similar module in College I was encouraged to participate in the Business Web Innovation. The first lecture was an introduction to how the web is changing, highlighting features and applications available which we were to cover in the upcoming lectures. At this point we were introduced to Cook (2008) Social Software technology framework classifying social software as the 4 C’s – Connection, Collaboration, Communication and Co-operation. This was a great way of reflecting each week’s topic and where it fitted into the framework which showed relevance to the individual topics.

Each lecture covered a different topic such as Blogs, Collaborative Writing, Media Sharing and so on which was followed by a Lab Class or Seminar. My blog has discussed each topic thoroughly and reflected on the good, the bad and the ugly!  Lecture notes provided were thorough and it would have been easy to base my blog on the notes alone however I was so interested in the topics that I felt the need to research further and learn more. I apologise for the lengthy blogs however I was truly surprised by my own motivation, amount, varied content and availability of knowledge to talk about in my blog. In reflection in my first week I wanted to blog about the whole course, every module – how naive was I? Really glad that Alexis had narrowed the blog to just the Business Web Innovation Module.

THE BEST BITS

• The boost to my confidence - I felt I took a risk in trying to write a blog which was fun and informative. This seemed to have paid off as the comments have been positive and the traffic to the site has received high numbers, from as far as Germany and USA!

• Learning new things – Each week I chose to research the topic further which gave me a thorough understanding, opening my mind to deeper interpretation (may have been assisted by reading the post of followers in certain blogs) as it allowed me to see two sides of an argument.

• Making a difference – E-Activity 2 surprised me as I was given a company, City of Glasgow College, to report on. I thought I could have done a better job choosing a company on my own however I was wrong. The College have read my report and are implementing some of my suggestions – I amaze myself! LOOK HERE 'Do you use @LinkedIn? Come on over and join our followers' was my suggestion!
• Usage in other modules - certain aspects of this module have become helpful in other modules such as Media Sharing, Social Bookmarking and Tagging which I used in most modules. This would also come in useful with the dissertation in fourth year as it would allow the reader to stay up-to-date with certain information.

THE BAD BITS

• Viewing to the world wide web – this wasn’t something I thought about at the beginning but the content has been open to everyone and I feel that perhaps it could have been made private with select people invited to read. It is after all an assessment however the fact that so many people read my blog has boosted my confidence so there are two sides to that argument. Had I thought about this a bit more I may have had stage fright!

• Group work – my own personal opinion is that group work in class is difficult to manage and isn’t a true reflection of a work environment. Yes I think it’s an important aspect to consider within the course but think it is unfair to assess group work, based on my experience.

Overall I’ve really enjoyed this module. The content is interesting with relevant activities and thorough notes/handouts/handbook provided. It has taught me new thinks or even just put a name to features and applications I was currently using. The workload seemed heavy for the marks awarded to it however this was perhaps my own fault as I wanted to research topics further and write a comprehensive blog or complete tasks to a high standard. Now who would have thought that in the beginning I thought it would be difficult to find something interesting to blog about!

Reaching the end of the course I have been highlighted to where the Web has come from, how it has progressed and that there is a definate future. This would suggest to me that whatever I do in the future, in terms of further study or employment, that the Web will form part of what I do. The course has provided me with the knowledge and confidence to participate in many of the applications available. Just need to wait for the title of - Social Media Rockstar!!