Final Entry: Blog Reviews

During this blogging journey I commented on:

http://ejournalbyroselynn.blogspot.com/2010/06/digital-natives-debate.html


http://universityteachingblog.blogspot.com/2010/06/what-does-changing-environment-of.html

http://annesictblog.blogspot.com/2010/06/higher-education-in-web-20-world.html


Blog Review: Roselyn

In reading Roselyn's blog I was privileged to share in a reflective journey. Over the course of her entries Roselyn drew on the assigned and additional reading, but also incorporated her own experience into the concepts and paradigms put forward in the research. The personal impact that this journey as having for Roselyn was obvious from her comments on how this learning experience would change her teaching or add to her teaching activities.

In her entry of 28 June, she reflected on the Web 2.0 and resolved to become more aware of the 'online life' of her students. The goal of knowing more about the backgrounds of students was further emphasised when Ros indicated that she intended to survey her students next semester. She re-emphasised the importance of knowing about (rather than making assumptions about) her students in the following post on digital natives. Again Ros' sensitivity to her student's needs was reflected in her analysis of the VARK questionnaire. She was keenly aware that her students will have a variety of learning styles and the ICT can be a useful tool in catering to those styles.

Ros also raised some really interesting points about the reasons why people go to university. It's not just about the learning but about the social and interactive aspects too. I think this is a really important point. The emphasis on learning being mobile and flexible is taking away from our understanding of the university experience as a social one. We learn more than just what is taught in class at university. For many students, it is the first adult environment we enter and remain in for a significant period, and is a fertile learning ground for social interaction, building friendships and future professional connections and learning to interact in adults environments.

Blog Review: Sheena

Sheena's blog was reflective of an interest in how technology is changing the way our students interact with information and what we should be doing about it. She showed a deep concern that 'deep learning' would be lost due to the way students skim of over materials without any engagement. She wants to ensure that technology is harnessed to 'encourage lifelong learning'. This is reflected in all of her reflective topics.

In her first blog, Sheena highlighted the need to use ICT with a learning purpose in mind. The value of the technology only lies in the use we put it to. I couldn't agree more. Sheena has also complemented her blog reflections with her own teaching and personal learning experiences. In her blog on learning styles, she used her own experience to reflect on learning activities that appeal to her preferred learning styles. She also reflected on her own experience with collaborative tools in her reflection on current trends in ICT. This experience clearly gave her a context through which she could better understand the issues. this was an valuable contribution.

Concluding Remarks

The advantage of having so many blogs is reflected in this review - it gives an opportunity for each student's personal focus to develop. The main theme of each person's blog became apparent as the writing activity went on. Seeing this development in action and the theme's drawn out in that manner really emphasises the value of journal writing and blogging for crystallising and organising thoughts.