As a person who felt he was pretty well informed on how the Internet has and is changing the American culture, this class surprised me by how much online REALLY is changing all aspects of that culture.  That was the revelation I came away with.

I’m more than aware of the change this revolution has brought to my industry. But the non-journalist in the class opened my eyes to how the Internet is changing everyone’s work environment.  The class discussion on everything from what role journalist should play in an election to how government agencies could help their citizens by providing information online, to what are the obstacles municipalities faces in getting that information on their Web sites was an insight into governments  and non-journalists’ view of this technology that I found fascinating. I wish there had been more time for that.

I came away with real optimism for what this technology could provide. Readily available information on almost any subject, interactive maps, instant access to poll data, candidates’ videos and Web sites devoted to aggregation all sorts of information I think make us a more democratic and better informed populous.  Far from being intimidated about the future of this technology, the class discussion showed we will always find a way to balance information overload with common sense and well as humor – take the SUV ad campaign for example.

The technical overview of all the ways people and institutions could provide information was very informative. None of it was totally new to me but it was the first time I had a chance to do any reading on twitters and cloud tagging and see them in action.  Overall it was one of the most interesting and far reaching examinations of new technology and how it is changing everyone’s life I have every been part of.