A Sigh of Relief...

Finals are over! This semester was much busier than I expected. ITEC 830 was a great learning experience. I've always thought of myself as being 'tech savvy' but after this course in web 2.0 and all it has to offer, I feel like a tech newbie again. 15 weeks later, I am now blogging, creating wiki books for projects and learning about a bunch of other collaboration software. It's really cool.

The more I talk about these new technologies, my friends become more interested and suddenly I've got people buying me dim sum on Facebook!

I thought I had it all planned out...leave my post in corporate America, head back to school and get my MA in Education (quickly) and then re-enter the workforce to 'do training' somewhere. Pretty easy plan to execute.

1 year later, I am engaging in conversations on how to use web 2.0 technologies to solve common problems in the office, launching a social networking site for ITEC, designing and developing collaboration and wiki tools for a high school forensics team and...the list goes on.

The doors are wide open...and as I said after completing my undergrad degree, "the future is bright, so I gotta wear my shades!"

I had a blast with my colleagues in all my classes. This summer will be busy with projects, a consulting gig and an internship. So I wish everyone a great summer break and see y'all on campus in the fall!

And...
Don't forget to sign-up on myITEC!

Just 2 Weeks to Go!

This week we discussed our experiences at the Web 2.0 Expo. While Jing was the highlight of my visit, I was excited to learn about Octopz. I've collaborating with other Flash students and the instructor using email and chat to troubleshoot issues with our projects when not in class. How great would it be if we could use this application to further enhance our collaboration? Thanks Gigi!

We also had a course wrap-up. I can hardly believe the semester is almost over?! Just think 12 short weeks ago we were just beginning adventure into Web 2.0! And now we're all "experts" on innovative technology. As Kim mentioned, it is up to us, as Instructional Technologists, to figure out how we will use these tools to enable meaningful, collaborative, educational experiences.

I remember when I first started my career in IT, I always said I sat at the corner of business and technology. I solved business issues with technology enablers. Well now the same could be said with my newly acquired knowledge in web 2.0. It's exciting really.

With 2 weeks to go...we still have to finish the proposal and get the ITEC social networking site working. So back to the laptop I go!