Throughout the semester I feel like I’ve learned a great amount of information about computers, the history behind the invention of the internet, and AI. At the beginning of the semester, I was very skeptical of this class because I am not very knowledgeable with computers beyond saving to Google Drive. I didn’t know if I would enjoy the class, however, I have thoroughly enjoyed this class and the different concepts we’ve learned so far. I’m also excited about what’s to come later in the semester.
I think the most practical thing I’ve learned for my job field, education, is the information about Henry D. Thoreau. I had never read much of his work before this class, and our readings and analysis of Walden have been the easiest part of this class for me so far. I think especially seeing the many different drafts of Walden and reading the various manuscripts has been useful to me for seeing the editing process. I’ve learned that even the slightest change to the manuscript can have a big impact on the meaning of a text after seeing how the manuscript changes over time.
Learning about the history behind the invention of the Internet has been eye-opening for me. I had watched the movie Hidden Figures which details the involvement of women in America’s journey to space, so I knew we, as a country, had a history of asking women to solve problems and then denying them the credit they deserved. However, I didn’t know this same system is what was used to create the Internet. Learning about this has reinforced the idea of the importance of representation in all fields of work. Giving credit where it’s due is definitely important for creating an equal playing field for job fields such as computing/technology.
I think the most valuable information I’ve learned that I will be able to apply to my personal life is the knowledge of the terminology and the use of things like Git Bash, PowerShell, the GUI, and other such components. My boyfriend is a Masters student at RIT in Information Technology and Analytics, and I have thoroughly enjoyed talking with him about what we’ve done during this class. Admittedly he has helped me to better understand some of our class concepts better if I’m having trouble with something we learned during the week. I feel like after only a few weeks of this class, I can actually understand what he does during his day to day life at school, and what he aspires to do outside of college. I’m thankful for that understanding so I don’t have to make guesses anymore as to what he does.