Starting this class, I was a little skeptical of the wide use of social media within our classroom. That doesn't mean to say that I was somehow scared of it, as I have always kept up with the social media trends and admittedly spend too much of my time on Facebook, Twitter, and Tumblr. Yet I didn't understand how we were supposed to learn in an academic setting, by using social media. Thankfully, I learned a lot. After 4 years in college, I began to thought that I had mastered the learning process through writing countless research papers, in which my thesis was supported by a number of scholarly articles. However within this class, I realized how much better I can organize my thoughts by not being held down by a certain standard of academia. Social Media has made that possible. Informal blog entries have allowed me the process of organizing my thoughts to not only make a valid point, but to actually discover what it is I feel about something. You can't do that in a classroom where you're required to write research papers, the passion is missing within those types of academic settings. And for a topic like Feminism, what's a feminist classroom assignment really going to share, without that passion?
I also think that within the field of feminism, social media is a very strong resource. It allows for a wide array of supporters to be collectively communicated with, it's an easy way to share important information, like resources, and current events, and it makes spreading awareness incredibly easy. It has it's limitations of accessibility, especially in the third world, but technology is a rapidly growing market, and even though it may not reach everyone, in a few years I'd be willing to guess that 80% of our world has easy access to the internet. The facts is, that more than likely anyone you are trying to reach these days is easily accessible to you on the internet, via Facebook, or Email, even our grandparents are doing it. If there is a way to spread awareness, gain support, provide resources, information and access to current feminist issues or events in our area that can reach millions of people around the world, that cannot be a bad thing. It only allows for more outreach.
This classes focus on social media has been an incredibly positive experience for me. Sara, I hope you continue to teach your classes through social media, and continue to educate your student on the importance and value it has on feminism.
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