Reflection 1 - 17/9/09 CCK09 -

Thursday - reflection 1- Thursday morning Mission beach sunrise.

To maintain the discipline of reflection in my proposed blog structure My blog will be aligned with these key questions and headings as per my strategy this year for CCK09

How have I collaborated/connected so far?

I opened up my email inbox this morning and had a sense of deja vu from last year.  Last year I subscribed to the introductions forum of the CCK08 course.  This of course meant that all posts were automatically sent to my email inbox.   It reminded me of an issue that was raised last year about the concept of forced forum subscriptions by facilitators and the value of this strategy.  Quite a lot of discussion was generated around this issue and a lot of "hoo ha!" from what seemed like some very "precious" participants! Stephen I am sure you remember!

Last year I decided to connect to people via their introduction posts by responding to the Australian participants first and then in quite an adhoc manner.  This year I have decided to ( no rhyme or reason about this strategy but a little bit of fun for me,..... to respond to introductions by posting to various nationalities and extending my world connections). 

Note to reader: I don't find blogging enjoyable but feel that I need to demonstrate this skill and model different approaches for my students.  I have tried to demnonstrate how blogs can be used as a repository and reflective tool and what is possible in this blogging process.  So my e-learning blog that I have had for the last two years is a complete hotchpotch of strategies, , bit like the way my head leaps off laterally as I think about issues and ideas. See my e-learning blog entry (Friday 13th March 2009), for one example.

What am I learning about my learning styles and preferences?

• I take a long time to write blog posts and like the concept of visuals and links that allow my reader to explore further some of the ideas that I am thinking about asI write.
• I would prefer to have more time to explore and connect with people but know that if I do not maintain discipline around this process that I will again become overwhelmed, so today I have posted to the following people's blogs or introductions. I like the design and strategy that Laura is using in her blog .  I learn from others by viewing examples and samples and ideas and then considering their strategies for inclusion in my approaches.
• That the way people write and reflect or select their reflective processes does give some insight into their own learning styles and preferences.  Is Laura a very organised thinker?

What am I exploring independently that I have heard/read about in this program?

• Setting up a new blog has been a little problematic and perhaps I might have been better to explore a wiki or use my current blog, but to save time this new blog format has been worth exploring.  I also considered using a PLE platform but decided against this as it would have meant doing a lot my research and playing that would have taken me away from some of the focus of this program.
• Refined my skills re RSS feeds and reinforced my thoughts on the value of the Common craft series of plain english videos re technological tools .
• Have also checked out my google reader, Picasa web albums and moddle again plus blogger gadgets!
• As yet still have not done the readings for this week, but this has been slotted in to a weekend activity!

What feedback am I providing to other participants?

• Commented on Lauras blog
• Updated my profile on the moodle site for CCK09

What reflections do I have about all aspects of this CCK09 program?

• I find the CCK09 daily a good way for me to keep connected and in touch with this program and it is one of the strategies that I use with my students ala a weekly announcement, I also number these and date them in case people want to check to enure that they have not missed them.  With my weekly announcement I have key headings, these are general;  good news from the week, technical issues, assessment updates, to do lists and a quote for the week.   These are considered very useful for my online students and a way to connect them with their peers in this online program.
• The elluminate session for this week presented by George and Stephen explaining the course structure could have been enhanced I think by having  some visuals and or interaction from participants.  Perhaps a visual of the "chaotic structure" supporting the verbal description of this program.  A presentation aligned with this introduction and summary slides of what this course is about might have been useful. Particularly for those who might access the recording at a later time. Maybe even a wordle or cloud tag re some of the key terms discussed as a summary slide.  Is this the teacher/facilitator in me coming out?

What application could this learning have in my personal or work life? How can I use it?
I have allocated two hours this morning 6.30 - 8.30 am (even put my phone timer on!!!) to check out the introductions and the daily CCK09 online emails. This focus and discipline is one of the things that is vital for me in this type of learning and one of the things that I have learned from last years CCK08. I have had many issues with my students around time and the "link lust" that can occur when exploring resources and people's blogs online . This can provide great learning but also becomes very time consuming. Being discerning and focused on what to explore and what to store for later is the value of delicious for me.


What am I actively doing to extend my learning in this program and beyond?

• Right now I am trying to self discipline and will close this blog so I can go and post some comments on introductions and blogs, as I only have 30 minutes left in my self imposed time schedule this morning.
• Still going to explore design of this blog and refine this as i progress through this program.