I must begin by saying it took everything I had to not include a terrible pun in this blog title. Please "meet me halfway" and be appreciative that I did not name this Kenny Bloggins. Bringing zesty back is a fitting blog title for a gal like me. Zesty, in my opinion, is an underused adjective which I am attempting to bring back into circulation. It is versatile and brings exuberance to conversation and lets people know you believe your topic to be rather spectacular. I feel a genuine enthusiasm for nutrition and am energized also by the enthusiasm that has been brewing for educational technology. Zesty can describe the feeling one gets when she is excited to learn, grow, experience life fully, and seize opportunities.
I walked away from the week's reading assignment with a variety of thoughts. I love the empowerment that comes from knowing that we are in charge of our own learning, that we may create our own education. That's amazing. Every conversation, every connection, and every link we click is an opportunity to learn something. The thought of making a shift to networked, passion-based learning is powerful indeed.
Creating a Personal Learning Network (PLN) comprised of online and face-to-face connections enables us to pursue personal educational endeavors. This skill of intentionally connecting with others with whom we can collaborate, share, and learn is one we must possess in order to demonstrate it and teach it to our students and others who may be observing. I believe creating a PLN is essential. However, it is clear that honing this skill and becoming proficient will be a long journey for me.
It is with some hesitation that I set a goal to increase my participation in seeking and maintaining personal learning network connections. Currently, I do participate actively for social purposes. I do create, contribute, and comment. Socially, I aim to keep the tone fun, light, and positive and historically have not sought out debate or allowed myself to join in conversations which are of a deeper nature. Perhaps this is just me over-thinking things, but extending my professional side out in the world via a blog or Twitter makes me feel vulnerable. Why? It invites debate and potentially criticism. I have given this quite a bit of thought and came across a TED Talk which discusses the value of criticism and inviting debate; it can ultimately help you learn and grow. See Margaret Heffernan's talk "Dare to disagree". This is not to say that I plan to interact exclusively with people with opposing views, but I do intend to participate more fully, knowing that I may face debate. I will strive to believe that all conversations and connections are potentially worthwhile and growth-promoting, even and especially when they are challenging.
Camille I really enjoyed reading your new blog! I love your zesty personality that shined through your writing. I also liked that I am not the only one who tends to hold back when being social (online and otherwise). I was at dinner with my father and step mother today and they were talking about how they had a terrible time meeting up with friends the other day because the discussion turned towards politics and it got ugly. I told them to stick with topics such as who went into a nursing home this week, and whose name appeared in the obituaries! Sounds harsh I know, but I agree that being involved in a debate is not always a comfortable scenario for most people. I assume that was the point of Twitter when it started. People could comment, but it needs to be short...and mostly sweet! I look forward to our journey into the unknown world of blogging and Twitter, and may it be good to us :)
ReplyDeleteThank you for your response, Michelle. I can see how, for some, posting and responding quickly and frequently feels natural. It is not as natural for me. I do want each word which represents my views to be an honest and thoughtful representation of me. Our text reminded us that anything shared on a blog or in a public forum becomes a permanent, lasting record. It sounds like you, too, take that seriously. I second your good vibes toward our journey into the world of blogging and making intentional efforts to become more avid participants in developing and fostering our personal learning networks.
DeleteCamille,
ReplyDeleteI like your outlook on being fun and light. I try to do so myself. The things I like about blogs is can let our personality shine through blogs. I mean when was the last time we can speak whatever we want and get graded positively for that? I personally think it's awesome!
I fear confrontation. I agree with you that it's a bit intimidating to be criticized. I think there's more positive people than negative though... Thankfully!
I look forwRd to your blog posts!!!
Ashley,
DeleteThank you for your response. I, too, look forward to blogging as a way of expressing myself. You are right that most people will probably respond quite positively. In my preparation for taking the plunge, I had to prepare myself for the possibility of adversity. Margaret Heffernan's TED Talk has helped me sit more comfortably with facing adversity and more confidently inviting challenges- not debate for the sake of debate, but debate for the sake of discovering truth.
Camille,
ReplyDeleteYour writing is so entertaining to read!
Great video. I found it interesting that Margaret Heffernan said we tend to want to be around people who are most like us. We need to seek out people who are different from us to challenge us. While that in itself is difficult, we need to also need to be prepared to change our minds.
As most of you have already said, I too don’t like confrontation and finding people to challenge me is definitely something I don’t like to do. Professional learning networks will assist in this area and opens a whole new door. I can find different ideas and ways of thinking without having to find someone who challenges me.
Thanks, Kim! I'll piggyback on what you said about being "prepared to change our minds". Through our PLNs, we will encounter people with opposing views, and we've already established that there's value in entering dialogue with them to better understand where they're coming from. There is also value in connecting with people who may have similar beliefs but have entirely different methods and approach things in a completely different style. Our PLN has the potential to expose us to great new ideas and challenge us to grow.
DeleteIf everyone agrees with everyone else, no one is learning anything new! When using social media for professional purposes, remember not to take comments personally. People are usually disagreeing with your ideas and usually mean no harm. Criticism can be a good thing.
ReplyDeleteDr. Dell, you're absolutely right. I do have to remind myself not to take things personally. Professional Camille and regular Camille need that reminder from time to time. I am prepared to engage in some thought-provoking conversations and debates.
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