Introduction:

This class exposed me to a wide array of digital tools that greatly enhanced my learning and opened an entire new world of diversified digital skills. It helped me not just to improve my knowledge of the tools, but gave insights into my learning style and behavior as well. The reflection on the six most important resources that l took in this course.

1.interactive classroom

there was interactive technology and furniture, such as smartboards, revolving chairs, and adjustable seats. Such flexibility in seating and use of smartboards invited more interaction and collaboration. That is when I learned that interactive, dynamic physical space nurtures creativity and collaboration amongst students. While the technology and furniture promoted vibrancy, the constant change of chairs and screens during discussions usually caused distraction. This is due to the fact that the physical space is easily overflowing and may become overwhelming as much movement disrupts the discussion flow. This experience molded me to develop an approach in learning that became active and participative. It would seem that such settings for interactive classrooms are those that I would find more useful to be in for the future; it helped set the space for a participatory interactive experience to really happen. And that would definitely be something to hope for more in other classes at AUC.

2. Slack

Slack was new to me, it’s great for organizing your communication, creating topic channels, and real-time messaging. Slack is also good for group project management and peer-to-instructor conversations. Slack is very prone to causing distractions or information overload and it is not very good for extended discussions or elaborative project management. I came to learn that clarity and organization in communication are things I like. Also, I learned I need to be very cautious with notifications because it gets very distracting. I’m positive that the communication and organizational skills have developed a lot over Slack, and mainly in group work; then I learned how to avoid notification noise and keep all conversations organized.I would continue using Slack for team projects, mostly when communications need to go as swiftly and efficiently as possible. It’s something I would also use within a professional setting where the organization of communication is pertinent.

3. AI 

AI, especially ChatGPT, helped me in idea generation, paraphrasing, and enhancing the content in this semester. I have made use of it in paraphrasing scenarios for my game, and summarization of concepts. AI is good for automating a number of tasks, especially in idea generation, brainstorming, or summarizing huge chunks of text. In a manner of speaking, this might help the user. When considering depth analysis or nuanced decision-making. I also found it can “hallucinate” information, even produce information that’s completely made up or just plain wrong, by AI. Also, I learned how to use AI in an effective brainstorming session and yet stay alert not to use it for final output. I formed a more balanced view on AI. Now, I know how to prompt the AI effectively in order to use it to extend my productivity without depending on it. It will keep me responsible for using the facilities provided by AI tools, academically as well as professionally. I liked how fast and efficient AI was at generating ideas. However, what I did not like was how it often gave information that was irrelevant or even incorrect, which sucked in a lot of my time and energy in fact-checking and remaking. I would continue using AI in future courses or projects, but it would be in idea generation, or drafting. I think AI will just be a tool like google, it will provide you with more information but it will not replace human workers

4.blogpost

Blogging has been relatively new and quite a fresh experience for me. It drove me hard, though, not just to think of mere content, but layout and how accessible, and integration with the media might be there, too. A flexible platform along with options in customization helped in teaching consideration towards readers also. It is very good at publishing content, especially of a multimedia nature, in a very attractive manner. It also allows for great customization for layout and presentation. It is more suited to blogs and articles where the focus is on the content rather than the formatting. I learned how to make writing more accessible and appealing to a greater audience. I also gained more awareness about my reader’s experience. I liked the flexibility it allowed for integrating and customizing the content. I would absolutely use blogspot again for blogging. It is also something that I would use in other classes in the future when it involves public writing.

5. Zoom

Zoom was very helpful. It is great for virtual meetings, cross-cultural exchange, and collaboration when physical presence is just not possible. Also, breakout rooms and screen-sharing capabilities make it highly versatile, both in academic and professional circles. Longer sessions of Zoom bring on “Zoom fatigue,” and the subtlety of body language and non-verbal cues sometimes gets lost in virtual space. I liked the way it reached the globe, giving access to connect with many other cultures. I did not like being fatigued after long sessions with people nor making out their body expressions virtually. I see it helping me sometime in professional life as well as in the university in meetings, webinars, and conferences. Yes, I would continue using it for long-distance commuting.

6. Google Docs

Google Docs is very good for heavily text-based assignments. However, I realized that Google Docs is not the best fit for those visually heavy assignments since it allows very limited formatting. What using Google Docs has shown me this semester is that I like clarity and organization within my writings. I found myself being more into structuring the documents on how everything was neat, and easy to navigate through. This semester, what really developed was my organization in the documents, structuring it with headings, subheadings, and bullet points for better readability and not to have my work as jumbled. I would definitely use Google Docs in future courses or any professional context that involves collaborative writing. It is accessible, easy to use, and allows changes to be tracked, hence perfect for team-based projects. 

Conclusion

This course really developed my application of different digital tools, everything from simple communication and collaboration; how one could learn to apply in their academic and professional work. The course gave me further insight into understanding my learning preference, and it also enhances my ability to digitally collaborate. I will look forward to applying these competencies in further courses and in my career, where knowing the right tool sometimes makes all the difference toward success.