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What I learned?

About myself:

I think this course has been one of the most enlightening both in terms of academic skills as well as personal development. It forced me out of my comfort zone and I learnt not only about the aspects regarding Artificial Intelligence but also about myself and the environment in which I live in.

Before taking this course, I did not even know that I had a passion in me that entailed interacting with people of different culture and origin. I would say that the Soliya Connect program was one of the most enriching experiences of my journey. Initially, my mind was racing with thoughts like what if I gave the wrong response? What if I couldn’t relate? But those two-hour conversations turned into something that I was genuinely beginning to look forward to. every Tuesday. I understood that listening is an active process and it is important to choose my words wisely. I now realize that it is quite useful to get outside my comfort zone and listen to people that are different from me.

I also found out that one strength that I have is adaptability to new situations and change. At the beginning of the semester, I was challenged to execute tools such as Hypothes.is for annotations or generate content on my blog, but I liked it. It was the first time I posted something that I composed so it was quite liberating to see my ideas out in the open however small the audience was limited to the class only.’ I discovered that I love writing when it focuses on my thoughts and experiences—something I never believed about myself.

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what I learned

That I'll use in my academic life:

Maybe one of the biggest things that I learned were the guidelines on how to use technology as a tool for learning and a critical approach to it. Earlier, I did not need to know how these AI tools are designed or how bias could be infused into the algorithms. When I completed the “Which Face is Real?” exercise, I comprehended that technology has bias because bias is inherent in the people who create it. Such mindset will play a significant role in increasing my reflective practice as a student in my academic life regarding research, tools, and information.Writing in blogs also influenced the way I present my opinions. Writing weekly posts and analyzing different class readings helped me understand how to structure ideas and state them. That is something I will be able to take with me in future essays, projects and presentations.

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What I learned

That I'll use in my social life:

This course helped me to reflect on my communication skills and behavior both in the virtual world and the real life. One video that particularly affected me is Chimamanda Adichie’s, “The Danger of a Single Story.” I came to understand how quick I am to judge someone without actually knowing their life story. It is one habit that I have been trying to change. Currently, regardless of whether I am around a computer or interacting with people face-to-face, I strive to ask more questions and pay more attention to what others are saying before coming up with my assumptions.

I also learned the importance of empathy during this this class. When we talked about othering and bias, I was able to think of my bias and how I could be behaving as a result of it. I have been more conscious of my words and how I behave or react to things and people, including those on social media platforms.

Link to " The Danger of a Single Story ": https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=D9Ihs241zeg

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What I learned

That I'll use in my career:

Some of the practical skills I learned here involve blogging, multi-media tools, and collaborative projects, all of which would be quite beneficial in any future employment. Whether it is for marketing, research, or content creating purposes, I can tell these tools will take me somewhere. For example, when me and my peer worked together to create a digital game about eating disorders, we both had to use tools that helped make our game look more creative and sound more catchy. We used Canva to add fun, unique illustrations to our game that contributed to the theme of eating disorders. We also used Chatgpt to help us create distinctive scenario ideas to include in our game. Navigating our ways through such tools made us more in touch with the digital new tools created and it helped us realize the importance of using such tools in the rightful manner. This shifts to what I'm about to say next.

The thing that struck me the most was the approach we took to the topic of Artificial Intelligence ethics. This led me to understand better that I have to continue being informed of how AI is being integrated into the workforce and how it shapes decision making. I don’t want to run AI, I want to learn it and ensure that I am doing the right thing by it and using it mindfully instead of just copy pasting off of what it says.

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If I were to show someone my learning in this course, I would use this digital game me and my peer created because...

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If I were to show someone my learning in this course, I would use this digital game me and my peer created because...

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This project let me use something very personal and painful in my life – an eating disorder I have to not only build something helpful and pro-health but also promote engagement from others. Through this game, I was able to combine: Personal Reflection: Including my own experiences brought the game a level of realism and shading and helped me remain careful with the topic. Research: I paid effort to pinpoint the difference between Bulimia and anorexia in order to create each of these scenes as truthful and honoring as possible. Storytelling Skills: I developed 20 interactive cases when a player could be in the shoes of a person experiencing these problems and make decisions with the subsequent assessment of the outcomes. Collaboration and Growth: Integrating peer commentaries enabled me to define the purpose of the game and add value to it in the form of a meaningful conclusion which stressed learning and self-identity. This project was not just about building a game; it was to make a tool that raises people’s awareness, acceptance and empathy. It made me reflect on how I could make a difference using critical thinking, creative nonfiction writing, and technology. To me, Mind Over Meal represents transformation of adversity to advocacy, which is why it means a lot to my learning in this course.

Link:https://docs.google.com/presentation/d/1N1kkVsRz6DoxJp1VV4wToQPYtWzNLuyaO4hzgMjUtfU/edit?usp=sharing

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Mind Over Meal:  Conquering Food Disorders

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I chose ‘my Soliya Reflection’ because it is one of the defining moments in how I interact and engage in communications as well as listen to people. Prior to joining the Soliya Connect Program, I had no idea to what extent I limited myself only with like-minded individuals. In most cases the topics of discussion were rather conventional, people were like-minded and had gone through similar life situations. Soliya changed that.

Through deliberate and reflective dialogue, I learned to:

Truly Listen: Instead of concentrating on what to say, I concentrated on what others had to say. That was a completely new experience for me—I saw how much can one benefit from focusing on listening without any interferences be it in form of interjection or negative opinion.

Step Out of My Comfort Zone: First of all, I was worried about sharing things with people I did not know personally. I started posting and disclosing my opinion and experiencing myself here as the atmosphere seemed to be rather friendly. This forced me into stepping up my communication skills and defeat my shyness that would precede me in unfamiliar territory.

Appreciate Diverse Perspectives: Listening to other people’s experiences, the challenges they face or the accomplishments they achieve and the values they hold is a way that broadened my perspective to the social reality that exist in this world. I now understood that conversations are even better with people from other cultures than the ones you are used to.

The thing that intrigued me most was the ability of getting connected to people I had never met before. Thus, just sharing social networking pages and maintaining the communication by the end of the program became quite ordinary – I did not anticipate that when beginning with it. Soliya showed me that while communication is a process of transferring content, it is also a process of allowing people to be heard.

Reflecting on these reasons is valuable to me because doing so reveals how mature I have become. It shifted me as a communicator and a thinker that empathy exists and is necessary not only in friendships but basically in any social settings.

link :https://reflect.creativitycourse.org/published/final-reflection-for-soliya-3/

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Lastly, I would choose my blog post on "Ai in integrated marketing communication"

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Lastly, I would choose my blog post on "Ai in integrated marketing communication"

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Why? well, this particular exercise allowed me to learn about how AI transformed IMC (my interest area and profession).

Bridging Academic and Real-World Learning: While doing my general research, I also spoke to my professor, Rasha El Ibairy, and my IMC graduate friend, Sarah Shehab to understand the practical application of AI in media, marketing, and communication. Hearing firsthand about AI's influence on predictive analytics, personalized marketing, and audience engagement gave me a practical understanding of how these tools are already shaping the industry.

Developing Critical Thinking: From this process, I understood some of the ethical questions of AI. Some of the challenges raised by Professor Rasha include biased nature of AI data base and how this impacts on normative understandings of culture. These were powerful words to me because I stated AI can offer efficiency and customization but its reliability and correctness are still something people are skeptical of as it docent always offer reliable information.

Personal Growth and Reflection: This blogpost allowed me to articulate both, my enthusiasm and my concerns in artificial intelligence. However, I also thought about problems such as privacy, ethical issues and the fact that AI can potentially take over human creativity while enabling better organizational efficiency and better targeting of the audience. This exercise made me think critically about what constitutes genuine and purposeful communication and how the process shaped my ideas about IMC professionalism and creativity versus professionalism and ethical standard combined. This assignment was very interesting me because it employs research data, interviews, and a personal perspective to explain how AI is good for society but also raise issues over its morality. Moreover, this assignment helped me develop strong skills in analyzing issues, critical thinking about technology, and personal analytical thinking about how it is going to impact IMC.

Link: https://chatgpt.com/c/6761d8b6-0ab0-8012-afb2-e26182ac6461#

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If I could change 2-3 things about the course to improve it, I would change these 
things

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If I could change 2-3 things about the course to improve it, I would change these 
things

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1- Increase the Integration of Visual and Multimedia Assignments:

Although the course content involves blog posts and some aspects of multimedia production, I believe there could be more focus on the exercise in visuals and interactivity such as preparing infographics or short videos. This would not only help our students with visual learning styles, but it would also provide a glimpse of what awaits us in the realistic use of digital media in content creation. For example, instead of merely underlining important concepts through reflections and blogposts, we could make a video note or drawing to capture some of the important lessons. These would help develop creative digital skills while still being able to meet the course targets in some manner.

2-Gamify Key Assignments:

Even though we did get to create a mini digital game in class, I think that adding more games while learning would be extremely fun. Here is what I would change: To facilitate the learning process I would like to suggest changing some of the assignments into challenges that have game elements incorporated into them. For instance, it could be a ‘Digital Literacy Quest’ in which students earn levels through an exploration of selected AI tools, the creation of fake news or the production of digital work. They can include creative tasks like making a meme with the focus on bias in AI, or proposing an idea for a 2-minute podcast on the topic of digital identity. Incorporating fun would make learning more engaging, while self-testing and problem solving would enhance students’ thinking and imagination abilities.

3- Digital storytelling Exhibition

This would be a fun-filled session by the end of the semester where all students demonstrate what they did such as the Digital Narrative Game or blogs to others. Imagining it as some kind of a small “fair” in which all students showcase their achievements to classmates, faculty members, and maybe even friends.

To make it more exciting:

Instead of simply discussing the project, students have the ability to make it engaging. Thus, if some person created something, for example, a game, others could play it during the exhibition.

If someone created a blog or a video, they could use screens or posters to show it with catchy visuals.

To add some fun or excitement, we could add augmented reality or live storytelling, for instance. Students could use AR apps to make images or videos appear when people use their phone to scan a project executed by students.

This exhibition would celebrate everyone’s hard work in a creative and memorable way, making the end of the course feel more like an achievement and less like just another assignment

4- AI powered peer review assignments :

Include an assignment where students apply AI in assisting colleagues to edit and improve their group projects. For example:

For this, the students could write drafts of their blog posts, games, etc., and ask the AI to make suggestions, then write a brief on how an AI has helped them do better.

This way, AI is used constructively in practice while the students are trained to develop a critical perception about the reliability and applicability of the tool.

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What kind of person would take this course? 

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What kind of person would take this course? 

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-someone who is a curious and open-minded person who would be interested in exploring the intersection of technology, culture, and communication while developing creative and critical skills in Artificial intelligence.

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Slack

What I Learned: As for the communication, slack was used to facilitate as many discussions as possible and to share updates that were made out of the classroom. Its channels helped outcompete email and WhatsApp for group conversations by creating order into the otherwise chaotic streams. I also used Slack to communicate with my professor if I was going to be late, absent or if I had questions about a certain assignment.

Good For: Slack is perfect for having continuous talk and for group projects. I can also note seamless notifications that are not intrusive and the opportunity to include files and links that are not excessive keeps everything in one place.

Limitations: it was a bit chaotic when it is overutilized or when there is no order in the dispositions of the channels. Sometimes important messages are hidden at the bottom of long messages.

What I Learned About Myself: I learned that I tend to like clear and well structured communication instruments.

Skills/Attitudes Developed: Slack

helped me understand how to declutter my message in professional and academic environments.

What I Liked: I liked that in Slack there was a possibility to answer discussions without being present at the moment.

What I Didn’t Like: One thing that made certain channels slightly out of order was that there was no proper threading of discussions.

Future Use: Professionasl would apply Slack at the workplace most preferably on team work related assignments because of it’s ease of use and interconnectivity.

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Hypothes.is

What I Learned: In Hypothes.is, I was able to annotate texts and actually get other people’s input as I was reading the text in real time because it extended social reading into a more interactive level.

Good For: Collaborative reading and Analysis. It is very useful for discussions based on some excerpt from the text.

Limitations: It is somewhat less useful with long texts because it is easy to get lost in annotations and references.

What I Learned About Myself: I understand that group studying is quite interesting when it involves address of particular material.

Skills/Attitudes Developed: I began to think critically more in my interpretations and was more contemplative with my contributions as well.

What I Liked: In the way that it linked peers ideas to certain areas of the text.

What I Didn’t Like: Occasionally, the tool’s approach was not smooth to use particularly when new to using the tool. It was very hard to use and It took me a while to get used to. I was thankful we only used it in annotating one reading only.

Future Use: in my mind, Hypothes.is can be usefully employed for collective research or for students’ work when they need to analyze an article together.

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Soliya’s Platform : Connect program / zoom

What I Learned: Soliya’s platform helped me to learn about intercultural dialogue in an organized manner. The stress on listening and exchanging ideas made me learn to recognise other approaches.

Good For: Identifying and organizing meaningful discussions of a group of participants who are as different as possible.

Limitations: sometimes during the zoom, there were some internet lags so we couldn't here the moderator properly but it didn't happen frequently.

What I Learned About Myself: I felt comfortable to express myself towards the strangers out there and I was willing to fully discuss any topic.

Skills/Attitudes Developed: I personaly had to learn how to listen and be more compacive, which is something i cherish during all the communications.

What I Liked: The limited and controlled freedom for discussions.

What I Didn’t Like: nothing the connect program platform was very well organized and I found it very easy to navigate through

Future Use: I would recommend Soliya's cultural exchange program and I will definitely tell my kids that I took apart of something like this.

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Google slides

What I Learned: Google Slides was useful in many assignments, especially during the Digital Narrative Game assignment where it became of value in creative projects. I used it to create branching storyline aspects where players are presented with choices and resulting consequences

Good For: it's ideal if you want to use it to create a project or a digital game. It has various tools to help in creating presentations.

Limitations: Google Slides lacks additional functions such as animation or already given designed templates, which can be off-putting for more intricate projects.

What I Learned About Myself: I like exploring and experimenting with simple tools to come up with a fun and interesting assignment such as the digital narrative game.

Skills/Attitudes Developed: With Using Slides, I learned how to design proper content for my audience while being unique and creative.

What I Liked: slides enabled me to spend less time on technical issues in report writing and more time on the content.

What I Didn’t Like: From time to time, the absence of many options that enable the refinement of the design greatly limited how well the theme was achieved.

Future Use: For future projects that include things like interactive presentation or lead generation in workshop, I feel Google Slides is a perfect fit because while being even though its quite simple , its still very effective.

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WordPress

What I Learned: The active blog created on WordPress enabled me to learn the actual process of making my publications accessible for other users.

Good For: Blogging and presenting of reflective entries and or portfolio. Such options assist to make content more and more attractive to the people who will be using it.

Limitations: Design and layout may be a tad on the complicated side if the person undertaking the task is relatively new to the process.

What I Learned About Myself: I like creating virtual environments that are close to my nature and vision.

Skills/Attitudes Developed: I was able to learn basic principles of web design and was able to consider the potential audience for a piece of work.

What I Liked: The fact that I am able to beautify my blog and make it look professional.

What I Didn’t Like: Some features seemed to be overcomplicated. For example, I cant just drag a picture to the blog, I have to put a hyperlink of the picture in order for the blog to process it and turn the link to the picture. It was also very hard to make the blog look creative.

Future Use: I would create a personal portfolio or a blog using WordPress if I am working in the professional environment.

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Special Tech & Furniture in Class

What I Learned: The flexible classroom arrangement and the use of enhanced technology fostered creativity and teamwork. For instance, since the furniture was moveable, it was easy to create break out sessions and join different teams for group work.

Good For: Discussing and brainstorming in group assignments and activities. The setup helped to make work on cooperative projects easier.

Limitations: Switching from one setup for a different activity was time consuming

which occasionally broke the flow of class.

What I Learned About Myself: I was and still am most productive in organizations that encourage innovation across functional structures.

Skills/Attitudes Developed: I learned that I can better handle myself in dynamic conditions in the learning process.

What I Liked: Layout flexibility to be able to move things around and other technologies such as Smart boards and interactive displays.

What I Didn’t Like: Nothing. The class atmosphere and the advanced tech we had was what made the class flow smoothly.

Future Use: In future courses I would like to have the same sort of arrangements especially for group activities .

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ChatGPT

What I Learned: ChatGPT was an incredibly versatile tool that I used for brainstorming ideas, refining assignments, and exploring creative approaches to projects. For instance, during the Digital Narrative Game, I used ChatGPT to draft possible storylines and player scenarios, which helped me develop a clear structure before refining the content. Additionally, it was helpful for generating prompts and organizing questions for interviews with peers and professors.

Good For: It’s excellent for quick brainstorming, generating rough drafts, and exploring different angles on a topic. ChatGPT also helped me improve clarity in my writing by suggesting alternative phrasing or structures.

Limitations: ChatGPT sometimes produced overly generic or inaccurate responses, which required critical thinking and careful fact-checking on my part. It also struggled to capture nuanced, context-specific ideas.

What I Learned About Myself: I discovered that while I enjoy using AI for inspiration and efficiency, I prefer adding my personal touch and critical analysis to ensure the final result reflects my voice and perspective.

Skills/Attitudes Developed: Using ChatGPT improved my ability to critically evaluate AI outputs, teaching me to spot inaccuracies or biases and refine results to align with my goals. It also encouraged me to think creatively by providing a starting point I could build on.

What I Liked: The speed and accessibility of ChatGPT made it easy to generate ideas and overcome writer’s block, particularly when I felt stuck.

What I Didn’t Like: Its lack of depth in certain areas and the need for constant fact-checking sometimes made it feel less reliable than human input. Additionally, I was cautious about relying on it too heavily, as I wanted to ensure my work remained authentic.

Future Use: I see myself using ChatGPT in the future for brainstorming, creating outlines, or assisting with repetitive tasks in both academic and professional contexts. However, I’ll continue to use it critically, combining its efficiency with my own insights to ensure quality and originality.

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AI Reflection: My Experience and Its Future in Education and the Workplace

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AI Reflection: My Experience and Its Future in Education and the Workplace

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My Experience with AI in Class

Using AI tools like ChatGPT in this course was both eye-opening and transformative. I primarily used ChatGPT to:

Brainstorm Ideas: For assignments like the game as it helped me generate initial storylines and interactive scenarios. This gave me a solid foundation to refine and add my creative touch. We also used Ai in class to see fact check info. For example, in class we used perplexity to see what it said about AUC and it gave some accurate information but it was all too broad. Someone else asked it what AUC stands for and it gave the wrong answer. This showed us how Ai can sometimes be biased or unreliable when it comes to learning or receiving information from.

Generate Prompts: It supported me in crafting thoughtful questions for interviews with my professor and peers, making the conversations more focused and engaging.

While these experiences were somewhat positive, I remained cautious, particularly about accuracy. I often found myself double-checking information and ensuring the content aligned with my voice and goals.

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Imagining AI in the Future of Education

In education, AI holds immense potential in changing how students learn and teachers teach through:

1- Personalized Learning: AI could adapt to individual student needs, creating customized lesson plans or suggesting resources based on progress. For example, a virtual assistant could track a student's performance and recommend videos, articles, or practice exercises tailored to their weak areas.

2- Virtual Research Assistants: Tools like ChatGPT could evolve to provide more accurate and source verified data, helping students conduct research faster while still promoting critical evaluation. However, it's not always accurate so we need to double check with reliable, verified sources.

3-Support for Educators: Teachers could use AI for administrative tasks like grading or even crafting engaging lesson plans, giving them more time to focus on meaningful interactions with students.In class, our professor used Ai to create our game rubric which was extremely helpful.

Ai in the future of my workplace (Imc):

According to Chatgpt, in the workplace, especially in Integrated Marketing Communication (IMC), AI is already making a huge impact, and its future potential is even more exciting as it will :

BoostCreativity and Productivity: AI can take over repetitive tasks, like analyzing data or creating basic content drafts, freeing up professionals to focus on strategy and innovative campaigns. For instance, marketers could use AI tools to quickly generate personalized ad ideas, while dedicating more time to brainstorming creative ways to connect with audiences.

In conclusion, reflecting on my own experience with AI in this course, I’ve realized how powerful it can be when used thoughtfully. It’s a tool that can make our work more efficient and creative, but it can’t replace the emotional intelligence, intuition, and storytelling that humans bring to life. As I move forward, I plan to use AI to enhance my work without letting it overshadow my voice and ideas. The future of AI in my career is exciting, but its success will always depend on how we use it.