Are bloggers more intelligent?

I probably look in the mirror more often than the average person. Until recently however, I drew the line at what I considered the ultimate act of narcissism - having my own Blog. I last recorded my inner thoughts when I was 13 years old. I can still picture my diary/scrapbook crammed with photos of Bucks Fizz and Duran Duran's John Taylor lovingly cut out of Smash Hits. So why now, all these years later would I a)want to write down my thoughts and b)publish them online for the world and his wife to view?

One of the first recommendations from Shirley, our Instructional Design module moderator, was to record our reflections in a Blog. Despite being dubious about the instructional value of the exercise, as a self-confessed tech enthusiast I checked it out and discovered I could use a Blog to publish photos and share them with family and friends across the globe. The format is user friendly and the whole experience is more personal than using one of the online photo sharing services that try to sell you a souvenir mug every time you click on a photo.

So having wasted a few hours creating my own and visiting other Blogs, I began the first module's reading - Learning Theory. And therein lay the answer!

The constructivist's theory of learning is based on the premise that we all have our own versions of reality and truth (bear with me) and that the most effective way to learn is to realise what that truth and reality is and build on it with new experiences. This internalisation of thought and reflection is improved if we record the journey.

'Journaling is an example of an instructional method that facilitates the process of internalizing dialogue (Vygotsky, 1962). Specifically, journaling is considered to be an instructional activity that reinforces the skill of reflecting what was simultaneously being discussed with others (Burnham, 1992; Reinersten and Wells, 1993; Beyerbach, 1992).' (Kanuka and Anderson, 1999. Radical Pedagogy)

Maintain a Blog then, is not an act of virtual vanity but rather a way to facilitate and improve our own understanding of the myriad new experiences, exchanges and information that we are exposed to each day.

So the answer to lifelong learning and knowledge is simple - start a Blog!

Detention

If I could, I would send myself to detention. I know it's still early days but I have yet to break the 3 hour per day study barrier. There are so many ways I could spend my time such as upload cds to my new iPod, play with Luc, go to the gym (yes, even that is more attractive than studying), comparison shop for yoga mats (spare yourself, they are all the same), post a blog or contemplate what my next low carb snack will be.

Despite how it looks, the subject really interests me. It's a little bit like putting down a fantastic book because you don't want it to end. Well, that might be a slight exaggeration but seriously, the whole area of Instructional Design is fascinating.

Most of my fellow students are from the education sector but the relevance of the course is nonetheless significant for us all. I just finished one of our readings (Bates, A. (1997). Restructuring the university for technological change.  http://bates.cstudies.ubc.ca/carnegie/carnegie.html). You could almost substitute university for organisation and it would be relevant to any large, complex organisation trying to drag its development and training strategy into the 21st century.

I've yet to get stuck into my Multimedia in Education reading. That's tomorrow's task, unless of course I decide to check out yoga mats one last time.

Back to School !

After a couple of weeks 'off' it's now back to the classroom for me. This is the first week of Semester 2 where I'll be continuing my online pursuit of a Masters in Education Technology at University of Southern Queensland, Australia.

Last semester I took Introduction to Web Publishing which was alot of fun. To check out my final website go to the following URL:
http://studentweb.usq.edu.au/home/w0036792/MADS/
Username = mads
Password = member

This semester I'll be picking up the pace slightly with 2 modules: Instructional Design for Flexible Learning and Multimedia in Education.

This week has been mainly orientation. Next week, I'll start a (semi) rigourous routine of study!

Luc's birthday card

Luc turns 2

Last week we celebrated Luc's 2nd birthday. Of course, we had the obligatory 'I can't believe he's 2 already' conversation but it really is staggering at how quickly the time has passed. He celebrated at school where we brought a cake and some little gifts for him to share with his classmates. Then last Saturday, we hosted a lunch for some of our friends.

Luc has been attending school since he turned 18months which seems early but now when I see the amazing progress he has made and how much he looks forward to going every morning, I don't regret our decision at all.

Must make sure that we keep taking photos and footage as I'm told that it only goes by faster from here on.

Celebrating with grown up friends

New Bike

New Train set

Celebrating at school with classmates

Weekend Trip

Welcome to my blog!

Hi!

If you are reading this, you are either a) me b) a lost blog surfer or c) a friend or loved one curious about what I might have to say.

I'm not exactly sure what kind of posts I'll make. Probably a bit of everything including (but not limited to)

• Travel stories and general updates on our life here in Manila.
• Photos of us and Luc and written justification for our conclusion that he is the cutest and most advanced 2 year old that ever walked the planet.
• Musings of a student: I'm currently in the thick of a Masters in Education Technology so I expect I'll be posting like mad when I should be studying. My excuse is that one of my lecturers recommended starting a blog in the first place.
• Anything else I can think of.

I'll start with a post dedicated to Luc's 2nd birthday that we celebrated last week.

More soon....