When first coming to this class, I had no idea what I was getting myself into. Firstly, I don’t consider myself a “techie” or really gadget driven whatsoever. So when I discovered that we were expected to compose a complex website I was overwhelmed. However, the issues that were presented in the class I take very seriously, and I was impressed that they were included in such a setting, especially in an English class. Most issues we addressed, such as the ethical capitalist or property ownership rights I would only imagine to be addressed in a Political Science course, or maybe even a Sociology course. It was refreshing to see them addressed in a new perspective, with such emphasis on my own opinion/contribution to the issues.

Speaking of my own contribution to these issues, my final hypertext aims to be a representation of my ideas, inspiring others to become more involved in the culture and society that shapes them. My hypertext focuses on the local food growing/buying movement and presents it as a major issue that we need to deal with before global agribusiness ruins the very world we live in. I aim to inspire others to act by giving them access to other resources that can show them where their own local farm is, as well as by highlighting the small differences they can make to contribute to a better tomorrow. Like Castells promoted, I hope to promote a sense of solidarity, a networked community of individuals working together to produce real, tangible change. I wish to show individuals that if we each contribute even the smallest effort, together it will produce a significant change.

On a different note, I have learned a variety of things from taking this class. First and foremost I have learned that the way in which material is presented greatly affects how students learn the material. What I liked about the class was that we sat in a circle. I know that this sounds very basic, but it definitely promotes a different atmosphere than sitting in traditional style with everyone facing the teacher a la factory style learning. With this class we were engaging in the material and interacting with it. Along with shaping the material we produced, it shaped us too. For me, I shot my final hypertext video at Full Circle Farm in Sunnyvale, and I was inspired to volunteer there! I start this Saturday. This is just one of the instances that I allowed myself to be shaped by the material of the class.

Another aspect that I really enjoyed about the class was how we were allowed to choose our own topics within given parameters. I felt more connected to these assignments because I was interested in them I chose them. It was very refreshing seeing as most if not all other projects are assigned and you are asked to perform, like a robot. I feel that factory style learning and robot learning go hand in hand. If you go to a factory you get robots. If you get invloved and interact, you get a developed person. I appreciated Bousquet's effort to get us invloved in these pressing issues, but what people take away is highly dependent on how they invested in the material. For me, it was very worth the involvment and I hope to continue to grow from the experiences I have had in this class.

Along with all of the positive experiences I have had in the class, I feel that I have some constructive criticism to make. Being that this class was a 3 hour class, even coming to class and knowing you will be there for 3 hours can be pretty daunting. An effective teaching style for a class this long I feel would be to encourage dialogue and shy away from lecture. While I feel Bousquet made an effort at this (and it was Spring quarter, so the enthusiasm of the students is more towards summer not towards participating in discussion) I feel that it could have been encouraged more. The lectures would tangent quite frequently, and while I felt that I could follow, I do not know if I could say the same for the rest of the participants. To be fair though, the issues that we were dealing with are very complex and require a lot of background before dialogue can be effective.

As far as my final hypertext goes, it is comprised of 16 pages, averaging 4 links per page, 1 external and 3 internal. There is a standard navigation bar on the left that starting from the homepage has 6 main links. It is composed of 2,977 of my own words and an original video created by me. My information was drawn from 16 different sources, 7 of which were internet based, the rest were scholarly journals and books. Included in the site is a printable version and this learning essay.

Overall this class was totally not at all what I expected as being an English course, but what I am taking away from it is even better than what I expected. If you are considering taking this course, I would highly recommend it. You learn how to make a website (for real) and you learn even more about yourself as a member of the greater world around you!