Proof of Learning Report- Week 4

This is my final Proof of Learning Report for the course and I am actually a bit sad it is coming to an end. This week I focused mainly on my research project by gathering sources, compiling my own personal data, and developing a website on the topic. I also continued to be active in the discussion boards, trying to help others with their research- which was actually very interesting because I got to explore my classmates research!

I was really excited that I was able to choose my own topic for the research project because it really allowed me to become immersed in a topic I felt passionate about. My research explored one of the new robotic technologies in the medical field called the da Vinci Surgical System and how people are reacting to this new technology. The system allows a human surgeon to control robotic arms which actually operate on the patient. I chose to develop a website for my final project because I felt it tied everything we have learning during the semester together. It was a way to use the very technology we have been studying for weeks and applying what we've learned about genre's, online communities, technology, etc. to the setting. I chose to use weebly.com because Sarah mentioned the use of the website in one of the discussions and said it was a very good tool to use. I definitely agree with this statement. The website was very user friendly and helped me to develop a creative and informational website about my topic! 
Here is the link to my website: www.roboticmedicaltechnology.weebly.com

I conducted a study to see how willing a person would be to having a medical procedure performed by the da Vinci Surgical System and I was very surprised by my results. I hypothesized that the older a person was, the less willing they would be; therefore, the younger a person was, the more willing they would be. However, the findings from my study showed that this was not the case. It was slightly the opposite; but ultimately, there was no correlation between age and willingness to have a procedure by da Vinci. 

I have been looking through my classmates final projects and I am very thrilled to see the websites and project of my classmates- we have a lot of creative people! I was especially interested in Maren's website because it is very similar in ways to mine in regards to medical technology. Her project focused more on the new technologies used in cancer treatment rather than surgical technology. Her website was very informational and professional and helped me learn a lot about new cancer treatments!

Overall, I really enjoyed this class. The first week I was really nervous because I didn't know what to expect with the use of Sparklix and the Blog, but I have ultimately learned a lot more about how technology impacts our lives and the lives of others than I ever though possible in a 4 week period of time. I really felt this class went above and beyond in regards to communication in the discussion boards. Although it was sometimes hard to keep up with the discussions every day, I can honestly say that I read every post and I really learned a lot from what my peers had to say throughout the course. I also felt the material we learned throughout the semester was relevant to us as current technology users. I know I have taken a lot of useful information away from this class and I will surely be applying it in my everyday life!