When I started this blog, I was a bit reluctant to share my reflections openly. Firstly, I lack(ed) confidence in my writing skills; the idea of others reading my personal reflections filled me with a blushing dread, akin to reading out loud at school. I had the option to make my blog private, choosing privacy felt like I was opting out and going against the principles of peer learning and open practices. I opted in and I’m glad I did.
So, what have I learned from ‘blogging’?
As mentioned in ‘How digitally literate am I?’ Social media spaces can be great for networking and learning. I found it helpful to define my social media identity. I questioned if my social media presence should be personal, professional or both. After engaging with Facebook for a number of years, I found it too personal and chose to opt out. In my experience, there was a lot of over-sharing, misunderstanding and competition for ‘likes’ on Facebook. Now I have a clearer digital identity; I have a twitter account and tweet in a personal capacity as a MATCEL student. Most of my tweets are connected to e-learning, instructional design and new areas of online learning such as OER and OEP.
Posting a weekly blog allows we to reflect on the week of learning; what topics were covered in lectures and discussion forums; and what assignments need my attention.
Overall, this blog has helped me to feel positive about my learning experience. Before starting to write this post, I flicked back through the last ten weeks of posts for inspiration. This blog is a catalogue of learning in semester 2 – strangely enough, I want to keep this blog alive and continue to post.
After each post, Alan (my husband) and Siobhan (my sister) read my posts and highlight mistakes. Thank you – I wouldn’t have been able to post without their help.
Time to switch off and take my husband for a pint!
Image: Pixabay
Blends of Learning: Learning and Collaboration Technologies 