Having class through Adobe Connect last week was such an interesting experience for me. I have used it once before in a class but I was never able to participate in the actual class because the meeting time was when I was working. So the only experience I had was being able to view slides and listen to what was discussed during the time slot because it had been recorded as a file. This was an all new experience to use it live so I was definitely excited to use the software.
Out of the entire session, the part that captured my eye was the whiteboard because I see that this could be used to take notes for meetings. I think this will be a great tool for when we are in the teams for this course, especially for students who live far away from each other and have to work on the projects together. I see this software's benefits.
The downside, the inability to see a person's facial expressions if they do not have a web camera. While people can use the microphones, I think you would still not be able to fully capture their reactions to things being said.
The discussion regarding integrated systems was an eye opener for me because while I have used the software Sirsi Dynix, I did not know exactly what was going on when I was a library assistant in the Circulation department at IU Northwest. Being able to look at it from the inside out in our discussion, helped me to realized what I had been doing all those years I worked at the Circulation Desk during my undergraduate years at the library.
I also learned just what exactly OPAC was. So many times I would hear people say "OPAC" this and "OPAC" that but I just never really knew what it was. To be quite honest I believed it was a database and not the entrance for the database. To find out that it was not an actual database was also an eye opener for me during our class discussion.
With regards to blogs and RSS, I used the feature before but seeing the actual coding for it, I did realize that the setup is that of a webpage. In the past when I used RSS, I was not sure if I was mistaken so reading that it is just that, my confidence was raised in that I guess all those years of making pages for the Electronic Reserves paid off a bit.
For me that is the stuff that sparks my interest. I wouldn't mind knowing more about coding because I like learning the backbones to how things work online. I like being able to see how if I add something, what is the finished product, you know? Call me a geek, but that is what I have always liked.
After reading a bit of the Oncourse assignment I realized that I am comfortable with change to an extent. I like change when I see that implementing a new method or technology makes my life easier. If something has more steps, I will admit I will put up a bit of a fight in accepting the change that is beginning at work.
I also enjoyed the Adobe Connect experience, although I wouldn't want to have class that way every week. It reminded me that only 4 years ago we were limited to audio streaming to catch up on a class lecture; of course, that depended upon the professor's interest in providing that technology. I enjoy technology when it makes my life easier, but many people misuse it just as they misuse other things. People talking on the phone or texting while they drive, stand in the checkout line, or while using a public bathroom. I don't want to hear conversations that were formerly private.
ReplyDeleteI'm glad that you were able to apply what we went over in class to your work life and make sense of things on a different level than before.
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