I really enjoyed this class on The Wired Society. I feel like I learned a lot about things that I knew were going on in the world, just never had a clear understanding of it. The book was very informative, and is something that I hopefully would've read at some point in my life. It was an easy read that was full of lots of great experiences and interviews from Friedman. I liked that many of the experiences were from International travels that he had. The people that he met with were perfect for the book, that continued to prove his point that the world is in fact flat.
The weekly reading assignment were easy enough to accomplish. I wasn't a fan of the two articles that were tasked to read, but neither were really in my area of expertise, or interest. Many other classmates seemed to really enjoy them, so I'm sure it's not something that would be a problem with the majority. I do wish that we could've gotten a little more feedback on the papers, rather than just a score, if that's possible. It was fun to be able to read what others were saying about the same stuff that you were discussing. I had some good comments on my blog, and tried to get involved in the discussions on other blogs. The interactive side of the class was very enjoyable this way.
The big thing that interested me in the book was about all of the outsourcing information. I've had some firsthand experiences with outsourcing web development work to international organizations. I can't say that my experience was very good, but the idea that they are people out there that can help lighten your load is great. I've heard many successful experiences out there that prove that it is a great way to save some money while providing the same level of service. I'm excited to see the outsourcing continue, but hope that America can still keep many services in the states.
By far my favorite assignment was the task to watch a technology related film and write a review about it. I picked WarGames, and was glued from start to finish. I loved the story, and the non-stop thrill! I'm not sure I would've ever seen this video either, had I not taken this class...so that I'm grateful for. The technology used in those days was very basic, yet still powerful. The film proves the idea of computers running our country as a risky idea. Computers have come a long ways since then, and continue to show potential as a great tool for our future.
All in all it was a great class for me this semester. I had a lot of extra time to read the material, and was even able to dive deeper with the audio version of it while commuting. I often times was left in a deep thought as I would come home and talk my wife's ear off about each chapter. The chapter about Walmart and supply chaining definitely left me in some deep thought for several weeks. It was interesting to learn more about things that I never would've learned about had I not taken this class. I will definitely be recommending this class to other classmates. Everyone needs to know that "The World is Flat!"
1 comment:
You bring up a great point with the fact that Friedman relied on many personal experiences and interviews from travels he had worldwide. I feel that the experiences Friedman shared through his interactions with people all over the world gave meaning and validation to his writing, which strengthened his argument.
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