Reflections on Unit 5

Online learning isn’t for everyone.  It requires a number of skills and traits, including motivation, discipline, organization, ability to read and absorb information, and comfort with technology.  All of those are great things to have or be regardless of the educational setting, of course, but with face to face classes, the setting and presence of others can compensate for what an individual may be lacking.  The materials in the unit provide excellent advice for anyone taking online classes, whether it is for the first time or as a seasoned veteran.   Setting a schedule can be crucial.  Most of us feel extra excitement or motivation when starting something new, and therefore logging in daily or even more frequently during the early part of the semester is common.  Continuing that practice throughout the semester may be less easy to sustain.  The unit also provides concrete tips for bringing organization to one’s time and materials through the use of calendars and folders.

Working in teams is indeed a common event in the workplace.  Ken Haycock’s presentation contains excellent advice on managing the potential chaos that a group can bring to a process.    Haycock’s advice to reflect on one’s own contribution to a team project is solid advice for a variety of situations.  Recognizing which behaviors of others, as he puts it, “really push my buttons” is easy.  Dealing with it is more difficult, and I think many people tend to get angry instead of getting to Haycock’s fourth suggestion, which is to consider how you may need to change the way you work or to increase your tolerance for certain behaviors for the good of the team or the success of the project (slide 7).  Being able to accomplish this takes time, practice and patience. 

Near the end of her presentation, Enid Irwin reminds us that team assignments offer a space for practicing leadership and mentoring (slide 20).   But we need to remember that it also provides us with an opportunity to practice followership, to witness various leadership styles (or dysfunctional behaviors), and to accept mentoring. 

A few thoughts on social networking

I have a love/hate relationship with social networking.  On one hand, I’ve reconnected with people I knew long ago from my hometown.   I’ve even gotten to visit a few of them when I’ve traveled for ALA or other conferences.    It’s been great to have a network of people available to offer sympathy or advice.  It’s a great way to collect cartoons and humorous photos (if you’re on Facebook, and you’re not following George Takei, please rectify that asap).

For awhile, I was keeping Facebook neutral and using my Twitter account for my snarky comments, but even after I locked it down, it eventually dawned on me that it was inappropriate for me (due to my position, for one) to vent about work matters, even among a select group.  And that venting about non-work matters was just as ridiculous.

The “this day in history” feature that Facebook launches before the advent of the timeline made me revisit my thoughts about privacy and what we choose to share.    I had to spend a little time during my December holiday week going through and deleting or suppressing various things on Facebook that I had already done once anyway.   It’s very disconcerting to see references to the ex-husband pop up.   Especially after you thought you’d already cleaned up the online stuff.   I made some tough decisions, and I came through 110% better than ever before.  However, I just don’t want to see that three or four years ago I mentioned him in postings.   Isn’t it my timeline?  Or did posting about my life on Facebook end up resulting in it not being my timeline anymore?