My experience with ArcGis was difficult. I am a Geography/ Environmental Studies major, so Geography 7 is not the first geography class that I have taken.  However, I felt very apprehensive about taking this class for two years now.  This is because I am not the best at reading maps and I am also not very tech savvy.  I has always been difficult for me to navigate through software and perform basic computer functions. Since this is the first lab we have done in which we apply the software, I was extremely skeptical about my performance on this lab.  After several attempts and readings of the tutorial, I was able to produce the map.

It took me the full two weeks and several hours in the lab to produce the final product.  I have realized that if I am to survive in this class, I am going to have to dedicate much of my time attending office hours and practicing the ArcGis software. 

On the surface the ArcGIS software is not necessarily too difficult.  The issue with the software is that not everything is as efficiently labeled or blatantly obvious as programs most students like myself are used to using. Furthermore, the tutorial was not the most efficient way to learn the material.  It was very difficult to follow word directions without an abundant amount of visual material that corresponded with the directions. 

Another large problem that I faced was that the tutorial was based on an older version of the ArcGIS/ArcMap software.  This oftentimes created a large disconnect from what the tutorial asked the user to do and what the user actually had to do.  More than being confusing, this was discouraging.  I spent a good amount of time simply trying to locate where different functions were.

Overall, I had a hard time dealing with the program and plan to attempt the program a few more times before completing other labs in the class.  This program has a lot of potential and gives geographers the tools to complete any geography task.  I believe with a cleaner and more user-friendly layout, an updated tutorial, and wider use of the program- there is tremendous potential for the ArcGIS software.