Self-directed Learning / Personal Blog Posts
Even though I wasn’t very interested in the Internet when this class began, before long I was gobbling up Dr. Burton’s lectures and seeking more information for myself on the web. This self-directed learning has been an important part of my learning this semester that has fueled my enthusiasm for learning and for digital culture.
My self-directed learning was often sparked by a lecture Dr. Burton delivered in class. When I heard about something that interested me I would go look it up online. Sometimes my classmates would post on topics that interested me and I would learn about them from their posts and then sometimes look for more sources online. Much of my self-directed learning was also related to my group project. An important part of my self-directed learning was my blog posts, because writing about a topic would help me to understand it better and think of new questions about the topic.
Four topics I researched this semester were badges, open content, use of media by the Church, and credibility. My interest in badges as alternative accreditation led me to an interest in how credibility is created and maintained online. Because badges are open and because of a lecture about openness, I also looked into open content and it’s advantages and disadvantages. Trying to use badges as a tool to reward informing oneself about Mormonism led me to investigate how the Church uses media to educate. Following are links to my blog posts on these topics:
Badges
http://dyckellis326.blogspot.com/2012/09/open-badges-future-of-learning.html
http://dyckellis326.blogspot.com/2012/09/evaluating-credibility-of-badges.html
http://dyckellis326.blogspot.com/2012/09/ideas-for-mormon-info-badges-project.html
http://dyckellis326.blogspot.com/2012/10/a-mission-statement-for-mormon-badges.html
http://dyckellis326.blogspot.com/2012/10/the-story-of-mormon-badge-project.html
Open Content
http://dyckellis326.blogspot.com/2012/11/argument-for-apple-pie-internet.html
Use of Media in the Church
http://mormonbadges.blogspot.com/2012/10/efforts-by-lds-church-to-promote.html
http://dyckellis326.blogspot.com/2012/10/a-new-idea-for-online-missionary-work.html
Credibility
http://dyckellis326.blogspot.com/2012/09/evaluating-credibility-of-badges.html
http://dyckellis326.blogspot.com/2012/09/a-lesson-from-importance-of-being.html
Much of my learning was demonstrated in the Google+ stream. Here are the links to some of my posts:
Badges
https://plus.google.com/109246995627383520220/posts/F3JGkmyjUY8
https://plus.google.com/109246995627383520220/posts/1zu16Jqcjm1
https://plus.google.com/109246995627383520220/posts/QuBFPTp1jiB
https://plus.google.com/109246995627383520220/posts/AzQU3DkRTkG
Open Content
https://plus.google.com/109246995627383520220/posts/i4PmvBVmdCP
https://plus.google.com/109246995627383520220/posts/1uMWDe4HAjA
Use of Media in the Church
https://plus.google.com/109246995627383520220/posts/Wg5eZiio6v9
https://plus.google.com/109246995627383520220/posts/LwuhtQefZiq
https://plus.google.com/109246995627383520220/posts/GtxmVzpKtD2
https://plus.google.com/109246995627383520220/posts/eYiexFwbTcD
Here are some of the websites I used in my self-directed learning:
http://opencontent.org/definition/
http://openbadges.org/en-US/
http://www.mormonnewsroom.org/
https://p2pu.org/en/badges/
Collaboration
My contribution to my group project can be described by two roles: idea generator and prototype maker. As an idea generator, I was responsible for the idea that was the genesis of the project and I continued to invent new ideas for applications of badges as the semester progressed. For example, I came up with using badges to reward indexing for FamilySearch and helped develop ideas about how badges could be used in proselytizing.
My other main role in the group was as a prototype maker. Throughout the semester, I developed prototypes of graphics for our badges. At the beginning of our project I designed slides with prototype badges to introduce our project. Later in the semester I made prototypes for a Personal Progress badge, a Restoration badge, and an indexing badge.
I also contributed to other groups projects by offering feedback and sharing new ideas. Early on in the group process, I created a blog post of feedback for the CCC group. Later, I contributed more to Menagerie and the Sweet Homies. I gave occasional feedback on new developments in their work such as Menagerie’s new websites or blog posts by Sweet Home members. More often, I would think of ideas that might be interesting and share them on the Google+ stream. For instance, I suggested to Menagerie creating a space to allow feedback and revisions. Another time I alerted the Sweet Home group to a MMSS presentation that related to their topic.
I think I also contributed in a small way to class in general by making comments or asking questions during lectures and student presentations.
Others’ assistance
The two students who have contributed most to my learning in this class were Jessica and Josh. They helped come up with ideas for our project that I wouldn’t have thought of on my own. They were also supportive and enthusiastic about my ideas and contributions to the project, which motivated me to keep working hard.
Two other students who contributed to my learning were Katie and Greg. It was inspiring to watch their progress and the professional results of their project. They were good examples of good design values and of seeking social proof.
One more student who helped me this semester was Rebecca Graham. Though she probably didn’t know it, Rebecca encouraged me by responding to my Google+ posts with helpful, friendly comments, and by being enthusiastic and interested in our project when I talked to her in person.
Digital Literacy
Because one of my concerns at the beginning of the semester was that the Internet was primarily a time-waster, the Consume, Create, Connect model was instrumental in helping me realize how I could make the Internet a beneficial asset in my life. Before my Internet use was mostly consuming with a little bit of connecting, which was why I’d drastically scaled down that use over the summer. But the idea of creating online helped me understand how to achieve a better balance. Even though creating is something really important to me (especially because I write poetry) I hadn’t before thought of the Internet as a creative tool. Once creating took a larger place in my Internet use, my consuming and connnecting also became more meaningful.
My first efforts to incorporate Create were to write the weekly blog posts. When I knew that I wanted to have something meaningful to share in a post, my consuming became more significant. My consumption became more focused as I chose specific topics to explore that I thought I would like to write about. Later in the semester, much of my creative activity was related to my group project on badges. This also helped direct my consumption, which became primarily focused on learning about badges. One important part of my creating this semester was Prezi. Once I learned to use it for this class, I started using it in my other classes. Prezi was a good way to incorporate all three C’s. I had to consume information to put in the Prezi, then create the Prezi to organize that information, and then I connected with other people when I presented it.
Throughout the semester, the Connect aspect of digital literacy suddenly became more important to me because it made my creating and consuming more relevant. When I was learning about something, I would also be thinking about how to share it with the class on Google+ or in a blog post. I pushed myself to learn more things because I wanted to share them with my classmates. Creating also became more exciting because I had people to share it with. It was motivating to know that if I made a prototype badge I had interested people to share it with.
Even though this class is over, I’m going to try to continue using the three C’s to regulate my Internet use and make it more useful and meaningful to me. This coming semester I’m going to be spending much of my time completing an original collection of poetry for my Honors thesis. To enhance my creating, I plan on reviving my defunct poetry blog so that I can connect with others and receive social proof to help me revise my poems. I’m going to try to relate my consumption to my creative efforts by reading more online poetry publications and maybe by keeping up with Menagerie. When I consume other media or information online, I’m going to try to moderate that consumption by looking for opportunities to connect with others in meaningful ways and by letting that consumption inspire creation. What I’ve learned in this class will keep influencing how I use the Internet and will continue helping me to take control of my digital life.
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