Hi all,

 

We have now been working for some time together in the group. It feels a lot better now compared to when we started the course. The reason for this is that I now feel more acquainted with the different digital tools that we are using for the course and I now can find my way around on the different sites (google+, drive, ONL etc.).

 

The course work has been running quite smoothly I think, given that fact that we are quite many persons in the group. I also believe that we are getting along very well and that the facilitators have been very friendly and helpful with their feedback.

 

For the moment are we working with finding solutions for the first task. We have settled for the so-called six thinking hats or the De bono hats. I have never heard of this before, before starting this course. Nevertheless I find it to be quite useful as a method for solving problems or for localizing problems even in research areas.
When it comes to Online participating and digital literacies, I think that this is both enabling and challenging at the same time. I am used to studying at home and only show up during final exams. In that way I can structure my studies exactly the way I want without imposing a specific structure or a superficial schedule for when to do something. I know many feel that this total lack of structure is very stressful and not to be recommended but that is how I work and that is what I like. Now, being a teacher, I need to adapt to the students and for the general mass, i.e. formulate a schedule and structure that suits most (preferably all if possible).

 

The most interesting part for this week was, as many others have already pointed out, the binary Resident/visitors. I still feel very much as a visitor, especially since I don’t use any digital tools in my private life, with the sole exception of my e-mail and I feel perfectly fine with that. Nevertheless, it is necessary to emphasize these two different views and recognize their importance for students learning and that goes for me as well. Maybe I have been too narrow in my approach. That is of course also why I took this course to begin with, to widen my scope and to learn new ways for teaching in a digital environment. Otherwise, how am I supposed teach anyone to use digital tools if I don’t know them myself? I think this work in progress I captured well by the so-called Beetham and Sharpe pyramid model.

 

All the best,

 

 

Anders

 

References

http://web.archive.org/web/20141011143516/http://www.jiscinfonet.ac.uk/infokits/digital-literacies/

Evaluating digital services: a visitors and residents approach, https://www.jisc.ac.uk/full-guide/evaluating-digital-services