Gap Analysis

Initially my objectives for my Web 2.0/Social Media course were as follows:

-Identify ways to use web 2.0 tools/resources in an academic environment, professional environment, and for independent projects.
-Develop strategies to use web 2.0 in education.
-Create a range of "products" demonstrating my ability to use various web 2.0 tools.
-Collaborate and create

Now almost 3/4 of the way through the course, the question is..... Have I met my objectives? In a way that is a loaded question. I have met most of my objectives. Yet there are some that I wouldn't feel comfortable saying with 100% conviction that I have met them. And that is okay since there is still a good portion of the course left. We are in the process of identifying and completing projects. So there will be group, team, and individual projects. Within each of those projects there is some flexibility so that I can tailor my project to meet my individual objectives.

One of the unique features about this course is that the students participated in establishing the course objectives. I believe that D.I already had a set of objectives, but he was also allowing us to be active participants in the development of the course. There have been pro's and con's to that approach. I had a few objectives that I contributed, but there were others that came up with objectives that I have adopted.

Collectively I would say that it has been quite an experience so far. Aside from being a student and learning about different web 2.0 tools, I have some real world experience. Those experiences include how to establish, organize, and collaborate on projects with people over the web. I have effectively done this before, but there was something uniquely different involved in this course. First off, there are more people involved. Secondly, there have been several projects and ideas being juggled around at once. Then there has been this challenge to organize all the different sources of communication to understand the flow/exchange of ideas. Since there are several sources to check for updates from classmates and instructor I had to adapt. I couldn't just check one place and know what was going on. Since the idea of the course was to set up accounts and have experience using different web 2.0 and communication tools-we did just that. In turn I have more accounts to check... I feel like I have a better grip and method to handle the miriad of communication between all of us. I don't think it could have been something I could learn just by reading about a specific technique. I had to try several til I found a method that worked for me. It also helps that I have a Droid phone so I can access the web on-the-go.