Reflection

I still feel uncertain about my Digital Civilizations class. I do not feel like I have figured out for myself how to do well in the class. I think that it comes mostly from the fact that the class is very different from any that I have taken before. It focuses more on learning a set of skills versus learning a set of information. I enjoy the fact that we are expected to use the skills we are learning to proccess information. I feel that I learn more effectively when I use skills in a real situation rather than learn about them in theory.      

I enjoy making connections to information in this class with other things that I have learned outside of class. As I learn about historical movements and events I really enjoy the parallels that can be drawn between everything. I found it very interesting how many of Eric Raymond's and Dale Carnegie's ideas matched up. I also found it very interesting how the debate over capitalism continues today and how different capitalism is in each country. Overall I really enjoy how the class encourages me to bring in information that I have acquired outside of class and apply it to the things that we are learning in class. I feel like I am making the connections that the class hopes to inspire me to make.

Now to address the part of the class that deals with digital literacy. I do not feel like I am doing as well in this area as in making connections between historical content. I am learning lots about digital tools and how to use them but I think that this area is where most of my uneasiness comes from, because I feel that I am not learning enough of the digital skills and that I am not learning enough about the digital skills. I have made progress though. Using Diigo and Evernote have really helped me organize the way I search for information and then keep track of that information. I was able to use Facebook to connect with other cycling enthusiasts and attend Critical Mass. I have tried to search more blogs for information on topics and I actually found an interesting blog on newspapers and what is happening to them because of the internet. I think that the area that I lack most in is creating my own content that is meaningful to other people. I think that I am still much more of a consumer in the digital realm. I have improved greatly in connecting with people but I don't feel like I am contributing to the conversation in any significant way. 

So, to sum everything up, I feel like I am making the connections I should within historical content, but I still feel that I have more to learn to become digitally literate.