First Class Reflection

My first Introduction to Multimedia class was nothing short of energetic, spontaneous, and engaging. I walked into the classroom anticipating the usual first class format where professors drone on about the course schedule and syllabus. I was not expecting, however, a professor that was able to keep my attention throughout the first class and teach me something relevant to our future coursework. We jumped right into using social networking like Facebook, Google +, and Twitter, connecting to our peers and Dr. Chris. We also learned how to set up our own blogs on blogger.com.

By working with my group, I learned that it can be difficult to coordinate and accomplish tasks in a group as efficiently as doing it individually. For example, I think our group needs to improve on recording our post-class video reflections in the future. Something positive I learned about working in my group was that we are all there to help each other. Whenever I fell behind or was confused about what was going on in class, I was able to turn to Amanda for help. This made me feel less anxious about the fast-paced nature of the class.

Individually, I learned about Google +, which I had never heard of before. I am still trying to get used to it but I am confident that by the end of the semester I will be able to master this new form of online social networking. This kind of individual growth is important because I hope to someday have a career in public relations and it is important to have a knowledge of new or upcoming technology in social networking.

I would describe my first impression of Dr. Chris as slightly overwhelmed, but in a good way! He kept the class fun and exciting by offering captivating anecdotes about his life and career throughout the lecture. I also appreciate how willingly Dr. Chris is to help students who are struggling with some of the technology. The class can be fast-paced, but Dr. Chris made sure we knew that the class was only as fast as the slowest student. This took a lot of the pressure off and allowed me to really explore sites like blogger.com and Google +.

I had a great time during the first class and am excited to see what's to come this semester!