Task 1.b Professional Communication Technologies

I have so many thoughts related to this topic but have tried to keep it on the shorter, rather than longer side.  I would really appreciate people's comments on this task, as it is the one I am most unsure about.
Thank you

Task 1b.

Professional communication technologies

Having read through the Course Reader on Professional Communications Technologies, I found it very interesting to realise how much I already understood about Web 2.0. I have always described myself as only very basically computer literate - I can  use WordArt, email, Facebook and Twitter. I was therefore quite amazed that I was already a Web 2.0 user. I had certainly never thought of Web 2.0 as a ‘tool’. To me, using Facebook was just for fun and a way of communicating with friends and family for free.

            Having now read through the course Reader, I have started to think about the impact Web 2.0 has had on me. The way I socially interact is very different to how it was only four years ago. I use my Facebook account on a daily basis. I started thinking about whether or not I communicate with my friends more or less than I did prior to Facebook, and recognised that I do. I am now in contact with people that I would not necessarily  contact if a site such as Facebook were not available and I certainly write  comments on my friend’s ‘wall’ more often than I would feel the need to phone them. Then I questioned myself, “is this a good thing?”,  and came to the conclusion that there are, in my opinion, positives and negatives for Web.02. For example, I rarely phone my friends anymore; partly because I can contact them for free by using technology such as email and social networking sites, but also because I find it to be much quicker and straight to the point. A message via Facebook or Twitter is direct, for example

Hi James,

Please can you let me know what time we are meeting on Saturday?

Thank you,

Sarah

In contrast, without sounding rather rude, a phone call is unlikely to be as short. I would at least expect the caller to ask how the receiver is!

On the other hand, I also no longer feel the need to ‘talk’ to my friends, which I can’t help but feel a little troubled by. Hearing some-one's voice seems to me, to still possess a familiarity that words on a screen just can not express. There is a lack of personalisation.

In a professional environment I think this is a very beneficial tool. In my professional practice, all of our internal correspondence is via email and all of our student information is accessible via computers, rather than paper. Trying to track down a particular member of staff is sometimes like trying to find a needle in a hay stack, and so long as everyone ensures they read their emails daily, the system runs very smoothly.

During my dance and drama classes that I teach, I have found Web 2.0 to be one of the most useful technological advances available. We have computer access in every room, and with just a click of the mouse, I can search for thousands of songs, dance steps, tutorials, documentaries inspiration and more on Youtube. This saves me time, as I no longer have to change CDs or carry around CD players, and having everything accessible under one website, I find invaluable.

I have now created my own blog, for the purpose of this course, and have found that I am finding blogging both fun and useful. Unlike emailing, being able to comment on so many different discussions and receive comments in return, is so thought provoking. It has just made me realise how far human communication has developed and how excited I am to be a part of it.