My reflections on my TEL pilot activity: Blogging as a tool for reflection after synchronous audio conference, Friday 3rd April 2015, 9:00-10:00 pm, using WizIQ

Friday 3rd April 2015, 9:00-10:00 pm

The experience of using such a tool was for me something new and unknown. I must admit I was not feeling confident enough to moderate such an activity using a new tool for the first time. However, I had to be brave enough to give the opportunity to my peers and myself also. So, after signing WizIQ (many thanks to Dimitris for sharing the tool with us) i scheduled my course, uploaded my reading to be discussed, enrolled the participants and scheduled the vc. Finally,  I managed to send invitations to my peers to join me and pilot my activity and tweeted it also!

At this stage I wish to thank once more my peers who commented on my pilot activity and gladly joined the SAC session and also those that for any reason were not able to do so.

Finally, four of us managed to experience the SAC session and discussed the following questions:

1. How blogging helps learning?
2. Do you think a lot before writing/posting/commenting in a blog or are you fast?
3. How students use blogs to learn things?
4. How do you actually learn how to blog?
5. Please suggest other blogging tools ( except WordPress)

At first I could not hear any of my three attendees and one of them texted “ ‘Is there a chance the moderator  muted our audio?’. Of course, the lady was absolutely right. I then unmuted one by on the microphones so all of us could hear each other.

Then, a new suggestion was thrown to the discussion table “Shall we speak one by one as we did with Alex last time we had SAC?”

Again, this was very crucial for me since as a moderator I would have the role to pass the microphone to each one of the attendees, so that all will be able to express their ideas/feelings/opinions. I am pleased to say that my guests were pleased and seemed to enjoy the SAC session and I felt this as one of them during the 1hr discussion/ session said: “discussion goes very smooth”.

I did not recorded the SAC session on purpose , since I was not feeling confident enough to do so but also because I preferred my guests feel free to speak without the ‘Big brother eye”.  If I was intending to record the SAC session for sure I should have informed my attendees so that to give me in advance their permissions. Those who did not manage to join the session please excuse me for my desicion but you will have the chance to read this reflection. 

As far as the questions are concerned my attendees did their homework very well. They read the reading provided and were ready to answer when the microphone was passed to each one of them.

Below some answers to the questions as given by the 3 attendess:

Answers for question No1:

Blogging allows interactivity any time any place

Using blogging one can find/read excellent thoughts

Blogging develops prior thinking skills

Answers for question No2:

Baby bloggers tend to think before posting in a blog and even write their post in word before publishing it

More experienced bloggers tend to write in a more casual way and more quickly and more spontaneously. They do not bother for mistakes just for the meaning.

Answers for question No3:

They read others blogs and see what worked or not worked so they try when blogging fill in the gaps.

Learn quickly and get quick answers

Network with experts /blog experts

At first they learn because someone or something (may be a course they attend) forced them to blog and accomplish specific tasks. Later on they soon realize that they benefit from communication and are convinced to use it gradually

Answers for question No4:

By start reading others blogs (what looks good, layout, content, language).

Getting into the habit.

Getting more familiar.

Others just go for blogging and learn by doing

Answers for question No5:

Only, one of the attendees proposed moodle blogging. This sound strange for me since I know moodle is an LMS and I will search to learn more about moodle blogging.

The whole experience was wonderful. Technology was with us except from one attendee that tried to join us unsuccessfully.

Finally, my last reflection is that we do not blog to be assessed but to get improved. So, please blog and leave comments and share opinions and ideas. That’s the way to learn and unlearn and again learn and so on.