Reflective Post, Take One

In preparation for this post, I returned to my first from this class. I had hoped to find some list of goals or aspirations that would enhance or guide my learning throughout the semester.

There were no such goals, only abstracts written down. I wish to clarify this oversight right now.

For the remainder of this class, my goals are as such:

1. I will post on the historical content a minimum of two times a week.

As I have read through the materials, I see the correlation between the digital age and historical paradigm shifts. When I read on the Atomic Age and its influence on all aspects of early and mid 20th century history, I focused on the way media shaped and influenced public perception. The frontier ideology of the 18th and 19th century is still alive, though the exploration is not of lands stretched into the horizon. Rather, we explore the capabilities of computers and the connectability of man.

2. I will focus my writing to reflect my own tastes.

I am a bland blogger. That's right; I wrote it in bold, because I feel it true. I don't allow my personality to come out in my blog writing. Hidden behind these words should be sarcasm, witticism, a sly smile that is slightly off kilter with the world. I fear I am not reflected in my own blog, and that is a scary thing.

But that is the superficial problem. How many of you reading this blog post know I want to be a teacher? That I study comedy? Or that I cook exceptionally well? One of the goals behind this Digital Civilization course is to connect with others through digital media. Am I attaining this goal? I fear I am not, so I will allow more of myself into the text.

(This is the same issues playing in The UnCommon Reader by Alan Bennet. I encourage to read this novella, or at least a plot summary. It is meta!)

3. I need to prove I'm a consumer.... but not the kind you're thinking of. Kurt Witt reviewed my blog, and noticed that I don't bring in many outside sources. My use of the Diigo group is also subpar. So, what is there to do? I need to mark my education down, using digital bookmarks. Watch out kids, I can go on tangents in understanding class principles.

Those are two defined goals for not only the end of this semester, but the rest of my life. Why, Mike, be so dramatic? Because the idea behind this course should course through my veins, I am being desperate. I will be a teacher in a few short years. How can I teach my students anything if I have stopped learning? Or, if I say "I have my Facebook; that is enough?" Digital media and social networks are reshaping communication. If I don't "keep up," I run the risk of not knowing (this shows the fallibility of English. We have know for countless meanings. What do I mean? At least in portuguese, there are two words for know; this knowledge falls into the conhecer family.)

how best to reach them. This is all the time I have at the moment; class begins soon. I will post more in due time.