Week 5 Post

After reflecting on the last 5 weeks, I couldn't help but have the majority of my experiences be out-shined by a few major insights. 

I desperately needed to be forced to utilize these great tools that Google shares with the human race like blogging.  Prior to this class I thought blogs were areas for people to complain about their life, job, or family.  I also thought that blogs were only for observers and not doers.  My impression was that bloggers were teenage girls with a crush on the flavor of the month teen heart throb, winy nerds that want a voice that is louder than the one they own, or housewives that found a way to communicate with other housewives.  Well, my eyes were opened.  I saw how powerful a blog can be when used correctly.  If you fill a blog with great material and distribute it to great people, readers will visit, view and add to the contextual power of your blog.  A great blog could be the largest, most powerful professional learning community ever.   The opportunities are seriously endless.  For a blog to get to that point would take a long time and need tons of support but that doesn't change the possibility of it happening.  This class has definitely changed my perception of blogging from whiny to useful.  A great blog could definitely be a game changer.

The field supervisor was another game changer for me.  I watched Mr. Bain on August 5^th and couldn't help but notice his communication skills.  He had charisma and poise.  He had it all.  No matter what occurred during the conference, Mr. Bain stayed calm, didn't let his negative emotions show, and kept the conference going while the rest of us fumbled around.  Mr. Bain started the conference off with technical difficulties which he was transparent with us and revealed them.  He logged off and came back on with a headset, recognized it, and moved on.  The man is a professional.  I couldn't help but to sit there while I watched a man that has a job similar to the one I want to have one day and he was unstoppable.  He was proficient, inter-personally  everywhere that I am not.  When others would mess up or have difficulties of their own, Mr. Bain would say something to make light of the situation, make the person in need feel comfortable, and carried on the conference without a hitch.  That was 45 minutes of my life well spent. 

The next moment that was well spent time was that of interacting with my peers.  My main concern about online classes was lacking the interpersonal relationships with my classmates.  I know this isn’t undergrad anymore and I am not looking for a study buddy but I really wanted to get to know some other people that share my interests in my chosen profession.  The discussions have interaction but it is one sided unless you find your discussion post, read the comments, and e-mail someone back and forth.  The blogs rolled everything together for me.  My Gmail is connected to my phone and it would notify me if someone commented on my blog.  I found myself answering the questions and re-commenting on other posts.  This was the interaction I was craving. I couldn't wait for responses.  I actually had a nice back and forth conversation with one of my peers through the blog.  

The final insight I will mention was the most important.  Learning how to create and fine tune our action research plan is, undoubtedly, the most useful tool I currently have in my tool belt.   Understanding how to plan for an action research plan will remain at the top of my list until I actually complete my year-long plan.  This bit held insight on how I will be able to get better at my job.