As the class began, I felt very overwhelmed and even lost at times. I had assumed the class would be an easy course in computer science or introductory lessons on how to use PowerPoint and other Microsoft Office programs. Instead, I learned the importance of Information Technology in everyday use as well as in the Public Administration field.
While I may forget many of the terms discussed in the third week of class such as FTP, TTL, SMTP etc., other IT actions have already stuck with me. We learned how to subscribe to website’s RSS and I now use my Google Reader everyday. We learned about mass collaboration and crowd surfing and I now value sites such as YouTube and Wikipedia even more. Again, I have begun to use Wikipedia daily. It has even become a part of my search engine.
In addition to teaching me these new internet skills, the class has also showed me how IT relates to Public Administration. While I am currently unsure of my concentration or where I want to work in the future, the class projects showed that regardless of the field, IT can be useful. The presentations were great because it showed how a simple business case could be applied to an array of different fields. My group dedicated our project to the education field and an e-grading system and I think it was apparent how useful an IT program could be to schools, teachers, and parents and families.
Overall, I think there were two main lessons I learned from this class.
1. The importance of using IT in a responsible and educated way. One of the big topics from the course was in regards to safety on the Internet and the risks associated with social networking sites. While I think Internet safety will always be an issue, the class stressed that if used in an appropriate way, the internet does not pose any more of a threat than a robbery or identify theft from someone physically stealing your wallet. Professor Sine did a great job showing how programs such as twitter and LinkedIn could be professionally beneficial. While I may not become an avid twitter member anytime soon, seeing how professionals utilized the sight in a responsible and educated way increased my appreciation and understanding of the program.
After taking this class, I believe IT classes should be more widespread and mandatory for high school students, college students and even professionals. Like previously stated in my blogs, IT programs like social networking pages and blogs etc. have become such an important part of our lives. This means that everyone should be taught how to use them in an educated and responsible way. Being educated about the programs would help dismiss a lot of the fear surrounding the safety of these websites because people would use them more responsibly.
2. The responsibility of businesses and individuals to build their IT skills indefinitely. Like previously stated, the class projects showed how all fields can utilize Information Technology. This means that no profession, field, or person can be excused for not understanding IT. This also applies to me. I must keep my IT skills up to date in order to be competitive and successful in the workforce. Before the class began, I thought I had a good understanding of IT and an adequate amount of computer skills. The class showed me otherwise. The class showed how IT innovation continues to grow everyday and it is my responsibility to learn and understand each new technology.
Ultimately, I believe this lesson relates back to some of the points in Carr’s article. IT has become more standardized, accessible, and cheaper for everyone so it is not necessarily the IT that can provide an advantage but rather the innovative business practices applied to the new IT. By each individual building their own IT skills, these innovative businesses practices can not only be applied but also be more efficient and effective than ever.
Overall, I want to thank Professor Sine for the all the IT skills and information she taught me. While the class was very fast paced and only lasted 5 weeks, it was one of the most informational and interesting classes I’ve taken throughout my educational career.
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