This presentation is about using blogs in higher education as reflective journals. It applies blogging to developing Donald Schon's concept of the reflective practitioner and his idea of the practicum as a
‘virtual world, relatively free of the pressures, distractions, and risks of the real one, to which, nevertheless it refers. It stands in the intermediate space between the practice world, the ‘lay world’ of ordinary life, and the esoteric world of the academy’ (Schon, 1987 p37).
This is a space to build a community of practice, where the processes of problem solving, experimentation, coaching and building a professional repertoire of experiences can be undertaken. Blogs can act as the ‘glue’ to hold these activities together, acting as a reflective commentary on the practitioner’s growth.
My argument is that blogs provide a perfect vehicle for reflection and critical self-awareness, and as such they provide the possibility of what I term the eflective practitioner, because of their unique qualities that raise them above traditional learning journals.
The key reasons for this are that they map the learning journey in real time; they are deeply personal, giving a whole person view; they use rich media that becomes searchable and reconfigurable using tagging; they are portable and easy to access; they encourage dialogue, interaction with an audience and peer group feedback; and they are emotional and playful too. They also give great insights into how learners learn, articulating how experience is transformed into learning.
you can see more on this at my blog at http//eflections.edublogs.org
11. ‘ Reflection is an important human activity in which people recapture their experience , think about it, mull it over and evaluate it. It is this working with experience that is important in learning .’ Boud, Cohen and Walker 1985
48. benefits group identity collaborative community document workflow online workbook ‘ warts and all’ reflective analysis organise thoughts
49. ‘ The blogs are brilliant , it is great to read what everyone is doing, quite addictive , and I must start to write more on mine..’ extract from student blog
51. mapping the journey connected knowing process not product real time collaboration deep insights professional not confessional final thoughts
52. ‘ Harry stared at the stone basin. The contents had returned to their original silvery white state, swirling and rippling beneath his gaze. “What is it?” Harry asked shakily. “This? It is called a pensieve”, said Dumbledore. “I sometimes find - and I am sure that you know the feeling - that I simply have too many thoughts and memories crammed into my mind.” “Er”, said Harry, who couldn’t truthfully say that he had ever felt anything of the sort. “At these times”, said Dumbledore, indicating the stone basin, “I use the pensieve. One simply siphons the excess thoughts from one’s mind, pours them into the basin, and examines them at one’s leisure. It becomes easier to spot patterns and links, you understand, when they are in this form”’. Harry Potter, Rowling, 2000
