Mapping

This is the first week. There is a sense of anticipation that is always really exciting when you begin things. One makes promises to oneself and it feels like there is a clear goal (at this point). It’s the journey that is where the learning lies and therefore it is also the journey that can be changeable and sometimes distracting. Planning is a way of mapping the journey you will take even if you decide to change your goal or the journey takes you to an unexpected place your planning /map helps you locate where you are, how far you are from your original goal etc…

There is an interesting set of BBC documentaries about the ‘Beauty of maps’. http://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/b00s2w83

Mapping how you plan to proceed especially in terms of time (when you want to get tasks and writing done by) is really useful.

Also look at how you are presenting your work. Blogs have been made most famous by people who have used them in ways so that they seem to be sharing the details of their life with the world. The film ‘Julie and Julia’ is based on a blog that became very popular but was basically someone writing about the meals they cooked each night. BUT that’s not the only way to write or use blogs. 

Our blogs come out of the idea that informal conversations at the door of the lecture room or in the changing rooms or exchanges in discussion in the classroom are in fact when most learning goes on. ‘Round the water fountain’ conversations are a way to get ideas clear by talking to others or to listen to another person’s way of thinking and maybe find that helps you with your own ideas. But we don’t have a place we are all gathering to have these kinds of informal conversations so…what about having them around a virtual doorway – in the blog world. So we thought the blogs could be away to have those important informal conversations without being limited by the places we are in. What’s more because we are all in different places and spaces we bring even more to the conversations.  So think about what that means in terms of your blog and writing style.

The importance is not on writing in the ‘welcome to my inner thoughts / world style’ , the importance is in the interaction. Writing things that are clear and to the point and share how and why your thinking that way – the experiences you are having is important in terms of the interaction of sharing them. It also explains why commenting is so important. Commenting is having the conversation via the blogs.

Task 1a / 1^st Module: Please, DO NOT put your address on anything (for instance the C.V.) and I recommend not putting your phone number either if you want a contact info part use an email anywhere.

This whole 1^st module is about positioning yourself looking at what you have done, what you have around you (your networks), how you see yourself (general reflection), so that you can move on to the next modules to work out what you can add to / work on further to complete your foundation in Professional Practice in a BA (Hons). The tasks in the first module are about looking at yourself - so see how it is best to present that past professionally.

Read my past blogs:

Positioning of Self – Saturday 16 October 2010 

Adesola Akinleye: Positioning of Self

Positioning of Self – Thursday 25 March 2010 

Adesola Akinleye: Positioning of Self

This is good to remember for people in Modules 2 & 3 each module is part of a progression: look back to work out your trajectory. You might have changed your ideas about some of the things you did in Module 1 (& 2), now you’ve experienced doing them. So don’t hang on to things just ‘because’ that was how you first thought about it. Let them develop, Use the blogs to share where your developing is taking you. The blogs can end up as a map of your journey made even more meaningful by the input of others.

Hope to have some comments soon I’m wondering if my comments settings are broken!!! Email me if they are.

Adesola