Thing 4

Commenting and why it's so important..

In the Blog sphere, commenting is a must to keep things moving along. Bloggers need that feedback to know that their voices are being heard. It is here where a special phenomenon occurs and opinions really DO matter. It's not that personal beliefs don't matter in spoken words, it's just when someone blogs they are putting themselves in a position for acceptance or possible ridicule of their ideas. This is because there are no real filers in blogs. There is no, "Nice weather we're having" empty conversation. Blogs are your topics and how you feel about them and in turn, the readers comments /opinions and how they feel about them. Of course these opinions can vary, depending on the degree of the topics' sensitivity. Blogging is an impersonal way to voice opinions or concerns but is also capable of becoming quite personal. All of these passions wouldn't be possible without the commenting and feedback that is shared on blogs.
For this thing, I found the 10 techniques for getting more comments on your blog helpful. Leaving open-ended questions and trying to make my readings easier to comment is something I will try to be more mindful of. Also helpful in the Discovery Resources were the 'Your Comments?' by Blue Skunk (nice name). Most of these resources echoed the same advise; be genuine, polite, and just be brave and comment already! I wonder what my fellow classmates got out of the discovery resources and which ones helped them the most? If I missed anything, please let me know. To me this is all about learning and growth. Any insight is totally welcomed here (:
To be continued..

Thing 3

Okay, I honestly wasn't looking forward to having to blog for class. I had never done it before and prejudged by liking it. However, I must admit so far so good. Blogging is turning out to be actually pretty enjoyable. I can see why we would be required to do this for class. Enter "Thing 3". The assignment has forced me to familiarize myself with technology and my classmates. Sometimes it's those things that you fear most that end up bringing the most reward. It's like times in other classes of mine that we were offered extra credit to go to a musical, a lecture ,or something like that. Sometimes I whined about going but after it was over I found myself happy I went. Sometimes it's like that, being a single mom too. I might not truly WANT to go to Chunky Cheese whirl (hope that passes copyright laws!) but my kids end up having a wonderful time.. I usually have a headache but life is about pushing yourself outside that comfort zone. At times I become very 'comfortable' with the way things are, when really they could be much better.
During class we really don't have time to get to know one another, in depth. Blogging is a way to notice the real PEOPLE in our classroom. We see moms, dads, teachers, mentors, and real people. When we can see ourselves in others it takes away some of the anxiety of getting to know someone. This is totally an assignment I would use in the future. I don't think bringing people together to share ideas, concepts, and experiences could ever be a bad thing.

Thing 2

For starters I spent way too long changing my avatar's wardrobe! It was like me in the morning shuffling through my closet. The doppelme site was cute but I really wish the monocle (in eye wear) was free.. always wanted one of those. I hope my avatar is recognizable, sometimes it's hard to really see ourselves. I know my hair is WAY more fuzzier than my avatars but c'est la vie. I'm sure I will be going back and changing my colors and template around some more, too. As far as blogging, I am going to keep it real as possible and just write from the heart. Hopefully my viewers will see a little of themselves in me and vice versa. So far blogging strikes me as being very therapeutic. Although I'm only on Thing #2, I've learned a lot so far. Hopefully when I get the hang of this a bit more, my 'things' will improve, too. I want my blogs and profile to look like "Pioneer Woman"(s) haha. Believe me, I know I have a long way to go but it's important to dream BIG. Stick around to see what develops!

Oh yeah! I finally got my momocle!!!

Thing 1

I'm used to being called a professional student but never a life-long learner. Probably because I've never heard of it until now. Well I've always loved yoga, fishing, reading, and playing, so looks like I already am showing some of the symptoms of the LLL. The tutorial was very structured and easy to follow. Some of the habits, like the ones listed above, are already loves of mine.. and I always try to keep my mind open. Just like It's open to this, new to me, concept. I need more structure in my life. Sometimes when I'm about to teach a class I go in with the 'winging-it' attitude. That's got me through many a time but I'm getting older and feel the need to map things out IN A more concise method.. perhaps because my memory isn't what it used to be, either. Take for instance this current situation.. typing my first blog at 11:45p.m. on a Friday night. I'm just hoping I'm doing this right so far and kicking myself for not doing it sooner. Note to self, stop procrastinating!

Web 2.0 is totally awesome! I could get lost for hours looking through all the different avenues for learning. Most of the sites I had no idea about but am certainly going to toss in my toolbox. I'm going to have to use the advise given in this class to move more confidently through the Internets. Yes, I've been too stubborn and need to learn how these newfangled gadgets work. I must say I'm looking forward to it.