One Last Blog

Introduction to semester of blogging – frustrations? Successes and learning?

I was quite intrigued upon reading the syllabus for this class. The blogging format both interested and intimidated me. I have never been one to be shy about sharing my thoughts or opinions in class (especially if those thoughts and opinions happen to be about Ronald Reagan). I have also never been asked to “publish” these thoughts and opinions in a format that invites the same level of attention and comment from my peers as a blog. Blogging has always been something I have been interested in trying but haven’t gotten around to. I never thought that it would take a graduate course to get me started.

In general the process of blogging, at least the technical side, was fairly simple. Once I figured out which email account the invites to join the blogs went to, and replaced my stolen computer, I was off to the races. My favorite aspect of blogging was being able to readjust to writing without being thrown completely back into the APA madness. The casualness of blogging served as a gentle reentry into the classroom after a long time away. The forum and format were perfect for re-discovering and redefining my voice as a writer, and allowed me to use a little humor and cynicism as needed.

Throughout the semester I found myself struggling to pick topics and stories to write about. I was never lacking for something of interest, just trying to narrow it down and focus on one topic at a time. There were so many articles and events to comment on that I sometimes spent more time reading additional articles and clicking through than writing blogs.

In general my biggest frustration was that all too often the topics that really caught my attention had already been blogged about in great detail by others. Many times this was due to my own procrastination and not being “ahead of the curve”.

My Best Blogs

I going back over my blogs from the semester it was easy to pick out my favorites.

1. Educating Writers vs. Citation Obsession

2. American Education vs. Education from America

3. Do Not Pass Go, Do Not Collect $200

One of the things that struck me about these posts is how different they are from one another. The topics are varied; style guides and citations, international education and Chinese students, and tenure. The styles of the posts are also different, ranging from somewhat silly and humorous, to more introspective and thoughtful. It was fun to see how much I covered this semester, and in how many different ways.

This class was my first experience with online or hybrid learning and was also my first weekend intensive class. Initially it was challenging to get into the groove without a more traditional structure and schedule. As the semester is coming to a close I can now say I am a fan of the format.

The Blogging Experience and How it Contributed to the Class

Blogging was an ideal platform for a “Current Issues” class. What a great way to confront the challenges facing higher education in terms of technology by focusing a large portion of the class within that framework. Blogging, reading, and commenting on the blogs were also great ways for me to connect with so many stories and ideas I would have otherwise overlooked. Seeing what topics and stories were hot buttons for others was also enlightening and engaging. As I stated earlier one of my frustrations was when someone beat me to the punch and wrote about a topic I was interested in. I wish that I had been willing to “duplicate” a blog topic earlier than I did in the semester. In looking back over my blogs and comments, I came to realize that I really enjoyed topics and stories that were blogged about by more than one person. It was enjoyable to see how we all approached the same subjects so differently and to provide different perspectives in the blog format. The multiple posts about SlutWalks illustrate this.

The blogs also were central to the class discussions we shared on the weekends, both formally and informally. I looked forward to being able to engage with my fellow bloggers in person about their posts or comments. I also found myself referring to posts and comments in the small and large group discussions. The amount of reflection I personally engaged in after reading posts was awesome. While I am constantly reading articles I rarely have discussions with others about them. The blogging has changed that. I find myself sending articles to people more regularly.

What I Learned This Semester

The process of blogging this semester allowed me to learn several things about current events in higher education, the really cool people I work and go to school with, and myself as a blogger. All in all it has been an exciting semester in terms of engaging current events and really getting to know some of my colleagues better.

Staying Current

In general I have always been good at paying attention to current events, both in terms of higher education, and in general. I am a news and current events junky, receiving RSS feeds, tweets, and text messages from a variety of sources all the time. More than one of my blogs this semester refers to my obsession with news and talk radio as an introduction into my topic. What this class, and the experience of blogging did, was to help me to pay more attention to the things I thought I was paying attention to already. Reading everyone’s blogs and comments exposed me to new sources of news and information. It was also wonderful to have extended conversations, dialogues, and debates about a variety of issues. As was stated over and over again in class, there is not such thing as a “simple” problem or “easy” solution.

Cool People Becoming Cooler

I have always loved the people I work with and have made some great new connections this semester in my classes. Being able to learn more about people by reading their blogs and comments has been a great experience. Rarely does one have a chance to connect with the academic work of classmates in such a way. I have really enjoyed the opportunity to see how people interpret and process events and to get a flavor for folks humor and writing styles. It has been fun to get comments and feedback about my thoughts as well. It was great to have discussions and disagreements about so many topics. Bing challenged about my ideas help me to strengthen my own arguments and consider new perspectives.

The Blog and I

This semester has also taught me that I am not yet a blogger. I was hoping to leave the class and start my own blog with a following of devoted fans. Not so much at this point. The process of finding content was not as easy as I hoped it would be. I was not able to inspire the debate and reaction that I wanted to with some of my posts. I was not as anxious to be the pot-stirrer as I thought I would be. I think that there are several folks in the class who would be great bloggers… I am not one of them.

Other Insights and Personal Lessons

Class Discussions

I really enjoyed the classroom discussions this semester. Being able to engage with a group of peers for 45-60 minutes on a single topic was something I found to be an amazing experience. To witness one topic branch out into dozens of interwoven themes really illustrated how complex and challenging our work can be. This is a valuable reminder to keep in mind as I struggle with attempting to affect change on my campus and in my life. Baby steps and realistic timeframes for expectations…

I also realized that I still can and do fall into the trap of wearing and using my privilege as a white male in the classroom. I realize that who I am allows me to walk through the world in a certain way, and to say things that others cannot, in ways that they cannot. This can present itself through aggressive confrontations (Reagan) or in more subtle ways (talking too much). I try to use this privilege for good when possible (Halloween), and try to shelve it when possible. I am still growing in this area. This is not something I would have even considered as an undergraduate or master’s student. The awareness of my privilege reflects my personal growth and self-work, and the patience of those who have worked with me through that process. I hope that awareness will continue to grow into action.

10 Points – 2 Assignments – Huge Learning

The “Letter to the Editor” and “Memo to Supervisor” exercises were equally as enlightening and productive as the blogging for me. While my letter to the editor was meant to be a thank you to a group of student volunteers and a dedicated colleague on campus (one to be sent to them personally) it ended up being published in the Chronicle. Before I had a chance to send it to those it was initially intended for, it was published had been discovered and shared by a variety of people. What was meant as a thank you for others became what felt like a thank you to me for writing it. In the end it did not have the impact I wanted it to. I learned that one must be careful with what one submits to an editor lest it be published, and that timing is important.

The memo was also a valuable learning exercise. I am constantly making suggestions and sending emails to my supervisor and others. I have been known to formally propose a variety of things as well. The memo is an almost “forgotten” tool that can still have an impact. I sent my memo to legal counsel and my supervisor… why write it and not send it? I am excited to say that action is being taken on many of my suggestions. I am not as excited to say that I am responsible for more of that action than I had hoped. Another example of be careful what you ask for, I suppose.

In general this class has been a very positive experience and a great balance to my other class in terms of easing back into being a student. It was valuable to start the program by becoming familiar with current issues on a broad scale. It was also valuable to read articles that were not at all current, yet echoed current events. Well played, well played indeed.