Just came across this whilst wasting time looking around facebook, happened to be a link to petition against factory farming. But that aside, hadn't heard of the site before and it looks to be quite interesting.
Personal Blogs
It's a strange strange thing, this forum business. I cannot get my head around them. One minute they make me happy, the next sick with worry! The difference between the business school forum (quite technical) and the Science/Health ish forum is amazing.
Anyway, it remains so busy in the second forum that it is very hard to keep an eye on everything. Occasionally there are comments though that I really want to reply to, and so do. At the moment there is quite an interesting chat going on, and there I was happily enjoying it, and then happened to look at a different thread, and realised there are still a lot of people who are unhappy on the forums. I've been thinking about this for ages, and I think maybe it's just the natural way of things when there are so many people on the same forum. People will form groups. I shouldn't expect to be a part of every group, and shouldn't be upset if I realise another group isn't happy with a group that I may or may not be in. If there are hundreds of students, negative comments are unlikely to all be aimed directly at me. Right?! I'm really disappointed to read these other threads though. I think this course should be divided up in future into separate tutor groups, so issues can be raised, discussed, and sorted. What strikes me about this set-up, is that students are all forming like minded groups - which is exactly what I would think this particular course should be avoiding. Tutor groups are so much easier to handle, and there is room for dicussion without it getting out of hand like it does on this forum. I'm so stressed!!! Ha, well actually, I'm not so stressed now I've written this. Apparently there is a cost implication in dividing into smaller groups... I wonder what this would be, because given so many students are taking the course, I can't imagine it would be that extreme. I'm pretty sure it would be worth it. On the other hand, I've quite enjoyed having so many people in the same place all interested in the same thing. You can't have it all. There you go, I've turned it all round now, everything is ok. It is what it is.
It has been a really good week on the forums of both my courses. Lots of interesting people, and lots of positive people.
The only trouble is, there are some posts that have sparked some really old bits of my brain back into life. I don't think I have ever known my brain to be so active. I'm sort of thinking of my future in terms of nearing the end of my degree, but having endless childhood flashbacks as a result of the various discussions, leaving me in a present state of complete insomnia. I want to tell story after story after story. I can't stop thinking! Yet can't start studying. Typical.
And indeed just a page it will be... but later.
I have completed all of my online tutorial activities though, so it is not as though I have achieved nothing study related so far. It's just the opening of the books bit... Why don't they want to? Why don't I want to? What? I do want to! But later. Not tomorrow, but later.
Tomorrow I will open my books again. I've struck a deal with myself. Even if just to read a page. I will open them. Actually, less of a deal, as there is no reward, more of a self-imposed command. Both courses, at least one page.
Another thing I had forgotten about submitting assignments is how difficult it is to get back to the normal studying afterwards. After going all out and being in a perpetual state of adrenalin pumped wakefulness, I always feel that I deserve a little rest. Then, before I know it, a week has passed, as will be the case after this weekend, during which I have very little opportunity to study. Strangely I don't even feel like I've had a break. This happens every single time. Ah well, at least I know that I am always able to catch up. Different people work in different ways, and this self-created stress overload followed by complete inactivity has always been my way.
I had also forgotten the huge number of people who start getting stressed on the forums, wondering when they will get their results. This is one of the few things that I am quite relaxed about. I quite like the window where there is a possibility of any grade. It allows for daydreaming, no different to the type people do just before the lottery numbers are drawn, I imagine.
There are unlikely to be many other opportunities to send a relaxing vibe out into the OU community, as I am usually the one suffering the anxieties. So this is good. What's done is done, don't worry about when the results will come, it will only make time pass slower. Instead, kick back, have a beer, and maybe roast something. Roasted food warms the brain as much as the stomach, and relaxes it I think I will go and do just that.
So today I found the link that shows the most recent blogs, and read through. It seems that the majority are course related, and none in the past week are courses that I have done, am doing, or intend to do, not that I suppose it matters. Still, it seems that there are not that many new entries on a daily basis, so I think I will add the link to my list of web pages that I check ritualistically.
Although my intention was to read far more in this area, my mind kept leaning towards wondering about the word 'fora'... much googling and text book indexing later, I know a significant amount more about amoeboids than I think I needed to (and a little more Latin).
I'm thinking of keeping this here until the New Year, and then either moving it away from the OU, or quitting the whole thing.
It's a strange situation, especially as I still don't fully understand what it's all about, but I feel that I would happily write my thoughts on various matters, on here, but I am held back by the fact that it is being 'watched' in some sense, and not by people reading, but by people 'just checking'.
I did just post a comment on one of my forums, but instantly I am worried as to what repsonse it will get.
My query is, if this really is a place to vent my frustrations, air my views, offer insight into the courses I'm doing, maybe it would be better placed in a different location?
I think a 'blog' could serve me very well. No one has to look if they don't want to, which compared to the forums offers a huge advantage. The forums for one course at the moment are ridiculous, hundreds of people all full of confusion and anger, love and shoulder chips, and it is a little stressful... it was probably foolish for me to post the post I posted.
I will make my decision at the end of this month, after asking the opinions of anyone and everyone!!!
The other course I am studying, more for interest than anything, is SK124. This is the course that has the crazy crazy forums (for the most part I refer to the multitude of posts rather than the content).
I start two more courses early next year, but I see little point in discussing them as of yet... This 'blogging' still remains an uncertain fixture in my future.
Oh the horror of a Wednesday night after 3 days away from the most hectic forums I have ever had the misfortune/luck to encounter.
It is odd to think that this morning I was sat on top of Haytor thinking about some very random, but interesting wonderings, and now it seems that it never happened. Now it seems that 3 days is a very long time, and an awful lot more happened online, than on Dartmoor. Though, were I to count the numerous invisible happenings I'm sure two OU forums would not win in this case.
Nonetheless, the horror of catching up is most certainly just that - a horror. I hope to extract the occasional gem of wisdom that makes it all worthwhile. Here goes. From attachment to assignment to resentment/enjoyment, but still no acknowledgement (and so a pattern emerges!) that it has all served a purpose... to say that I could continue like this is... an understatement, ha ha, and so it ends, for it is forum time.
Well that's it, it has been sent off. I was foolish to plan a trip leaving 2 days before the deadline. Working to an imaginary deadline was extremely difficult for me, so I am extremely proud of my achievement!
It will be an interesting experience when I get my feedback as for the first time in many years, I have absolutely no idea what to expect. The course is B322, and is my second course with the OU Business School. This one is very different to the previous one though, and I found this first assignment to be quite difficult.
I believe I will be spending the next few days sleeping, serving only to put me behind in my studies once again. It's a bit of a cycle that I seem to get stuck in every time, however good my intentions.
It's interesting that I said I would have that feeling of relief at having sent the assignment. I had forgotten, but that is not actually the case for me. I do get that feeling, but it is always accompanied by this all-encompassing fear that I have attached the wrong file. Even though I always clearly label the file, and open and close it a thousand times to be certain, I remain in a heightened state of anxiety until I receive feedback confirming that it was indeed the correct file. It is a saving grace that I am currently too tired to feel the full impact of this emotion, which means I am able to sit still for long enough to write this post. Incidentally, I still do not have a reason for beginning this 'blogging' experience. It is a form of experimentation at the moment, and as I am still intrigued by the whole concept, it seems to be maintaining my interest for the time being.
When I have some more time on my hands I will find some other blogs to read, to see what everyone else likes to write about. I'm sure that will be the ultimate time thief for me!
Should've asked before I wrote the first post. Foolish! Well depending on how I feel over the next few days I may try this out for the annual horror that is the lead up to Christmas. Can't hurt to try something for a few weeks.
For today though, I really do need to write this assignment. So many words, so few hours available to me. I will be working past sunrise that's for sure, and in Winter particularly, that is not a good sign.
Have never thought to use this in all the years that I've studied with the OU. It seems to me that it serves no purpose, in that I don't know anyone here, so no one will read this other than me. I guess I could use it to remind myself about randoms that I might forget, though post-it notes serve me pretty well for that. I have an impending assignment that really deserves my attention, more than this new discovery. At least I have tried something new today. I might keep this up through December, just to see what comes of it, as I really really do not understand what it's all about. Or maybe I should google it when the assignment has slowed my neuronal activity to a point that it seems to be an interesting idea. This message is so full of uncertainty and confusion that I almost want to do my googling immediately, but, no, it must wait. I have to write the assignment. And so to it.
Oh, hang on, options lower down include visible to anyone in the world... well let's see what, if anything, happens...
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