Musing - EDUC 4151

“Our achievements of today are but the sum total of our thoughts of yesterday.

You are today where the thoughts of yesterday have brought you, and

You will be tomorrow where the thoughts of today take you.”

Blaise Pascal

  Chapter 25, Tools for Online Engagement and Communication, Page 382

 Education for a digital world; Advice, guidelines, and effective practice from around the globe.

Blog / bläɡ

noun

      a regularly updated website or web page, typically one run by an individual or small group, that is written in an informal or conversational style.
verb     
     add new material to or regularly update a blog.

Journal Entry #1 – Of Blogs and Bloggers…

         At one time, I subscribed to a variety of bloggers and followed other bloggers at whim:  some were friends and acquaintances, others blogged about topics that interested me.  Originally, I thought it would be interesting to learn more about what others were thinking.  And, initially I enjoyed the variety of topics that bloggers were discussing.  Within a short while, I had collected many valuable resources that I hoped to someday use.  I was also more interested in reading blogs than spending time on Facebook as I found these posts to be more interesting.  Because I knew and respected two of the bloggers, I especially enjoyed following them.  However, over-time, I found that I was reading more blogs, clicking on links for more info, and becoming totally absorbed in whatever topic I was reading about at the moment.  Even though I was reading interesting tidbits about cooking, health, fitness, education, technology, book discussions, communication, social justice issues, I had little time left to actually ‘do something’ with all this information. I began ‘saving’ links, copying information into a Word document, or adding information to my “Favourites” for that time when I would have ‘time’ to process or re-visit the source.   

              Then, one day, a light went on….reading blogs was much like reading the newspaper.   Enjoyable and covering a range of information, but not necessarily having a positive impact that was making me more effective, happier, or healthier.  And, I realized that I was spending too much time in the ‘Not Important’ quadrants of Steven Covey’s Time Management Matrix and less time doing important things that truly were more important.  As well, I realized that I wasn’t ‘learning’ much of anything.  I recognized that I was still ‘behaving’ in my pre-computer days when I had organized and filled two filing cabinets with worthwhile articles, unique and interesting pictures, or ideas and patterns for different hobbies.  But rarely did I go back to those sources; instead when I wanted information, I simply searched for what was available online!

              So, I took the time to consider which blogs I would continue reading and unsubscribed myself from many others.  I recognized a new freedom in no longer having a sense of obligation to read updates and discussions; instead, I could focus on reading what was important at that moment and make time to reflect on what it was I had read. 

              Now, as I come to different ‘stops’ on my personal journey, I choose what I will read; I look for information that is relevant to my current need for information and/or interests.  I have become much more selective in choosing what to read or who to follow.  For example, when I am looking for information related to teaching and learning, I will refer to some blogs or webpages that seem to consistently include worthwhile information for me.  As well, I still tend to look at research to substantiate claims made by bloggers; often I consider research articles before I do a blog posting.

My abilities and concerns as a blogger

While I am comfortable writing journal entries for my own learning, I am not comfortable writing a blog; I only do so because it is a course requirement, and I likely will not keep at it once I have completed my courses.  Why?

1. Even though I had an open mind--even an inquisitive and somewhat eager approach to my first blog assignment—and wanted it to be a meaningful and worthwhile learning adventure, I soon was disillusioned with the process and expectations.  Reflecting on that experience, I wrote that it was likely my inexperience with technology that made it so frustrating.  So, when I had to create another blog for EDUC 4150, I decided that it must be an important learning activity.  I again approached the assignment with eager trepidation.  Eager to discover the ‘richness’ purported to be gained from the experience, yet apprehensive as I wondered if I would be able to create one. 

While I was able to complete the assignment, I still found myself entering the information first in a Word document and then transferring it to my Blog, which simply required time to reproduce and ‘make pretty’ a resource that I already was able to access readily. I am still waiting to discover the intrinsic value in using a blog for learning.

2. I wonder if my age is one of the main reasons I do not like blogging, or perhaps it is because I have long learned the value of and used reflective journaling personally for more than 40 years and in practice as a Life Skills Coach for more than 15 years.  I have developed a way of reflecting for my learning and saving these journal entries so that I can easily refer back to them or continue on with a new ‘thread’ in some topics from here I left off. 

3. My limited experience with blogs has not been positive in terms of the extra time to organize and edit postings.  Even though I have learned to be more adept at formatting blogs, that has been useful simply for learning more about formatting and being able to say I have experience creating a blog.  However, if the main purpose of this blog is to observe changes in behavior or thought, I can do that more easily by simply using Word or a similar word processing program.

4. I like the more guaranteed privacy afforded me when saving my journal entries to a USB; some entries I also print and keep in a binder and then delete it.  Those journal entries I delete tend to have personal information or names of others – I am concerned for their privacy. 

5. I don’t like the permanence of blog posts, so there are times when I would be less real or less authentic when blogging, which can negate the richness of a blog post.  When blogging, I focus too much on ‘writing’ well or ‘editing’ thoughts ‘just in case’ because I am not convinced there is not a way that they could somehow become public.  Some of my thoughts and reactions are simply surface reactions ‘at this moment’ and to get to the real reason for the reaction might require ‘venting’ first.  Should someone find that information years later and repost or use those words, they could easily be misunderstood or taken out of context.  For example, I could well change my mind about blogging; perhaps I have yet to ‘discover’ how to use or design my blog to be more effective?  I would hate for someone to quote my current reasons to support an argument as to why I assert that blogging isn’t necessarily as effective a learning activity as purported in many online texts and courses. 

6. I sometimes use a Ladder of Inference approach when writing about my learning, a course, or whatever I may be struggling with at the moment.  Doing so helps me better understand why I may be feeling angst, overwhelmed, or even angry.  But, for that method of working through an issue to be effective, I need to let my thoughts flow freely without initially editing them, yet posting those thoughts could be inappropriate for a blog post.  However, once I have come to a new understanding using this method, writing a blog post would be an exercise simply to post something and a time waster. 

7. There are many folks with more experience, more ability, and more knowledge about anything I might write about. So, when I consider that others may read what I am writing and thinking, I can’t help but wonder “Who am I?” to use up space to add to the information overload that is a problem today.

8. Finally, I am concerned about my digital footprint, I would ‘rather be thought a fool, than open my mouth (share my thoughts) and confirm my lack of knowing.

My goal in keeping a blog

My overall goal is " to understand why [I] see the world [blogging] the way [I] do and to shake off the constraints of the limiting perspectives [I] have carried with [me] into the learning experience” (Meizrow in Cercone, 2008, p. 129) because “individual transformation includes a change in one’s frame of reference or way of seeing the world” (Palloff and Pratt in Cercone, 2008, p. 129).

Specifically, 

1.  I will have an open mind with regard to blogging

2.  I will look for the benefits of blogs and blogging—rather than focus on my frustrations with blogging and my present opinions—

3.  I will reflect on the experiences of myself and others to better understand why I think the way I do about blogging to test my assumptions.

4.  I will check my self-talk and not complain when posting to or working on my blog; instead I will look for positive learning opportunities.

5.  I will learn how to add tags and links to my blog properly

a.   I will spend no more than 1 hour searching the Web for help with a particular question related to my Blog because I know that online sources tend not to make sense to me due to my lack of technological training; I’ve already spent too much time trying to learn by accessing online tutorial help and realize that doing so if often not the most effective way for me to find support I understand.

b.  I will ask someone in the know—colleagues or classmates—to demonstrate how I can perform those things I cannot learn to do independently. 

c.   I will write my own instructions and then practice.  (I can ask that they share their screen through Skype and then show me the steps.)  

Cercone, K. (2008). Characteristics of adult learners with implications for online learning design, Association for the Advancement of Computing in Education Journal, 16(2), 137-159.  Retrieved from http://www.editlib.org/p/24286/