End of the Semester Post

With finals underway, and the end of the semester so close, it is only natural to wonder what you learned in the classes that you've been in for a few months.  I remember when Jamie Smith first convinced me to take this class- she walked into my room and told me this would be a great class to take for the semester.  I then signed up for DigiCiv, and have never had a class quite like this one.

I learned a lot from this class- not from lectures from the professors, but primarily through my own research and projects that led me to attain new knowledge.  Instead of being graded on a test, we are graded on learning- a really amazing idea.  I believe I learned as much from this class as from a normally structured class at BYU, and I was able to do it without the countless hours of worrying and studying for tests. This is what I learned:

1.  In the History department, I was able to learn a lot more about the 20th century and the cultural revolution, especially about the cultural revolution.  I researched a lot on American history as well, fascinated by the country that is our home.  Although the 20th century was a focus, I was not limited to learning about the 20th century.  Because of presentations in class, and the self-directed learning prospect, I was able to learn more about the 17th through the 21st centuries as well.  Here are some of my posts that reflect my learning on history:
20th Century America and Mao Zedong
Lincoln's Grasp of America
American Compromises
Coming All Together

2. For the Core Digital Concepts, I learned a great deal.  By reflecting on control, participation, information and openness, I began thinking of the digital world in a way that I have never thought of before.  I was intrigued a lot by openness, and wondered what was the perfect way to achieve both openness for America without leading to a state of chaos.  In a world today where participation is much more prevalent, nations are becoming less and less able to control the people when they have so much information and participation in their respective nation.  Where will this lead?  No one knows.  But I know I have posted about this stuff!
Information and Participation in the 20th Century: A Mystery!
Control and Participation: Inverses

3. In Digital Literacy, I have learned to follow the three basic components:

• Consume is where one gathers information from digital sources in order to attain quality information.  For me, I loved to just do the quick Google Search, and I still do, but I have learned to look more in websites that I previously would not have looked at.  I love to research digital concepts by going through my favorite news website, cnn.com, and check out their top news.  I also used the books for class in order to learn a great deal on information and the 20th century cultural revolution, both fascinating aspects to the world today.  I have been attempting to use more legitimate sources since I have been in this class- using more scholarly blogs and articles than before.  I t has been hard to not default on the traditional Wikipedia search, but I feel I have been relatively successful in this process.
  Sources for the Ebook
• Create is basically the proponent of Digital Literacy that is this entire blog!  I create my own ideas and put them down on paper(so to speak) for the world to see, all on this blog.  Not only have I been writing on this blog to share the questions and ideas that permeate my mind, but I have also used the create aspect in the digiciv book that we have created.  For the ebook, I was able to write about art's connection to technology today in the form of CGI graphics and advertisement, which has been an awesome opportunity for me to use valuable resources to write something intellectual and proper on my own.
• Connect is what makes this class special.  It is normal for a kid in class to consume and create in the form of research papers, essays, homework assignments, journals, etc.  However, the connect aspect of this class makes it truly special.  I have been using Google+ as well as this blog to share my ideas not only with this class, but also with my community.  I have been able to have a graphic design professor in Southern California read and respond to my work(though this is probably the most substantial connection)  Not only that, but my entire class can read this blog, and share their own ideas about it throughout the semester.  I have been able to also read other students' works and see their ideas and connections in comparison to mine.

4. Self-Directed Learning has also been a huge aspect of this class.  I was not used to the idea of self-directed learning when I first joined this class in January, but I am now quickly becoming fond of the concept.  I love to research concepts that are relevant to me, and then write about them in order to develop these ideas.  By writing on this blog and reflecting on online articles, I have been able to learn a great deal about technology's effect ont he world today.  I have learned about different concepts by using these articles I find online.
Control and Information Inverse Post in which I use the information of a CNN article to back me up
Not only this, but I have used Google+ to post many articles online which have helped develop my learning in the world of digital civilization.  Some of these articles are:
New York Times: Google Glasses
Using Technology to Stop a Locust Problem
MegaUpload's Creator in Custody for his Website
(I couldn't figure out how to link to specific Google+ posts, so here are the articles I used)

5. Collaboration was probably the most prominent in the class during the final project, in which about 7 students worked together for four weeks to create a vast collection of knowledge in the form of an ebook. It was great to be able to work with students who had the same aspirations and thoughts as I did about Art and Music. Together, we were able to successfully show how the Arts were affected by technology throughout the centuries.  By using a GoogleDoc, we were able to each put our own ideas, and then slowly form it to become one coherent message to the world:
Arts Collaboration
Not only was collaboration useful for the final project, but it was also useful in the smaller projects nearer to the middle of the semester.  By using Prezzi and collaborating in the library, I was able to create successful projects for both the 20th century and for the information group that presented.  Also by using Google Hangouts, I was successfully able to use technology to help projects and presentations when not everyone could meet together in the library.

This class has been a wonderful experience for me, and I am very glad that I took it.  Not only has this class opened my eyes to the digital revolution we live in now, it also helped me to become a much more effective learner.