Olia+K

=Analysis and Reflection=

The dynamic space that the class has contributed to has surprised me to a degree. I couldn’t have imagined, in the beginning, that 160 people, part time, could put together such a bank of information. It was interesting to observe as the web of terms branched out and in on each other with every passing week. Initially the information appeared to polarize strictly around class content, however, with links and ideas, suggestions and pages such as Current News, enthusiasm picked up.

Wikispaces is very user-friendly and intuitive. Though the help sections are provided, I found I didn’t need assistance starting my page or contributing in the maintenance of the community. Because I enjoy reading, I found myself browsing on hours through the Table of Contents and concentrated on grammatical edits as well as establishing connections between the terms. In searches online, I have always looked for proper grammar and spelling as an indication of quality, especially in academic information. As these sorts of errors are not limited only to myself, I took up an interest in making the site look dependable. However, this is where a team effort goes a long way. With many eyes tracking the pages, content is revisited more frequently and errors eliminated in iterative editing. Wherever I found myself a novice to a topic I took the time to link up an outside source for examples or additional information.

The primary focus of my content concentrated on writing about immersion in virtual environment. I looked through books, online and articles from other courses in order to assemble an overview of the topic as well as provide a little depth to the term. With many authors on the same site, it is difficult to carry the same tone, however, before I posted my work, I would spend time reading for style and content on topics which either give birth to or rise out of immersion. I felt it was important to keep a consistent style as much as possible so that the information is easier to assemble. Someone who is new to the field of virtual reality, I hoped, would be comfortable with the terms after viewing my page. I linked not only out of my pages but always supported reinforcing background knowledge and linked into the page from others such as augmented reality, which mentions but does not expand on the concept of immersion.

In the future, for this assignment, I would look towards more contributions of related resources. I think articles reflecting topics in the index allow the audience to ground connections in a bigger picture. It is remarkable to see how many connections can be formed between topics, classes and even within current events. A place to share these ideas such as a chat room would also be beneficial for collaboration. Free-flowing conversations fortify knowledge and comfort with topics at hand.