Steve's Final Blog

Intro to Blogging

This was my first class back in school in 18+ years, so I was a little hesitant and nervous at the beginning of the semester. As someone who is new to the higher education profession (just over a year in a professional position), and as the only Masters student in the Lowry doctoral cohort, I was more than a bit apprehensive about this course, and my enrollment in a Masters program in general. When I saw the syllabus of the course, and saw that we would be blogging about current issues in higher ed, I went into a bit of a panic mode. I am very much an introvert, and very hesitant to share my opinions on many topics.

Are you sensing a theme here? Overall, at the beginning of this class, I was very hesitant about sharing my opinions as a lowly Masters student, and as someone new to the profession. However, things began to change as the semester evolved. I found some topics that I was pretty passionate about, and found my voice in being able to blog about them. Overall, I really enjoyed the blogging experience. I’m someone who doesn’t process things well aurally. I have a difficult time following lectures without some kind of active involvement. I also have found that I am so much better at expressing myself through writing than I am through speaking. I am able to organize my thoughts, rearrange them so they make more sense, and come to some conclusions without feeling the pressure of having to wrap things up immediately and succinctly.

After writing some of my more personal blog posts, and feeling particularly vulnerable after hitting the “Publish Post” button, I truly appreciate the feedback that I received on the blog itself, but also in conversations with my colleagues here on the Auraria campus. I received comments about really liking a particular post, or someone liking my writing style. At first, I was a bit incredulous. I haven’t really “written” anything in years. How could my writing style and thoughts even compare? Thankfully, I was able to get over that hump of self-doubt, and really get into the blogging.

At times during the semester, I found it difficult to find topics on which to blog. None of the articles that were popping up in the Chronicle or Inside Higher Ed held my attention long enough to be able to post about it. I found that I did my best work when I was able to find something that I cared enough about to write. As I stated earlier, I’m a bit hesitant anyway to share my opinions, and trying to blog about something that I just don’t care about seemed to be an insurmountably laborious task. However, when I found something that sparked something within me, the words just flowed, which was really refreshing. There were also periods that I found it difficult to comment on others’ posts. Sometimes, it was due to the fact that I didn’t care enough about the topic to form a strong opinion other than “Great post!” At other times, I may have been crunched for time, and if the post was particularly long, my eyes would glaze over, and I would have to move on. Less often, I found that the writing styles of others didn’t resonate with my, and I struggled with reading their posts.

Frustrations with Technology

Overall, I found Blogger to be OK. I have never blogged before, and am not really that much of a tech geek. I finally got a smartphone a couple of months ago, and I’m still learning about what it can do. I am not an early adopter of technology, so blogging was something outside of my scope.

My frustration began when, despite the warning, I wrote my first blog in Blogger itself. Because of some kind of interface problem with Internet Explorer, when I tried to post, everything froze, and I lost my entire post. First lesson learned: always write your post in Word first, and then paste into Blogger. Similarly, when I tried to post my first comments on others’ posts, they would disappear as well. Second lesson: Internet Explorer needs a lot of work in its interface capabilities. I downloaded Firefox, and it’s been smooth sailing since. My third frustration was with trying to track my posts and comments. I consider myself a bit anal retentive, but not nearly as much as some people in my class. I did not keep a log of my posts or comments, so I found myself toward the end of the class going through every blog post of every classmate to be able to tally my posts and comments.

My Best Posts

Overall, I believe that my best posts were the ones in which I had some kind of personal interest or investment. When I was able to find a personal connection with a topic, and able to interject my story or situation into a post, I found that the writing was easier, allowing me to be a bit more effusive on the topic.

When I saw our original blog categories, I was a bit underwhelmed by College Athletics. As a student affairs practitioner dealing with social justice and diversity issues, I didn’t think that there was any way that I would be writing a post in this category. However, my very first post was about Transgender Athlete Equality in the NCAA: http://currentevents695d.blogspot.com/2011/09/transgender-athlete-equality.html.

I fumbled around for a bit for the next couple of weeks trying to find topics to write about, when the inclusion of an LGBT question on an admissions application caught my eye: http://currentevents695c.blogspot.com/2011/10/bravo-elmhurst.html

We held our second weekend of classes, and one of the topics that was discussed was veteran’s student services. While we did not get to discuss the topic in class, it piqued my interest enough to write a more personal post: http://currentevents695c.blogspot.com/2011/10/first-disclaimer.html

A week later, I presented in a Sociology class about homophobia on campus, and the need for more inclusivity. There was one student in that particular class that was very opposed to what I was saying, and felt that my presentation was trampling on her religious rights, which prompted my final all-star post: http://currentevents695c.blogspot.com/2011/10/financial-aid-discrimination.html

Overall, I believe that my best posts were about social justice, diversity, and inclusion, all areas for which I care deeply. These posts helped to solidify in my mind that I am in the right field. I truly enjoy advocating for these issues in a higher education setting. I find that it’s absolutely true that it doesn’t feel like work when you find something that you are passionate about.

Reflections and Learning

I think that blogging was the perfect format for this class, and one that I wouldn’t have considered a good fit. However, I found that I was able to really engage in the semester this way. I was able to share my thoughts and opinions through informal writing, which I think worked really well for me. I’m not one to contribute a lot to class discussions. I prefer to be able to pre-form my thoughts, and rearrange them after careful consideration of my words and format. I absolutely appreciated being able to share in this manner.

I also appreciated the varying insights of my classmates on a variety of topics. Someone could take a topic that I had no interest in, and due to their writing style or perspective on a subject, engage me in that topic, and make me look into it further. Whether it was fair or not, I found myself looking for the posts from my Lowry classmates, as we share many experiences and perspectives. I was also able to discuss the posts with them during my everyday interactions with them, which furthered my learning.

However, where I feel that I learned the most was through the in-class discussions. Being able to take a topic, and discuss it with a small group for an hour, and then share our discussion with the larger group, was an amazing format for my learning this semester. Being in a small group allowed me the space to share my opinions without feeling like it was a competition. And I appreciated being able to choose which topics that I wanted to discuss, without being forced to try to engage in a topic that I did not care for. I think that our Lowry group is pretty amazing! I truly enjoyed the diverse perspectives, and learning from one another in the large group discussions. The groups were all very respectful of differing opinions, and it felt safe to be able to share my opinions. It was great to really get into a discussion that would go WAY over the allotted time. Hearing the opinions of my classmates, and being able to have an open dialogue about a topic and all of the tangents, provided an outstanding learning experience.

Beyond the process itself, I learned a lot about current issues in higher education. By narrowing down the blog categories, often not to my choosing, I was forced to seek out and read articles that I normally would not have even glanced at in the past. In so doing, I learned a lot about many different areas of student affairs, and higher ed in general. Although my passion still lies in social justice and diversity work, I found myself intrigued by colleagues’ posts about financial aid, policy, technology, and international issues. Even though the blogging experience is complete now, I still find myself looking through the daily emails from the Chronicle and Inside Higher Ed, looking for articles that may be pertinent or of interest. I think this is one of my biggest take-aways from this course…simply keeping up on what’s going on in my field.

I also learned a few things about myself. For the first time in my life, I think I have found a career. Before, I was employed in a series of jobs. But in higher ed, I feel that I have found a career, something that will hold my interest, and something to be passionate about, for the rest of my working life. I truly enjoy the diversity and ever-changing nature of working on a college campus. There is never a dull day in student affairs, as the students continue to make our lives more enriched and interesting. On a more narrow focus, I think I have found my unique niche within my field. My father was a very prejudiced man. I grew up knowing that his opinions were wrong, and I have found against him on justice and equality issues. It’s a topic that has really shaped my life and my career path. Being able to find that niche, and express that through a blog in a current issues class, has truly meant a lot to me.