I really found a lot of the content in the class discussion, wiki postings, and del.icio.us sites to be a great help to me in the health care world. I know a lot of people within my program as well as those who have been out of school and are in the field still do not recognize the need/future use of digital media within the field. Though I am by no means an expert in everything out there (e.g. the issues, problems, and resources available), I've picked up new lingo, sites, and considerations on digital media. What I think is really important is that I have so many new resources from the postings and use of new technology (del.icio.us site, wiki posting, soundslides, etc), that even if I'm not sure of an answer to something, I have a better idea of what is out there and where to go find what I need. I think it’s just as important to know where to get the information compared to actually having the information.

When I was thinking about what I would write for this post, I have to honestly say that before the class I really never sat to discuss and consider how digital media is changing the way I get my news and changing politics within the country (as well as other fields). Of course it has crossed my mind that the way "we" do things are changing, and I realized the movement toward more online use, but I'm not so sure I truly stopped to think, "How is this changing what I do everyday? How has social networking changed my interactions with people? How am I viewing websites - where are the focal points my eyes are drawn to? What is the value of YouTube and citizen journalism? How am I learning things differently? What is the fate of the print newspaper? How can people be drawn to websites when there are so many competing for their attention?"

One of the really great things about this class is that I’ll be able to (hopefully!) use a lot of the information in my career. I think it’s also an area (especially in health care) where not many people are aware of the possibilities and concerns with digital media. Website design will become more important as information is constantly added, such as blogs, digital communities, RSS feeds, podcasts, and videos. The design of the page, as was seen in a couple del.icio.us assignments as well as the Eyetrack studies, have great information that can help organize the loads of information being placed on sites. This will be important on hospital websites who want to appeal to their patients by providing convenient links to pages of interest that give all the information about services, physicians, locations, procedures, insurance, privacy, and careers, yet do not become cluttered by digital media additions like RSS feeds, blogs, podcasts, etc. If the site is too busy, patients and potential patients will be turned away since navigating the health care system can be a hassle in itself.

It has overall been a really interesting class quite like no other I’ve been able to take. I like that I’ve gained something that I will actually be able to use, whether for professional reasons or personal interest. It was also very beneficial to have a variety of backgrounds and reasons for being in the class, since I've learned a lot from everyone else. Throughout the past few weeks I’ve noticed I’ve been reading through websites and searching a little bit differently than before. I find I'm paying more attention to the overall content, positioning, how my attention is grabbed, types of digital media being use, how digital media is used, and how newspapers are transitioning to the digital world.

Christie 3/6