I'm rather sceptical about the idea of blogging. I don't understand why people keep traditional diaries let alone blogs. Maintaining this page for the next nine weeks is a task I approach with trepidation...
Notably there are blogs out there that have developed a following for different reasons. I.e. The person has an intriguing, eventful life, hobby or profession, however the majority of them are pretty inane. No offence is intended to all those who are active and willing participants in the blogosphere.
My intention is to use this blog strictly for academic purposes although I will be recording my reflections in this space too.
Self evaluation requires introspection which in itself is a challenge, and is something I've had to undertake on numerous occasions during my time at various educational establishments, but to then have to post your findings on an open forum such as this is pretty daunting.
I have the status of a social pariah because I refuse to communicate via Facebook or MySpace. I have rejected numerous requests to be added as a 'friend' on the Facebook pages of my nearest and dearest. I pretend I have no knowledge of ever receiving such requests! I consider e-mail and IM to be invaluable tools in my day to day life, I wouldn't be lost without them though.
However the aforementioned networking sites just don't figure in my scheme of things. Many of my peers find it difficult to maintain meaningful and essentially 'physical' relationships outside of their online identity.
Myspace for example was, in its heyday, a place for up and coming artists, or those with a product, event or service to promote to get noticed, network with others in their field and create a buzz.
Myspace users soon upgraded to the phenomenon that is Facebook, a site originally designed for university students to communicate. It is still predominantly utilised by students but it is clear that many people use it is as a tool for self gratification
The distinction between the public and the private has become increasingly distorted and I'm shocked by some of the content on the sites, the things people are willing to share and the lengths people will go to to get noticed.
I'm not a cynic, I appreciate the value of these communities and I think at some point I'll get sucked in and may just open a Facebook account
For the group project I'm working with Karl, Neng and Daniella...I knew Neng prior to forming the group, but for the others it was our first meeting.
There were nervous handshakes as we made our initial introductions. They are all amiable individuals. I think we'll work well together. No-one has tried to impose their will on others or dominate, which is a positive thing.
The issue of group dynamics and interactions was raised in the session.
Transactional analysis is a theory of psychology developed by Dr Eric Berne. It is a social psychology and method used to improve communication.
'Driver behaviour or working styles' concerns how we relate and communicate with others
Berne identified five working styles- be perfect
- be strong
- try hard
- please others
- hurry up
His findings are revealing but not definitive. It is possible an individual could possess traits from one or more beahviour.The above link provides a description of the characteristics of each behaviour. It will be interesting to discover which category myself and group members belong to.
We agreed to meet later in the week to discuss what we want the focus of our group wiki to be.But what exactly is a wiki? At the end of the lesson I was still unsure.
I'm familiar with wikipedia. We, that is degree students, are constantly patronized by our lecturers about the efficacy of content on the site. And due to its questionable and unauthenticated nature warned that it should not be employed as a reference for academic work.
Well I found a reliable definition of a what a wiki is, on Wikipedia.
A wiki is a type of computer software that allows users to easily create, edit and link web pages. Wikis are often used to create collaborative websites, power community websites, and are increasingly being installed by businesses to provide affordable and effective Intranets or for use in Knowledge Management. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wiki
'The simplest online database that could possibly work.' Ward Cunningham
The first wiki, the WikiWikiWeb, created in 1995 by Ward Cunningham was set up as a site that featured topics and hosted discussions on software engineering.
I would describe myself as techno savvy, but at the end of week one I can say that this stuff is just not igniting a fire in me. I'm finding it very tedious, not boring just rather tedious.
I work for a well known mobile phone retailer and am well versed in the language and products of new technology and I keep up to date with developments in new media. However I'm just not techno, techno...(I coined a new phrase!) and I don't think this class will sustain my interest in the long run.
Thought for the day: Computers make my eyes hurt. Seriously.
