The readings we’ve been engaging with about developing personal learning communities or environments (I prefer communities, because I would…) have been encouraging, exciting, motivating – and overwhelming. Just a tad. I understand the idea that we should be intentional and thoughtful about who we make the time to follow/read – absolutely. And that we should not just be takers/free-riders, but should also be actively contributing towards the vibrant intellectual (and political and social) communities we are taking part in.
But…
I’m just thinking through how to use twitter (no need to read all tweets, pick up at a particular time, and move forward; follow lots of different interesting people, so you can find some golden nuggets in the 140 characters; and the organizational beauty of the #). Haven’t found the beauty, the job, the gold yet. Much less thought through how I want to participate, contribute.
I’ve got the barest skeleton of a site here; am still troubled by the aesthetics. Even as I think about questions of what I will have permission to post on my site – how that impacts the utility of what envision in research and teaching through my domain.
And I am still trying to think through how to make my experience of my domain one that enriches me, as well as my potential future students and peers. The often self-congratulatory tone of much social media is a downer for me. How to invest time and energy in this project, without it pushing the same buttons? Maybe I can’t yet see the future. But I glimpse its hazy outline.
Yeeesss. I am so with you, Leslie. The future is a tad murky and I am feel like I am floundering.