Don't let the butterflies get you down

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 Week 2:  My first thoughts about the class

My initial reaction to this course is anxiety.  My stomach gets butterflies every time I click on the assignment page, and my first thought is “yikes!” It’s not that I’m overwhelmed by the technology or the actual assignments. In fact, I’ve embraced technology in my teaching and personal learning.  I have four different social media accounts for different purposes.  I search out innovative thinkers on Google+ and Twitter, to the point that, on some days, I feel like a groupie rather than a follower. Specifically, I use two Twitter accounts (@sharoncowen and @unhce_fcr make it easy and fast to post information for other learners with similar interests) and a Google+ account (+Sharon Cowen helps to collaborate with and post information for colleagues); recently, I’ve started using LinkedIn (to connect with former colleagues and friends and new people I meet).  Each of these avenues has a different purpose for me, but all incorporate teaching and learning about something as a goal in posting information.  I’ve established relationships with colleagues in other states and found fascinating information that I would never have found without social media. I’ve “met” people who have interesting perspectives on subjects I’m interested in (can people you’ve not actually met face-to-face be considered friends?).

No, my reasons for the ”yikes” response to the assignment page are more basic. One of the biggest reasons for taking this course is to provide myself with a structured place in which I have to commit to learning and using new technology more effectively as a tool.  I love reading about technology; hence, my groupie behavior when using Twitter and Google+.  But reading is relatively passive. Twitter and Google+ are easy to use, and you can get involved in them as much or as little as you want. There’s even a term for “passive” involvement: lurking. I lurk well and post fast.  But I’ve been trying to go to the next level and use more technology in new ways to reach new learners.  So, “yikes” is because now I have to do the work of learning new ways, and all those reasons for putting it off have risen to the surface in the form of butterflies and anxiety.  

Specifically, I’ve been thinking about doing a blog for 3 or 4 years; it makes sense in the type of teaching I do.  But I keep postponing that endeavor. It will take time I don’t have.  I’m not creative. I’m not funny. There are literally millions of blogs out there already; what more can I add?  It takes courage to put ideas out there; someone might take issue with something I say.  I keep reading that blogs are outdated.  Then, there’s the learning curve.  I know I can figure stuff out, but I do so by trial and error, and I’m not patient.  I get frustrated.  I mutter under my breath.

So, now I’ve taken the step to writing a blog because it’s an assignment.  I still have to figure out the answers to the questions I’ve asked.  But, this wasn’t too hard.  I liked the blog post “Why Do I Bother” by Steve Wheeler. That might help with answering my concerns about blogging.

Something specific I want to learn: there is lots of information on the web about using social media and technology for education, which translates to grades K-12 or even college.  I want to figure out how to use it for more informal learning situations for non-traditional students.  I work with adults.  I’m hoping to make the jump from learning about technology and education to using it for teaching and learning in much more unstructured and non-traditional situations. 

I posted a link to an article this week on Google+ that received much interest from my colleagues in Extension, so I will share it here. It’s more related to workplace learning than teaching students, but it could translate to a traditional education situation also and certainly professional development for teachers. It’s an article in  Learning Solutions Magazine called "How Important is Informal Learning" by Patti Shank about the importance of informal learning, based on research, I might add.

To wrap up, I have questions:

What exactly is Creative Commons?

What’s the difference between an article and a blog?

Timm, how did you get the robots for your blog (the mechanics of it)?