At the end of any experience, I believe it is very beneficial for a person to reflect on their journey. This particular trek through technological intellectualism demanded a lot of diligence and sacrafice. However, along with the rigors of this class came informational enlightenment. There were specific lessons that I can apply to my everyday life, along with knowledge that is simply interesting to know.
One specific lesson that has helped me in my everyday life would be the classroom discussion and research on virus protection. I always operated under the assumption that good virus protection needed to cost money. It wasn't until last week's class that Dr. Sklar informed me of the opposite. From a personal standpoint I was able to help my parents, who bought a computer last week, realize that a free virus protection system would be just as proficient as an expensive one. Another concept that had an impact on my life was that of the alternate operating system. After playing around with the Linux operating system, I've come to use it periodically to surf the web. Just last weekend I used my pen drive to boot up Linux in order to utilize, what I deem as a quicker OS.
As far as knowledge for knowledge's sake is concerned, there have been several topics that have been of interest to me. One topic in particular was the component research project. As I was assigned the CPU, I was a little worried how things would work out. However, as my research progressed I found myself becoming more and more interested in the topic. A specific personal example of this would be how I learned the utmost importance of the microprocessor, the translator between all of the software and components of a PC. Another fascinating piece of information was the entire "Triumph of the Nerds" series. I thoroughly enjoyed this series, gaining a perspective of who the early players in the PC game were. I'm not sure where I'll use the background knowledge of the origins of the home computer, but it never hurts to learn something new.
Whether it's learning something I can immediately apply, or simply becoming better educated in a previously uncharted territory; this class was effective. I enjoyed the coursework, along with the company of my peers and professor. I am certainly better off for having taken this class.
Like you I also feel better off for taking this course. You summarized your experiences well and gave some great insight. I also feel that I have learned a lot and can be a better consumer of technology and better teacher. More that half of my school is on free and reduced lunch, it’s nice to know that I can help them to find cheap or free ways be protected on the computer, this could really make a big difference.
ReplyDelete