Lessons learnt from part 1....

After reading Alan's post on feedback from part 1 I thought I would post a few thoughts about everything we have done so far. I feel like I have already learnt so much and yet I've barely even started. I feel like I have just scratched the surface and I am realising there is so much more out there for me to learn about. Obviously with regards to this part of the module this is mainly about the use and development of web based technologies. I have never thought of myself as a particularly 'web smart' person and to be honest it wasn't a major interest of mine. I have now found that I have started using the computer and the Internet so much more and I feel much more involved.

At the campus session we discussed the pros and cons of web 2.0 and we developed our ideas through discussion, debate and presentations. After discussing all the pros and cons, which most people have blogged about, we came to the conclusion that the advantages far outweigh the disadvantages. There is a wealth of resources out there which we can use to advantage. Many of these tools, we don't even know about and evidently the web is ever expanding and developing and new things are being created all the time. This gives us even more reason to stay involved with new web 2.0 technologies as you never know what will come up next.

This led me to think about what actually will be next in terms of the Internet? As we have discovered, technology never stands still but what else can someone invent to help us even further? Surely the Internet will become even more efficient and some people suggest that it will be able to answer specific questions rather than giving a list of useful websites which contain certain key words. Has the Internet reached it's peak? It is perhaps a possibility that any further developments will saturate the Internet therefore leading it's efficiency to decrease. Maybe there will be a new invention altogether and the Internet will be forgotten. Somehow I don't think this will be the case! I think the Internet will expand further and the boundaries between creator and user will disappear even more with new technology. Is this necessarily a good thing? We discussed that it is not always beneficial to read everyone's comments and some people may upload factually incorrect information to sites such as wikipedia.

By having to upload my photos to flickr I have learnt a new skill completely. I didn't even know that flickr existed and now I know how to use it and how it can help me. It is definitely a useful tool in promoting yourself as a performer and is a great opportunity to show yourself in a variety of things and could lead to potential employment. Also, by having to upload my video to you tube I have again learnt something new. Now I have done it once I would definitely use it as a tool for self promotion and to share things with others or get feedback from people. It seems a great way to get un biased opinion through comments of people you don't know as sometimes friends and family can be biased and over complimentary.

I have even learnt a lot from simply completing the first task of setting up my blog and making my profile. This is something I would never have previously done but now I See that it is a great way of learning from other people, sharing thoughts and ideas and improving my networking and communication skills. I am glad that at the moment I have the time to check and update my blog but I fear that this may not be the case for too much longer as I seem to be taking on an ever increasing amount of things. However, I will endeavour to give it the time it needs and deserves as I have got a great sense of involvement at the moment which I do not want to lose.

It seems clear that I have already learnt so much from these few simple tasks so it is amazing to think what else is out there and what could be next. I am very much looking forward to the second part of the module.