Blog Posts Reflective Essay

Honestly, when I heard that I was going to have to blog for this class, I was a bit perturbed. I have made a conscious effort in my life to limit my use of electronics. I realize the usefulness and convenience of many appliances, and I am not anti-technology, but I fear that the world has become impersonal. When communication becomes impersonal I feel as though something human is lost. This was my main fear of using the blog aspect of the course; that nobody would be personal; nobody would be comfortable enough with anyone else to be honest. Initially, in the early blogs, this was the case. However, I was able to see that preparing of the blog helped to stimulate dialogue within the classroom. Having the blog assignments due before the class and then discussing it in class encouraged though before discussion. By the time I got to class, I had already taken time to think about the issue and write it down.

The first of the blogs were reading responses. These were my favorite blogs to write. There is a certain amount of candidness about writing your opinion. The blogs were more open ended and gave more freedom to wander. I did notice that the comments from other students during these first blogs were very generic and neutral. “I agree” or “nice thought” were terms used in early comments. This seems to have been the “getting to know you” period of the blogs. Because as I look further into the responses, people became more and more focused. Instead of “I agree”, comments concentrated on specific areas of the posts, “great last paragraph” or “you didn’t cover this . . . “. I was surprised that this sort of communication started to take place.

This is an environmentally based writing class and using the blog to turn in assignments was a valuable supported of what the class was teaching. If everyone had turned in everything typed and printed we would have killed a lot of trees. Here is an instance where “practice what you preach” was successfully carried out. Another class I had this quarter was all paper based. Needless to say, my folder for that class is busting at the seams. On the other hand, there is something very intriguing about holding what you’re reading. It becomes more of a learning experience. I was once told that the more senses you use to learn something the better the chances are that you will remember. The blogs were minimally interactive, providing a 2-D learning environment that demands direct attention. Also, in my research into light pollution I found that staring at a computer screen is not all that healthy for you. Weighting all the pros and cons, I still find that the environmental benefit of the blogs outweighs its downfalls.
The blogs that were not based on the reading done for the class were all based on our research projects. I found the most benefit with these posts. I can get on my blog as watch the progression of my research through the chronological posts. This is very interesting. I can see how I went from brainstorming, to a draft, to the next draft and so on. Sometimes when writing research projects, you can get so diluted. It feels like you aren’t getting anywhere; walking in circles. It is hard to figure if you have made any progress at all. The blogs instantly support the method behind this type of writing. It was helpful to see how I learned. This is something that will be useful outside of this class and my major. If you understand how you learn, you can take measures to pin-point what you do well, what you need work on.

Would I want to blog again for a class? No, but I wouldn’t be angry about it either. Would I ever blog for personal reasons? No. Would I suggest blogging as a good alternative to using paper in the classroom? Definitely. Would I suggest blogging as a good way to show students their own learning? Yes! I can now say that I have blogged; next on the list is skydiving.