#comm309

Dear future communication learners, majors, and 309 students:

 I am writing this to give some knowledge regarding communication. Whether it’s learning about communication just for fun, considering it to be a major choice, or even about class 309 I am currently taking specifically. Here are some things I have learned from this class.

 Online classes have pros and cons to them but when the professor finds a way to make it interactive and engaging with other students, it can become a self-motivator to help stay on track. If you’re a part of the social media game, you probably use a variety of social networks. We use communication on a wide variety of social platforms to stay connected with people we are close to or from all around the world. We have the capability of doing all of that because of communication with the help of the developers of course. This class should be fun and easy to follow along with because if you like being on the computer and using social media, you’ll get the hang of it quickly.

 Here’s why:

  I’m not usually the one who likes to take online class but my major and this class helped change my perspective. If you’re like me and love social media or like to find new social apps this class is for you. The professor has you download and app called ‘Slack’ and if your gamer, it’s similar to Discord. This app was a cool way to use as a discussion board and be more engaging with our fellow classmates. Also, if we need to ask questions to the professor, you can send a message with them directly like any other social media app. The channels for discussion are used by a hashtag to create a chatroom as described by the person who thought of the idea. There are many things you can do with the app for class related or personal reasons. It even allows you to connect other apps to a certain channel such as Twitter. The first day of the class I was really excited to use this app not just because we were using social media to stay connected with the professor or our colleagues. It was because the professor incorporated something that we are used to having in our daily lives into our studies. This includes us having to use Tumblr as well, as you can tell. How could you say no to taking this class?

 We also go to use and learn creative sites as well. For mini projects so far, we created memes and timelines using websites and programs I haven’t heard of before taking this class. The website we used for the timeline was really interesting and it could be useful to use for other classes in middle school and high school as well if there’s future teachers who are reading this. It’s called ‘Sutori’ and it’s a way to tell your own story. It also has interactive features that can be added for each user to have such as linking sites, polls, questions, etc.

 Another app I had never heard of was Adobe Spark. I was surprised I had never heard of it because I am a frequent user of a lot of Adobe products. We used this specific platform to create memes for another class project and I am now using it outside of the class. That’s what made this class really fun and engaging to me. Sure, we have reading and quizzes to do but that’s just because you have to. It’s a small part of the class that can be done right away if you’re not a procrastinator. I’m a big procrastinator and I was surprised how I was able to keep up with the class and get everything done before the due date. Sure, this isn’t a social media app, but it can be used for social media and that’s what I think is cool. The professor thought about how she could make this class online fun to learn together with our classmates as I mentioned before.

 My third favorite part about the class was doing the study guide. It was interactive and a great way to print out as a second set of notes. If you’re a visual learner, you’d understand why I like this feature. The study guide is a separate link provided by ‘SoftChalk’ and monitors if you actually did the study guide rather than skipping to the submit button. For us visual learners, videos are always a great tool to have when learning something new. Having a study guide with videos made it twice as fun to learn about communication and how we are all socially connected. If you’re an audio learner it can be useful to you as well buy listening to the podcasts that are provided for each chapter or having your computer read the text to you. This was all done by the process of e-learning (distance learning).

 As a mass communication major, everything I learned in this class will definitely be used outside of my class, in my own life for my career and personal use. Media is a big part of my life and if it’s part of yours, they can be useful to you as well. I can go on and on about this class and learning about communication is fun but it would be better if you just add that class to your shopping cart and enroll. You’ll see what I mean.

 What are you waiting for? Go communicate with your colleague’s!

Dear future Digital Media and Communication (COMM 309) student,

If you are planning on taking this course or you have already registered, then you must have already read the course description. If not, then the course title should give you an insight to the course dynamic -- the title is extremely accurate to the course content: again, digital media and communication. Throughout the quarter, you will be learning about the growing revolution of communicating through the internet, digital media, and other forms of applied sciences that morph the idea of socialization and technology together.

Also, keep in mind that this course will require several hours of your time to complete assignments, quizzes, and discussion board posts. COMM 309 is more than just a midterm and a final.

The most important idea that we covered during the course was the concept of being “superconnected.” According to Mary Chayko, author of the textbook, Superconnected: The Internet, Digital Media, and Techno-Social Life, the term “superconnected” refers to being “connected to so many others, in so many ways, with such wide-ranging social implications” (2016). You can find complementary podcasts to each chapter by Mary Chayko herself here. This course will teach you the history, importance, and the future of technology and the way we communicate with one another. Though the idea of being “superconnected” is the core of the class, I will not go into full detail of its relevance or why it should be applied to your life. Instead, I will shed light to a different, yet equally important, concept: diffusion of innovation.

Though diffusion of innovation may seem like a fancy term, diffusion of innovation simply means how “information and technology is spread throughout societies” (Chayko, 2016, p. 8). It is fairly simple -- every innovation needs to begin somewhere and someone needs to start it. After a new form of technology or innovation is finally put out there, the public is needed to provide support and feedback, but first, they need to be adapted to these innovations. However, there are different types of adapters and it depends on them on how they react and receive the new media. Nevertheless, diffusion of innovation is required so technology and communication can keep revolutionizing the world simultaneously. Here is a fun and informative video about diffusion of innovation.

But why is this concept important or relatable, and why do we need to learn about it? Well, WE are the adapters. It is up to us where, how, and why innovations take the route they take -- why we make them popular and successful or why they crash down. As almost all of us know, our society is highly dependent on technology. Here, you can find information and statistics of the growing number of data users in the United States.

It has become difficult for us not to communicate using some form of digital media technology. Most importantly, it is almost impossible to predict where diffusion of innovation is taking us. The revolution of technology and digital media erupted mainly in the 1990s, our generation, yet future innovations are highly unpredictable. Here is an short 20-minute documentary on the history of digital media.

     Do you want to take a fun course that allows you to use your creativity and experiences to get a grade? I mean, come on! How much easier can it be when all you have to do is read a few chapters, take 10 question quizzes, communicate with peers, have an opinion and be creative? This course is not like other online courses. Just reading and writing an essay or posting about what you think can be boring. COMM 309 will allow you to reflect on your own uses of the internet while making your own media channels to express what yourself. You will be able to learn about different digital cultures and better understand how the people you are going to school with think about he same thing you are learning.

     The professor creates an awesome online culture by allowing the uses of different channels. For example, you will create a meme, use tumblr, create an interactive timeline, and even learn about the companies that gather and buy your information to sale and profit. The syllabus is straight to the point and Dr. Popescu does a great job of helping you understand the material. She frequently interacts with students by commenting on their posts and replying to emails in a timely manner.

     After you read the syllabus, you will se that the whole course is designed to help you understand how “digital technologies are changing our lives and are changing how we think about ourselves” (Popescu, 2016). One way you will learn this is by understanding the diffusion of innovation theory created by Everett Rodgers. The purpose of the Diffusion of Innovation theory is to better understand how, why, and at what rate do people adopt new ideas and technology. Rodgers purposes that there is a social system in place that influences the spread of new technology. He places people into one of five categories: innovators, early adopters, early majority, late majority, and laggards. The video Diffusion of Innovation Theory: The Adoption Curve posted by Dr. Popescu in the study guide she provides, explains the theory in an easy and creative way. Innovators make up about 3% of the population and are the first ones to know about an innovation. If they adopt it then the innovation will spread to the other categories. The early adopters are about 13% of the population, their opinions matter, are considered trend setters and bridge the gap to the majority of society. The early majority make up 34% of the population, take their time to make decision regarding technology, but eventually adopt the innovation. People in the Late Majority make up about the same percent as the early majority. They are more resistant to the new and wait for the product to go main stream. The laggards are the last to adopt a new technology, and sometimes never do. This cartoon shows another way to better understand the theory. 

 Above is a photo of electronics that I own. I would categorize myself as a part of the Early Majority group. (Apple Watch, Vaporizer, Cell Phone, leaning on an MacBook) I waited for these products to to be used by trusted sources before I bought them.

     In the course, each student had to post about which category they would put themselves in and also comment on what their peers thought. It is very interesting to see how peers react to the information, where they place themselves, and how they feel about technology. I was able to better understand how people feel about technology and that changed the way I view it because not everyone has the same opinion of technology that I have. The Diffusion of Innovation theory is one of the first steps in understanding how technology affects the way people communicate.

     If you want to take an interactive class, that offers extra credit too, then take take COMM 309.

Sincerely,

          S. Drago

                                                    References

Lateacha. (2012). What is ‘Diffusion of Innovaton’ theory? BlogSpot. Retrieved         from http://lateacha.blogspot.com/2012/07/what-is-diffusion-of-innovation-theory.html

Popescu, Michaela. Digital Media and Communication. (syllabus, California State University of San Bernardino, 2016). Retrieved from https://csusb.blackboard.com/bbcswebdav/pid-1283234-dt-content-rid-4529063_1/courses/166COMM30970/COMM%20309%20Summer%202016%20Syllabus%281%29.pdf