Social Network and Disaster Management Reflection
This spring semester I was enrolled in Social Networks and Disaster Management. This was a brand new Honors class through which I learned about how when a disaster occurs, the connections that someone has can make a significant difference in their survival during and after an event. In class, we were placed into groups and together examined and evaluated social media sites such as Facebook, Twitter and Google+ to see how effective they were in helping to respond to natural disasters. After reviewing some of the mobile and social network apps that already existed, we then created our own app that would help to provide assistance in the efforts of communication and recovery after a disaster.
For this course, in the groups that we were assigned, we were asked to complete four projects, all of which helped to lay a foundation before creating our app. In the first project, we were told to select a natural disaster and research its background, government and non-government responses, and how social media was used during or after the event. We chose to write this essay on Hurricane Katrina. For the second project we had to create a presentation about a social platform. My group chose to do our research for this project on Facebook, and in our presentation we discussed its background, how it had been used in past natural disaster situations, and the limitations that it has. As for the third project in this course, were asked to examine the needs for a society to be prepared for a natural disaster, and the challenges that governments and non-profits organizations face in their preparation. Then for the final project, each group was instructed to create a mobile or social network app that would contribute to society’s preparedness or response for disaster management based on the findings in our previous projects.
Through the research that my group did for the first three projects I was able to learn a lot about disaster management. In reading about Hurricane Katrina, I learned that although the government was well prepared for this natural disaster, their response efforts were slow. Also, the hurricane was more devastating than predicted which lead to further problems. Since Hurricane Katrina, the government has learned a lot and has been able to better prepare for other disasters. No matter how well the government prepares though, their plans will only be effective if the citizens are educated on what to do in a crisis situation and are cooperative in listening to orders. In completing our third project I learned that the biggest problems non-profit organizations face is not receiving clear information on what resources need to become available. Non-profit organizations are often unsure of their role initially after a natural disaster strikes, therefore there needs to be better communication between the government and these organizations. Another big issue that citizens face when caught in a natural disaster is the ability to communicate to their loved ones where they are, and if they are safe or not.
After reviewing all of the information we collected, my group chose to create an app that would allow people who experience a natural disaster to post a status to social media sites stating their location and whether or not they are safe. We chose this as our focus because we all agreed that if one of our family members were caught in a natural disaster, we all would be very worried and anxious to know if they were safe or not. The app that we created is very simple and would help to improve communication, and reduce questions of safety in the situation of a natural disaster. One the first screen, the user simply selects a picture of what kind of disaster they have experienced. On the second page one can select if they are safe or not, and on the third and last page the person will choose what social media sites they would like to post this information to such as Facebook, Twitter, and Gmail.
As a nursing student, I am not well educated on all the facets of technology or on how to go about creating a new mobile app. Therefore the process of designing and creating our final project was a completely new experience to me but I was able to learn a lot. I had no idea how much time this would take, but experiencing it firsthand really gave me a better appreciation for the work that computer engineers do. Provide
In looking back at this class and reflecting on my experience, I realize that I was able to learn a lot of valuable things. When I initially signed up for Social Networks and Disaster Management, I was unsure if I would be interested in the topics presented in this class. Within the first few weeks I realized how important this issue was and I knew that I had made a good decision in taking this class. On first thought, one would think that this class could not necessarily relate to my major of nursing. But after doing some research for this class, I realized that a big part of providing relief after a natural disaster is making sure that medical treatment and assistance is available to those injured. Although this was not a main focus during our class, it really caught my attention. In the future, I do not see myself as the computer engineer who will design an app that would enhance communication among the government and non-profit organizations. On the other hand though, I can see myself as a nurse who would respond to a natural disaster by helping to provide medical attention to injured citizens. If a natural disaster was to occur close to me, the knowledge that I have gained from this class would assist me in my response efforts and in caring for patients. In knowing the limitations that the government, nonprofit organizations, and citizens face with regards to communication, I would work to provide the best care possible.
I have chosen to include pictures of the mock-up of our app to demonstrate my work in this class. I believe that this app is the best collective representation of what I learned through taking this class because the idea was created as a result of our research on the needs of society in responding to a natural disaster. This project allowed me to expand my horizons and grow in knowledge.
For this course, in the groups that we were assigned, we were asked to complete four projects, all of which helped to lay a foundation before creating our app. In the first project, we were told to select a natural disaster and research its background, government and non-government responses, and how social media was used during or after the event. We chose to write this essay on Hurricane Katrina. For the second project we had to create a presentation about a social platform. My group chose to do our research for this project on Facebook, and in our presentation we discussed its background, how it had been used in past natural disaster situations, and the limitations that it has. As for the third project in this course, were asked to examine the needs for a society to be prepared for a natural disaster, and the challenges that governments and non-profits organizations face in their preparation. Then for the final project, each group was instructed to create a mobile or social network app that would contribute to society’s preparedness or response for disaster management based on the findings in our previous projects.
Through the research that my group did for the first three projects I was able to learn a lot about disaster management. In reading about Hurricane Katrina, I learned that although the government was well prepared for this natural disaster, their response efforts were slow. Also, the hurricane was more devastating than predicted which lead to further problems. Since Hurricane Katrina, the government has learned a lot and has been able to better prepare for other disasters. No matter how well the government prepares though, their plans will only be effective if the citizens are educated on what to do in a crisis situation and are cooperative in listening to orders. In completing our third project I learned that the biggest problems non-profit organizations face is not receiving clear information on what resources need to become available. Non-profit organizations are often unsure of their role initially after a natural disaster strikes, therefore there needs to be better communication between the government and these organizations. Another big issue that citizens face when caught in a natural disaster is the ability to communicate to their loved ones where they are, and if they are safe or not.
After reviewing all of the information we collected, my group chose to create an app that would allow people who experience a natural disaster to post a status to social media sites stating their location and whether or not they are safe. We chose this as our focus because we all agreed that if one of our family members were caught in a natural disaster, we all would be very worried and anxious to know if they were safe or not. The app that we created is very simple and would help to improve communication, and reduce questions of safety in the situation of a natural disaster. One the first screen, the user simply selects a picture of what kind of disaster they have experienced. On the second page one can select if they are safe or not, and on the third and last page the person will choose what social media sites they would like to post this information to such as Facebook, Twitter, and Gmail.
As a nursing student, I am not well educated on all the facets of technology or on how to go about creating a new mobile app. Therefore the process of designing and creating our final project was a completely new experience to me but I was able to learn a lot. I had no idea how much time this would take, but experiencing it firsthand really gave me a better appreciation for the work that computer engineers do. Provide
In looking back at this class and reflecting on my experience, I realize that I was able to learn a lot of valuable things. When I initially signed up for Social Networks and Disaster Management, I was unsure if I would be interested in the topics presented in this class. Within the first few weeks I realized how important this issue was and I knew that I had made a good decision in taking this class. On first thought, one would think that this class could not necessarily relate to my major of nursing. But after doing some research for this class, I realized that a big part of providing relief after a natural disaster is making sure that medical treatment and assistance is available to those injured. Although this was not a main focus during our class, it really caught my attention. In the future, I do not see myself as the computer engineer who will design an app that would enhance communication among the government and non-profit organizations. On the other hand though, I can see myself as a nurse who would respond to a natural disaster by helping to provide medical attention to injured citizens. If a natural disaster was to occur close to me, the knowledge that I have gained from this class would assist me in my response efforts and in caring for patients. In knowing the limitations that the government, nonprofit organizations, and citizens face with regards to communication, I would work to provide the best care possible.
I have chosen to include pictures of the mock-up of our app to demonstrate my work in this class. I believe that this app is the best collective representation of what I learned through taking this class because the idea was created as a result of our research on the needs of society in responding to a natural disaster. This project allowed me to expand my horizons and grow in knowledge.