'Whelmed by frustrating "busy work" . . . '

I feel like Linus, the blanket-carrying thumb-sucking friend of Charlie Brown.  The whole of my life this quarter is just not working out the way I envisioned.  I'll start with Social Media . . .

I thought I was an intermediate level social media devotee.  From the beginning, I've been behind, because the choices I made [without knowing what would happen as a result of those choices] have kept me behind. 

Like using my BGI gmail address for setting up my blogs, which do not accommodate Google Profiles, without which, one is not able to post comments to other's sites, nor are they able to post to mine.  This forced a re-dux of both my learning journal and the Personal Beat Blog. 

So I di the re-dux, and reinvited all my classmates and instructors to my two new sites.  Then came the return emails that they were using some other mail address and I needed to reinvite them, using that address.  And so I did.  This meant more busy work, because there was no simple easy way to add gmail addresses, just one at a time. 

Then during online class, I used my personal gmail address and learned that our shared Google doc is associated with my BGI gmail address. So I somehow balanced several windows on my laptop, going between the BB/Collaborate slide show, my notes (which were in a Google doc on my personal Gmail), and the shared doc on the BGI gmail.  Not easy to continously toggle through.

Then, during class, losing the ability to use my mic or to contribute in the Chat Box.  And soon after, I am unable to input into the shared Google doc, as well.  The content of our lessons does interest me, it goes deeper and is more cultural, anthropological in nature, so it is quite frustrating to have these technology issues to contend with.  It takes away from my learning and is one of the reasons I moved to the onsite Evening MBA program.  It happened to me before, and it's happening now, too. 

And our YouTube video project.  I gratefully participated in Miriam's pc-based conversation, and believed that I had great info to go forth and use Win 7/Windows Live Movie Maker.  I had read up about it online, where it stated that I could use photos, videos, Powerpoint slideshows ~ any media basically could be uploaded and converted into a video, with the capability to add audio and music.  I was pretty stoked to give this a try! 

And two days later, all I really wanted to do was cry.  The new Win 7/Windows Live DOES NOT upload Powerpoint or any slideshows.  The audio functionality was nowhere that I could find.  Once I began the project, the software would not allow me to make any changes or updates.  And after starting one project, deleting it, and attempting a start-over with the same name, Windows Live simply would not open.  I literally spent 48 hours over 3 days until finally I created something that I could post on YouTube and submit.  Windows Live Movie Maker, however, had it's way.  It refused to use the timing setting that I gave this project, and just rolled through each slide with no time for the viewer to get it, to understand it, such as it was.  I will never use this software again.  I will make more videos using another software.

And tonight, I'm here, playing catch-up on this class's deliverables.  .  If I don't get caught up tonight, then I'm not coming to intensive this weekend while I do get caught up.  I'm toying with dropping out and retaking the class when I'm not carrying two other highly demanding courses.  Where's Lucy when I need her?