What I loved so much about this class was how much learning you could do in your own time. Whether it be learning unity on your laptop or trying out VR apps in the innovation lab, it was totally when you wanted it. I am a firm believer that you work best when YOU WANT to work and not when you're forced to. The independent learning promoted this self driven attitude.

One book that contributed highly to my learning was Ready Player One. I read the book along with the class and it gave me a whole new perspective not only on the potential dangers of VR but also the potential for good. The way plugging in was able to lift Wade out of the sorrow and dire circumstances he was born into was beautiful and uplifting, However the addictive tendency that it provoked was alarming. This book had a direct influence on my final project where I attempted to highlight this addictive risk in a dystopian scene.

In the scene I used my headphones as a headset to imitate the slim light beaming headsets written about in the book. The look and feel I was going for in my scene when I looked out the window with paranoia was inspired directly by the book. When Wade moves into the high rise after his RV stack was blown up and the paranoia this caused was something I attempted to highlight with my scene.

The independent learning of this class, in my opinion, was one of the better components and motivated me to learn as much as possible. I'm thankful to have had Professor Harper and Professor Pacheco as they clearly understand the nature of learning and the independent component that it requires.