Personal Blogs

I found Block 2 a fair bit more challenging than Block 1, but that was to be expected. It was good to be able to consolidate some of what we'd covered earlier. I don't know why this was, but I also found it far harder to remember who said what. That might just have been because we read an awful lot more and on a greater variety of subjects. Anyway...

Highlights

• Blogging. This was always something that I had assumed was not for me, mainly, I think, because I thought of it as a kind of diary. Diaries are great if you have a front row seat on historical cataclysms (Samuel Pepys, Anne Frank) or have a very interesting private/professional life (step forward, Belle Du Jour). But I just didn't think the musings of an ordinary Josephina like me would be of interest to anybody. But it's that 'anybody' which makes the experience unique and exciting. You're writing for an audience. Admittedly, it might be just one course mate, but it could be a total stranger who has stumbled on your page. And that awareness of somebody reading your thoughts makes it quite a different thing from a journal. I love the idea that I might be able to use this to share resources and network with new people.
• Online debates. Doing a couple of rounds of a debate showed me some important things about online research its potential pitfalls. It's so easy to become blinkered to the flaws of your source material if you really want to find evidence for your views. It appealed to my competitive side, as well. I enjoyed finding out about OER and trying a few of the resources myself. It's stunning how much knowledge is out there for grabs now.

Bit less keen on...

• Articles bristling with statistical terms. This is an area I need to focus on and understand. I want to become a skilled researcher, but my brain seems to rebel whenever I seriously engage with it.
• Learning designs. What was that about? Quite enjoyed messing about with Compendium, though, and Cloudworks is something I'd like to return to.