Aw man what is left to say about MIST5720 that hasn’t been said already. I’ve been at Georgia for 5 years now and I’m glad Digital Innovation and Entrepreneurship was available for my last semester here. Hands down the greatest class I’ve taken. Things can only get better for other students if the class is offered again. 110% believe that the next set of students will love the class just as much as we did.
There’s two settings of a classroom, traditional or flipped. 5720 ignored that altogether and it was the best learning experience ever. Sitting down and listening to speakers give their insight onto how we can take advantage of the opportunities and capitalize was absolutely FANTASTIC. There’s no way of beating that. Of course I would of preferred the weekday and time we sat down for these speakers to not be on Thursday’s from 4-7.
The blog aspect of the class probably worried everyone on the first day. We’re all seniors and who wants to spend their time writing a blog. I’d say we all got accustomed to it. Finding content was fascinating and a very entertaining experience to go about. My personal favorite of mine was my St. Patrick’s post on the use of AI in the Brewing Industry. That was all new information to me. I’ve linked it if you haven’t read it but I assume just about everyone has since it received 22 comments. Dr. Kane if you’re reading I skipped that week’s survey because it was too many comments to rate – sorry. The content all around was great: water billboards in Peru, color-changing medical tattoos, transformation in education, and so many more. Some posts will definitely be great to follow up as they progress over time.
This only got better with the content shared on Twitter. It was a tough start for Twitter but it became manageable over time with the list. I do believe Slack or some other could definitely provide a better platform for sharing content all around. May have to keep our Twitter list alive.
Heading back to the topic of speakers, this was definitely the highlight of the class (just kidding maybe the class day we spent outside was the highlight). There were great takeaways from everyone and it was nice to hear speakers repeat what others before them had said. BJ stating that innovation is overrated was fun. Personal favorite is Doug Shaw from Monotype telling us to go work for a sick company and to make ourselves there. A nice takeaway I had was from Greg Gretsch who described building your network to work in tech and noted it as “your Silicon Valley MBA”. The aspect of hosting a guest speaker and having the opportunity to speak to them in private beforehand is extraordinary. Hosting Andy Ruben, CEO of Trove, really shows how time is limited for some and I know others were never even able to meet with their speaker due to time constraints. I loved seeing how every speaker saw things differently too. With Kelsey Bishop, she transitioned the company into a totally remote state and referred to herself as founder not CEO. I’m curious as to whether or not every everyone would’ve answered the “Are people born or bred to be CEO” question with “both” like Jere Doyle and Anh Phillips said early into the semester.
Dr. Kane
Thank you. I wanted to take a moment to express my sincere gratitude for the impact you had on me and the rest of the class. Your passion for teaching was truly inspiring, and it’s clear that you genuinely cared about our academic success and personal growth. I’m grateful for the extra effort you put in to make sure we had a great time learning. I have no doubt that you will have a significant impact on future students as well.
When the blogs were first mentioned, I was a bit startled but I learned to love blogging just as you mentioned Andy. I hope the MIS Department offers this class in future semesters because of how it educates students on relevant topics such as what type of tech should they be aware of and if their future careers are in danger. We had many interesting discussions in this class and I’m definitely going to miss them.
It is funny how you mentioned Twitter being tough at first and then becoming a bit more manageable as time went on. For me, it never became manageable! Is that due to my on doing? Probably! Anyways great blog post, just wanted to point out a couple similarities.
Thanks for the great wrap up! I don’t think I’ve ever heard the class described as the throwing out the traditional or flipped, but I think it fits. One of my BC colleagues actually audited my class about 10 years ago and said it was the “first truly 21st century course” that he’d ever experienced. I try to drink my own coolaid and innovate within the classroom too. It always creates some bumps, but I doubt I’d ever go back to any of the old ways.
I am also glad that I was able to end my college experience with this class! It’s is so different from the dozens of courses we have taken over the years, but somehow the most effective in helping me develop my skills. Good wrap up!
I loved how MIST5720 ignored traditional teaching methods because it taught us a new style on how to learn. I was worried on the first day as well because I was not even sure if I would be able to do 4 blog posts. Having these blog posts increased my creativity and encouraged me to read more because there are so many cool things out there to learn about. I hope that the department offers this class again because this class made such a big impact on how I envision my future to be like.
This really was a great way to end my time at UGA. I feel like this class added a lot of value that was completely different from any of the other classes. It showed us a lot of different things that we had never been shown before.
Hi Andy! Great final blog post. I agree with you, I am so glad that I waited to take my elective. Not only was this class extremely intriguing and rewarding but I also didn’t have to code haha. I also agree with you that the non-traditional format was great! I personally have never had a class like this, so it was interesting to go through the motions. Of course, a better TTH time would’ve made it a bit better. I think it would be really cool if some of the guest speakers spoke together, just to see what they would say (as some have some conflicting opinions on innovation, as you stated).
I have no doubt that this class will be offered again–it was great!
Hi Andy I am happy you touched on the differentiation of the opinions from speakers because there is no secret sauce. My little brother is always asking how he can do x, y, z but he needs to refocus on his own path with guidance and openness to success externally.
Hey Andy! I loved your final blog post to end this semester. I didn’t read all your blog post but really enjoyed your post about AI in the brewery industry. I’m just not a twitter person but I don’t know what other alternatives Kane could do otherwise. I agree this class was great and has helped me grow more knowledgeable about the future.
I loved reading your posts Andy, this was a great wrap up to the end of the semester and well worded on thanking Dr Kane. Also really funny remark you made about rating each comment haha.
Hey Andy, awesome post. I really enjoyed your blog on innovation in the brewing industry. I also agree that the class day spent outside was the best. One more, I reiterate what you said about Prof Kane, great stuff.
Hey Andy I love the point about flipped or traditional classes. This one seemed to be in a realm of its own and I agree it might be the best learning experience ive ever had as well. I hope more classes take on a role like this class.