Thing 13: Reflection

I understood coming into this assignment that the idea was to expose me to new web gizmos and gadgets that could come in handy through the class and into the future.  While I had been aware of many of them, there was a good deal I had never heard of or used.  There were some frustrating points using some of the tools; I had to download some patches and such to get certain things to work and other sources failed to work entirely at times. Overall, I did have a good experience through this assignment though.

To me, the most useful tools were the thought and text organization sites.  Wordle and bubbl.us were helpful in creating mental maps and new angles and avenues into creative thought.  For someone like me who struggles to think and study traditionally, this was cool to me.  I'm always looking for new ways to organize my thoughts because I rely so much on my memory to plan out my schedule.  I will guarantee that I visit one of these two sites at least one more time in an attempt to memorize or solve a problem.

I also enjoyed reading the blogs and experiences of the 13 things by others in the class.  Some went above and beyond to create an attractive space that chronicled their findings.  I especially like the links made to previous classes that students like Angela included.  While many of the 'things' may have been frustrating in some way for each of us to accomplish, I think in some way or another, everyone found something to take away that will become valuable in the future.

Thing 12: Word Clouds

For some odd reason I was unable to link the cloud that I made to this blog... But I indeed made one outlining my frustrations.  I also made another one with my cover letter text included.  It was eerie how the enlarged words actually explained the basis of the letter, whether that was completely random or not.  Much like bubbl.us, this site is another interesting way to idea branch, brainstorm, and organize thought.

Thing 10: Creative Commons

Creative Commons is a very interesting concept. At first, before being given further info on the use of the site, I thought this site was a haven for amateur artists who thought of themselves too highly to let just anyone touch their work.  Instead it's a way to collaborate with the digital world in a controlled way that puts creatives alongside one another.  This collaborative effort slows down the vicious chew up, spit out, reposting monster that is the rest of the web, and allows people to truly evolve ideas from one another.  I like this idea gatekeeping.

Things 9: Google Reader

While Reader is slightly less clunky then Delicious, it still didn't really appeal to me.  I liked the grouping of all the media together; having blogs included with other sites and such.  I struggled to get any of the orange links to work for me.  I'm not quite sure if I ever got it right. 

Things 8: Social Bookmarking

http://www.delicious.com/jordanjamestaylor

The setup to Delicious seemed a bit old school to me.  I don't think I could ever see myself using this because I feel like search engine bookmarking tools do a good enough job for me already.  The network function is unique and may be useful between employees in a work atmosphere but I wouldn't think to use this recreationally.

Twitter: Thing 7

While I would not consider myself much of a Twitter fan, much like Angela, I do see its appeal.  You have the ability to focus on those you really care about and stay on a consistent, updated basis with them.  You also feel oddly connected to those you may not know.  It's a pipeline of information whether personal or not.

The ease of use makes it something all ages can use.  I would set my grandma up with Twitter way before I would try and fry her brain with Facebook.  Maybe someday we will keep in touch this way... Our periodical emails have trailed off...

Follow me at jjtaylor_89

Thing 6: Following Blogs

It is as important to comment on other blogs as it is to post things yourself.  Without feedback, what is the point of having blogs in the first place? Even if the response is negative, it is important for those putting themselves out there to experience the waves of their words.