Hybrid Courses

     After researching different hybrid courses from other universities, I noticed that there are some similarities between what we do and what they do, however there are definitely some noticeable differences between universities. First off, I feel that our hybrid course provides us with an extension of our lectures and a springboard for our discussion sections. I feel that our online assignments correlate to the subjects talked about in lecture and our discussion section is a place to reflect on the topic of the week. When looking at the structure of other hybrid courses, I noticed that a big reason for the integration of online work is to get students out of the classroom. Teachers believed that there was too much unproductive time during class because the class times were too long. I feel that in our class, our online work is not designed to get out us out of the classroom, but designed to explore on our own the relevant topics and possible issues that we run into in today's society. LIS 201 would not be the same class as it is without the individual exploration provided by the hybrid style. The other courses I have seen that use this method uses it more as a ground to spend less time sitting in class, not as an extension of the class time.
     I think that this class has helped me develop as a person and as a active member in society that uses technology everyday. My ability to express myself through words during face-to-face interactions as well as through online mediums, such as the blog posts, developed skills that I never had to use before. It is very important to have experience in all areas of communication, especially as communication through technological platforms increase, and the hybrid style has allowed me to gain this experience. I also find it helpful and insightful to hear feedback through the eyes of people similar in age to me but with such diverse backgrounds and different points of view. By posting on the blog each week and receiving comments from other students, I have been provided with new thoughts that can lead to an extension of my previous thoughts or a completely new perspective on a given topic because of the thoughts of others. With constant weekly blog assignments, I have been exposed to a sector of technology that I have never encountered before. My skill set has seen an extraordinary boost from week one to where I am now. Although I feel that there are great benefits to having a lot of online work, I think that professors should act with caution because if they force online assignments too much or too fast, students may have a hard time keeping track of everything they have to do because we already spend so much time on our computers that the more time we spend on them can lead to forgetful students or a loss of communication between people because so much time is being spent on technology devices.
     Based on the lectures and readings we were assigned, I feel that they do give a nice perspective over topics that we do not really think about much or take for granted. We touch on topics that are real issues in today's society and others that could potentially be damaging if we do not consciously pay attention to what we do on a daily basis. Additionally, I feel that because the readings, for the most part, are relevant to our lives in some aspect, our interest level rises while reading because we feel as if we can actually take something away from it, rather than traditional textbook readings that are tough to get through and cannot be related back to our lives. I think that this class is able to have these readings and online assignments because the main topic of the class involves technology. With this main topic, each online assignment is ties in the class goal of becoming more aware of information technologies and the society technology produces.