Today I learned how to create a blog, among other things. I attended a session where Stephen Downes presided and while I have known about blogs for some time, I had not really considered how useful they may become to me.
Blogs have some great applications for teaching adult learners if only I can encourage them to give the technology a try. I think I would have a lot less trouble getting teenagers to embrace blogs - in fact they will teach me much about them if I can incorporate them into the online learning environment I am developing for them for next semester. Though that attitude is probably outrageously from the 'old school', and not about the new paradigm for learning at all - I just used the language of the stuck-in-the-old-paradigm-group. Probably I am going to be unable to shed that paradigm, pragmatically, though I guess I can think about ways I can become part of the subtle and gradual shift to a new way of thinking.
I like the idea of open access, open learning, sharing, networking and community knowledge dissemination. I'm a collaboarative community worker/developer in the 'real world' after all. I like the ideas Stephen revealed about some new ways to handle huge amounts of data intelligently.
Stephen, you have left me with more questions than answers today though. Thoughts about Wikis and RSS files and the nature of online learning in general are spinning around in my head. While I like to know about the theory and the back room stuff, I really am a very practical and hands on type person - I like to get in and use things straight away without spending TOO much time contemplating....but you may just make me spend some more time doing that very thing - contemplating.
It is late, and as I can do anything I like with my own blog, I am going to stop now and think some more before adding more to it.
Maybe tomorrow things will be a little more crystallised for me - or not.
:-)
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2 comments:
Questions are good, and answers don't have to come right away. Congratulations on your new blog.
Don't worry if you don't get a lot of traffic or comments right away. The thing to do is read realted blogs and add comments - like I'm doing here - and be sure to put your blog URL in the post. Keep adding good content to your blog and your reader base will slowly grow.
Hey, Stephen - thanks for your post! Very exciting to get a comment - it must have had something to do with putting your name in the blog, right? He he.
Thanks for the tips. WIll see where this all leads. Am feeling a little frivolous about educational matters for the nexty week, being on leave and all..
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