Unit 8 Assignment

Hello, my name is Eric Kaplan and my blog is called Firehouse Chow.  As a student of Kaplan University I have become quite familiar with interacting and communicating with others online.  Taking part in a 100% online educational setting, students need to learn about and use various forms of digital media and electronic communication.  This can include software like MS Word, Excel, PowerPoint and an internet browser.  Communicating with faculty and students can be done with email, like Yahoo and Gmail, or through social media sites like Facebook and Twitter.  When I started taking online classes at Kaplan I was fairly computer literate and familiar with most of the programs and websites that the school required me to use.  Though it did take some time to get used to learning in a strictly online environment, I have come to feel that this is the best way for me to integrate my studies into my daily routine such as work and family life.   Online learning allows me the flexibility to complete assignments and communicate with instructors any time or place that I have a Wi-Fi connection.  Even though students and teachers may be spread across great distances, there are tools that will allow them to stay in touch with each other.  We can follow each other on Facebook or Twitter, correspond by email, or even read blogs to keep connected.  These lines of communication can be invaluable when you need help with a class, want to establish a professional network, or just want to say ‘hi’ to a friend you met here at Kaplan University.  Online interaction and social media have expanded our ideas of how we learn and communicate with each other.