The end is nigh!

The end of the IOCT is in sight now, I think that I have covered everything that I needed to although the more that I read the more that I doubt myself! I have a few more days before the deadline and I think that I am going to take the same advice as I gave to a co-researcher earlier when I said that it was probably a good idea to have a couple of days break and come back to it with a clear head and a fresher pair of eyes!

I know that I have said it before but I have enjoyed this module and I feel that I have had a useful part to play within the community, I have been helping others out when they have been stuck and I have been able to give advice quickly and effectively, without having to go and look myself before giving my answer.

Having a good knowledge of ICT, has helped me greatly and I have begun to identify ways that I can development them more in the future. I would particularly like to develop my multimedia and web developing skills. I intend to investigate software packages that will help me do this and who knows I may even add them to my Christmas list, but I think a new pair of boots would be better!

I am looking forward to the handing this module in, just because I want to start getting in to the festive spirit and spending some quality time with my husband and children. Although it will feel strange not checking into FirstClass at every spare moment! It will be nice to break up from work and know that my studies are also on holiday! It will also be nice to pick up and read a book without having a notepad, pen and highlighter at the side of me, making notes!

Knowing that the end is in sight makes me feel excited but then I get carried away and I start thinking about the marking and assessment of my modules and I being to panic again, wondering if I have done enough, thinking about what else I should have done, but for the IWS module this panicking is too late, I do hope that I don't spend the Christmas holidays panicking.

Well the first part of this journey is nearly over, and I a step closer to my final destination (well hopefully anyway!)

Kirstie

I Feel Good!

I am surprised that I feel so good with my studies at the moment, but I do, although I'm not too keen on all the late nights and abandonment of my children (with my husband that is!) I am enjoying the sense of achievement that I am experiencing throughout this module.

I have published my first video on YouTube, I never thought that I would do something like that and it's got nothing to do with me making a fool of myself! I have enjoyed the fact that I have felt that I have actually been able to help people and offer support, only earlier was I having an instant messaging conversation with someone, trying to help them work on their web page.

Initially I did have concerns about publishing myself on the Internet, I have since overcome these concerns by looking at it as way to building a stronger, more trusting community by giving my co-researcher information about me so that they can have an understanding of me, and what I am like.

I looked at it this way because of the research that I had done, and trust was mentioned a lot throughout this, and that it was vitally important to the development of a community. So I asked myself how could trust establish without anyone with never meeting them or knowing anything about each other, that is why I chose to share information about myself.

I know that my details on the personal web pages that I have created can be viewed by general public, however I have been very selective in the information that I have shared, giving enough of an insight so that co-researchers can get to know me, but not sharing anything that was too private that could be used for stealing my identity or other not so nice activities!

Personal Webspace

Getting back to studying and focusing now on completing the IOCT module, my next task was to create a personal web space, I wasn't sure what I was supposed to put in it. I have never had the urge to publish anything about myself. The people that I want to know things about me are my family and friends and if I have anything new about myself then I tell them, I don't publish it!

Then I thought about this a little more and I realise that maybe I do publish things about myself, only the other day I updated my thoughts within Facebook and a colleague asked me about it the next day! I had never really thought about updating moods, thoughts and even blogs as publishing yourself on the Internet!

I never thought that I would create a website about myself and although I now have I am glad that I have only given the address to my co-researchers, I don't like thinking that personal details are available for all to see. I know that I didn't have to include my personal details within this web space but I thought that it would give my co-researchers an insight in to me and that this would help us to build a stronger community and friendships, in a way getting to know each other better. I had to remember that I have never met any of my "Class mates" and they nothing about me other than I am on the same degree course as them.

I am now going to look at the rest of activity 4 which is comparing my web pages against others, which I'm not looking forward to, I know that I am not criticising anyone else's web pages but I think that it will be difficult to compare other's work that is personal to them against my own. But who knows maybe when I get into it I will enjoy it, at least I can look at other's web pages and get to know them better in the same way that I would like them to get to know me better.