As I sit here trying to figure out what to write for my very first assignment for this class, nay my first blog ever, I am finding myself oddly facing writers block. What do I write about? How do I make my stamp on the blogging world an interesting one? Haven't I been grappling with this technology stuff all along. I liked to think that I was relatively savvy when it came to the internet - I take pride in my ability to look just about anything up and find the answer to my question in no time flat - but I am quickly realizing that I really don't know anything about what the internet can do. As a person I think this is an ok state to be in because I am not so sure I want to be "connected" all the time. However, as I teacher I feel like I have been letting my students down in a way because the internet is something with which they are so comfortable and familiar with. I am a firm believer that the ability to use the likes of the students to inform the class is a quality that all teachers need to have because otherwise the students and the teacher are uninterested. The challenge that comes with figuring out this technology component of education is the unending frustrations and swears under ones breath - I apologize in advance for any and all utterances of such - because for me, at least, every time I get close to cracking the code something else fails.
Over the last couple days I have realized that there is so much that the internet holds to be explored, but it's nearly impossible to figure out how to gain access. Yes, I have explored blogger, PBWorks, and google reader more carefully, but I honestly can't say I have done more than that. It is definitely not out of lack of willingness or desire to go out into the deep dark unknown cyber world, rather it stems from my need to feel somewhat secure in at least 1 aspect of the internet. I have been searching tirelessly through the settings and features of the blogger to try and make mine perfect, and that's really all that I have done. There are been perusals through forums of people, like me, trying to navigate the world of the blog. Looking back on the last couple days all I can honestly say I felt was frustration and a touch of anxiety over having to figure out the blog. I already feel overwhelmed at the prospect of having to weave my way through formatting, word choices, ideas, and course requirements when it comes to using Word, now add in the internet component and I feel like I am quickly sinking.
I wish I could write about some cool website that I found or something that I found intriguing and useful on the internet, but I can't. All I found was frustration so thick it could be cut with a knife, and comfort in the only blog I have ever visited - postsecret. I think what I find so consoling about this site is not only that people are letting go of their secrets, but that they are doing so in print form and it is then being converted to cyber lingo. Maybe this is what I want, what I hold most dear, the relevance of written pieces, and by written I mean handwritten. Perhaps what makes me so anxious about this blog is the feeling that I am letting go of my tiny grasp on the tradition of handwriting something, making that much more susceptible to disappearing forever.
I think you've done a lot, Lindsay! So much of the learning process involves a sense of cognitive dissonance: we encounter something new-- an idea, an experience-- and, if we are willing, it unsettles everything we thought we could count on. Isn’t that why so many of us feel passionate about literature? It rocks our worlds. And learning to me is the act of sorting, making sense of, integrating the new stuff with the old. With it comes questioning, resistance, frustration, even fear. How often are we, as adults, thrust into learning situations that envelop us so completely?
ReplyDeleteIt sounds as though you are waist deep in the process of learning. If you can let yourself tolerate the uncertainty of this beginning phase, I think you will find this Web experience exciting and enriching. Try to remember: *you* have control over the Web in your life-- we’ll talk more about this-- and this is no time for perfection! Your blog will not be perfect, none of your tinkering will yield perfect products or processes. The key is that you keep putting yourself into the position of experiencing the new, the unknown. You can do it. No, you *are* doing it!
Karen
I sympathise with your pain Lindsay. I have half a page, handwritten, of usernames and passwords relating to this course in the last few hours. Sadly, part of me is just afraid I will never find my way back to the "Mother" sites again! I do think, however, that our students think in terms of internet surfing, text messages, and easy research. How then do we convince them that investing hours in reading Wuthering Heights is a good idea while we criticize their use of text terms like "u" in their written papers and their constant cut and paste plagiarism from the internet. We are so out of our element in both places I think. How on earth can we get these two worlds to ever meet?
ReplyDelete