Discussion Two

My initial perceptions about using the blogging tool in this class were mixed. On the one hand, I was very curious about what blogging is like- I have never “blogged” before, but I have heard a lot about it. But on the other hand, I was a bit confused about the whole process. It was difficult to wrap my brain around the fact that all of this personal information that I am putting out there can literally be read by countless people. However, I am not sure exactly why they would want to read my blog. On a professional note, I am always a bit concerned of sharing too much that might possibly be miss interpreted. With technology, it is so difficult to use humor, for example, because one doesn’t have the opportunity to experience the non-verbal communication that occurs when two people sit fact to face- or the inflection of the voice that one can detect from a phone call. I am a bit worried that this is the new wave of the future. I say that I am “worried” because I do value the face-to-face interaction. I value being present with another human being, and the vulnerability that goes along with sharing intimately in this way. Technology seems to erase that vulnerability to the point that more risks are taken and perhaps the consequences of those risks are not really felt in positive ways.

The RSS feeder had me really confused. I never new what an RSS feeder was until I completed this assignment, and I am not absolutely sure what one is even now. I understand that it is a way to organize media that one might be interested in, but couldn’t you do that by bookmarking your favorite websites. I am not sure what the value is in having to keep up with an RSS reader every day. I suppose it is good at giving you a “snapshot” of the day’s headlines- but what good does that really do? To me, it just seems to promote that fast-paced lifestyle that is so common today. We don’t all have to know everything that is going on in the world. In fact, why would we want to dwell on the negativity that the media so often portrays? It’s not good for us. It’s not good for our health. But if that is what one values in life, then yes. RSS readers and blogs are for them.

Where do they fall on the  cone of experience? I suppose that creating blogs and RSS readers would fall in the “experiential” realms. However simply visiting them everyday and reading what they have to say would perhaps be in the integration piece of things. You simply are reading what is already out there. However, mixed with that is a bit of media, interactivity, etc.

As far as the “imaginative” use of the blogs and feeders, I would say that they could be used creatively to express oneself. In the realm of middle school, for example, where many students are seeking the answers to the questions- “Who am I? Where do I fit in?”, they could use the tools to express themselves in healthy and appropriate ways. By selecting feeds to subscribe to that both enhance and uphold their identities and maybe even push them outside the box a bit, and by creating blogs that do the same thing, students have the opportunity to share pieces of themselves that need to be heard, and my not be listened to  otherwise.

Overall, I am still a bit skeptical, but can see the inherent value of the two tools, if not used to extremes. I look forward to working with these technologies more in order to gain a deeper understanding of them.