Welcome to my newly created WordPress blog. I created this blog as part of Kelvin Thompson’s Blendkit 2011 open blended course created as aprt of an initiative through NGLC. While I am not shy about making myself heard in discussions, I have resisted the call to blog until now because I did not want to make the commitment to post regular comments that would make a blog worth reading.
I am breaking down now as part of this course for two reasons. First, as a course developer I feel it is part of my responsibilities to my faculty to explore the technologies they may have a need for as fully as possible; something I cannot do if I don’t use them myself. Second, selfishly I want to get as much as I can form Blendkit 2011 and in order to do that, I need to full participate in the course, including the blogging aspect. Finally, as part of a major initiative here at The George Washington University, I will be working with faculty to develop a large number; as many a 350 blended courses over the next five years; in addition to fully online offerings for the summer sessions. As that initiative grows, I hope to solicit opinions and comments from other educational technology professionals with regards to a whole range of topics and feel a blog might be the best way to test some of my ideas before I offer them to faculty.
I hope you find this blog of value.
–paul
“…[S]elfishly I want to get as much as I can form Blendkit 2011 and in order to do that, I need to full participate in the course, including the blogging aspect.”
Welcome to BlendKit2011, Paul!
I’m glad you’ve chosen to be “selfish” and engage in blogging as part of your path through the course. I look forward to reading your thoughts, and I’m sure they will be of great benefit to others as well!
Hi Paul!
Welcome and thank you for your post! I do relate to your hesitation to commit to shepherding a blog. I started mine for some of the same reasons you mention: to model for my faculty colleagues how a blog works and might be used. Mine was/is aimed at providing another means of communicating with faculty about educational technology. Well…you know what they say about good intentions. I have such trouble actual DOING the writing. I have lots of post ideas (some of which I think are quite good)….but I manage to always push that writing back to the bottom of my task list. A couple of things go on for me. First, I really hate writing. I strive over and with my words. I have probably a dozen half-written posts saved away…probably to be incomplete forever. I measure my posts against edtech blogging masters like Gardner Campbell (http://www.gardnercampbell.net/blog1/) and George Siemens (http://www.elearnspace.org/blog/). I think I need to be as eloquent or insightful ast hey are. The point is to capture MY ideas and SHARE them. I keep reminding myself of my original purpose. and that I won’t reach their levels of greatness no matter how hard I strive…but…
I agree with you totally that it important to actually USE the technology you recommend to faculty. How can I ask them to blog or ask studentst to blog if I don’t blog? Right/write on!
To me the importat point is that…in a course like BlendKit…these connections are powerful places to test and measure and refine and temper ideas. Good stuff. The best part? Making connections to new colleagues for that sharing. I am resolved to be a better blog-tender and participate fully in this conversation…along with you!
I’m so new to blogging that I’m not sure if this reply will go to Paul (who started this conversation, thanks) and Karen (who wrote a post as well). Anyway, here goes…
Perhaps we should start a “first time bloggers” blog! Cindy, I too have hordes of half-written posts and yes you (me too) may not reach the levels of greatness of blogging masters, but you have put an intention superbly in your “these connections are powerful places to test and measure and refine and temper ideas”. I’m just going to put it out there.
In the meantime, here is a link to “What we need is an evolution, but a revolution in education” that features comments on a TED talk delivered by Sir Ken Robinson with link to his presentation.
http://www.techlearning.com/blogs/40844
best to all, glenis joyce
Glenis,
Your reply came to me, as Cindy commented on my blog. Ken Robinson is always interesting. He spoke at Blackboard world in Las Vegas last week, and he was, as always, entertaining, thought provoking, and a little disconcerting. Disconcerting because when he talks, you realize how much work there is to be done in our field!
–paul
As someone who is also new to blogging, also driven by the Blendkit2011, I think the real value is in the interactions with those who read the blog, rather than in the blogging itself. If it is just about the blogging, than a journal would do. So, if I am correct, how do you get others to willingly read your blog?