Issues in New Media proved itself to be far more interesting than I expected (thanks to Cindy Royal.) I went into this semester with no idea what to expect & I can easily say that this has been one of my favorite classes in graduate school at Texas State University thus far. I gained very valuable insight into topics I have never previously explored such as operating systems, how Facebook came to be, how to get the best out of social networking, how different forms of new media came about, etc.
My attitude has DEFINITELY changed about social networks, especially Twitter. Before this class, I had a rather negative perspective on Twitter and saw it as a pointless social network where people just talked about what they were doing at the moment. I thought, “who cares?” This semester, Cindy did a great job of explaining that there can actually be very useful ways to use these networks if we just understand how. Now I get on Twitter every day and I see it as a powerful tool and fun way to obtain my news, stay connected with friends, and network with people in my field of study. I felt we learned very valuable information about the future of technology and new media.
I’d say learning about net-neutrality was the most surprising topic I learned about this semester. I can’t believe there is actually debate on whether to lock up the Internet and take away our freedom (both monetarily & intellectually.) Also, I loved learning about all the competition that goes on between Apple/Microsoft; Netscape/Internet Explorer, MySpace/Facebook, etc.
Cindy Royal has been such a great professor and taught me everything I need to know about new media. I feel prepared to confidently move forward while looking forward into the future of what is to come in the media world. She is so educated and informed about the subject, which made it really fun to learn and engage in the class. Thanks for everything Cindy! You are awesome!!! 
Tags: Cindy Royal, Issues in New Media
Thanks for the comments, Christina. I love to hear that students feel their confidence in this area has increased.