injenuity

Posted by Jennifer on June 21st, 2008 in Uncategorized , Blogging, Learning

This has been the most active week this blog has ever seen. On the 16th, one month after I was dropped off at the airport in Saskatoon, leaving behind my new friends but carrying fond memories, I felt like I needed to share some of my latest intuitions.  The thoughts didn’t translate well to words, so I posted an image, without an explanation.  Following several weeks of learning and growth during the SCoPE seminar, I revised my original thoughts on VPD.

The next day I gained some courage and posted about change, though didn’t get very specific. I still couldn’t find the words to describe what I feel is about to happen.  I hope to be able to explain more in the weeks to come.  When I posted the tree, I was thinking about how we need to all find our roots and be strong enough to stand on our own within our communities.  We’ve got to hold on to our core values, while maintaining flexibility in the face of storms.  The storms are coming.

Frustrated with my inability to find the words to describe my thoughts, I wrote Down in Front, as a way to quickly convey my thoughts on the churn in my personal network as well as challenges I see in our future.  I composed it in my head as I was driving between dropping off my son and coming home for a sick day.  I’ve been sick with a cold, allergies and asthma for a week, culminating in a nasty case of pinkeye!  I never intended the post to receive response, and thought it would come across as snarky and rude.  Not only am I amazed at the number of responses, but I have learned so much from the conversations that have emerged.

I can’t recall if there was a single incident that tipped me over the edge with my Future of Education post. I think I just read too many examples of people excited about new tools, and saw no evidence of learning, other than learning how to use the tool.  The response to that post just blew my mind.  I teach instructors they can easily build community using classroom blogging, but I’ve never really modeled it on my own blog.  Your thoughtful responses and careful reflections taught me so much about your classroom worlds, and also about how a blog can foster creativity.

The post on disconnecting, should have been divided in two, because I had completely separate points to make.  Again, your responses are what made the post!  I can’t believe how much I have learned, without ever having to leave the space of my own blog. I now understand the value of posting long comments on other blogs. In the past, I felt guilty. I felt I was hijacking a blog if I left a post that was more than a paragraph or so.  Now I see that more learning happens after the original post.  I’ve even changed my mind on a few of my comments, and recognized errors in the way I’ve communicated my thoughts.

Thank you all for teaching me this week. Thank you for taking the time to visit, compose and collaborate.  Thank you for setting an example of how to compost thoughtful blog replies.  Thank you for sharing creative ways to disagree with respect.  I have so much more to learn, and I can’t wait to get started!