Feedback for Steve

I have to say that I've really enjoyed this class. I came in with lots of experience on some social software (blogging, Flickr) and none on others (pod- and vodcasting). There wasn't a week I didn't learn something new, even about services I was used to using. Working on all of these things over the course of the semester also showed how they interact with each other. I'm not an expert on everything, by any means, but I think I know enough about what we covered to help me keep up in the future. I've become a convert to Delicious, and look forward to playing around more with podcasting, vodcasting, and Second Life (among others). This class has also given me a greater appreciation for the various strengths and weaknesses of these applications when they are compared with each other.

There was a lot of homework, but I found that the structure was extremely helpful in terms of keeping up with the work. I didn't spend as much time as I would have liked checking out the library examples, but other than that, I think I got pretty much everything done (so far, that is; one blog post and the final project yet to complete after this). Holding this class as an online one is the right choice (and this on-campus commuter found it a relief to not have to drive to New Brunswick and back twice a week for a change).

The readings were good and often thought-provoking. Johnson, in particular, has really challenged my thinking on a number of fronts; I love that in a book. In the future, you might want to include a reading from Clay Shirky's terrific Here Comes Everybody. I know not everybody in class went for Brown and Duguid, but I enjoyed that book when I first read it on my own, and I think their point about what happens when human nature and technological hype collide with each other is very important to remember.

I'll conclude with what may (or may not be) an ironic note; I ended up "hanging out with" with my classmates in this virtual class more often than I did in my on-campus class this semester. I'm a shy person who often has troubles putting myself forward in person, but interacting with others online is often easier for me. I think being online with my classmates (whether working on a project, trying to troubleshoot a problem, or just chatting) was another really positive part of the class.

In a nutshell, thanks! :)