I must confess I used to absolutely hate blogging! The idea of putting my life up on display on an online webpage so people could read about what I did, did not do, or thought about doing on a daily basis was simply absurd. I used to think such activities were confined for closet exhibitionists and attention whores. I mean, blogging can even get you imprisoned on charges of sedition (if in doubt ask Malaysia’s Raja Petra Kamaruddin)!
Setting up the blog and displaying the virgin post were the first steps towards selling out. When the comments from my classmates and Brad started coming in, I actually started to feel a bit curious, excited even. I thought ‘Hm... this might actually turn out to be fun.’ Now, it’s the last post and I’m literally sobbing into my keyboard, wishing it wouldn’t end.
In so many ways, blogging has been so indicative of how this class has progressed. It has encouraged us to move out of our comfort zones, shed old habits and adopt new approaches towards effective communication. Learning about effective communication and practicing it has been such a dynamic and enriching process. What also intrigues me is that despite all the conventional wisdom and rules pertaining effective communication, everyone can still have a distinct and unique personal style without compromising these guidelines. It has been incredibly fascinating learning about everyone through classroom interactions and blog posts.
The word ‘professional’ usually conveys a sense of formality, starchiness and boredom. This course has been anything but. Thank you Brad and my amazing classmates for a brilliant experience. Let’s all get drunk together please!
六弄咖啡館
8 years ago
6 comments:
Haha, I felt the exact same way about blogging earlier this semester. What compounded that is the fact that it would be graded, of all things. Same as you, I am now more open to blogging, though I doubt I would be sobbing into my keyboard. :p
Wish you all the best in your future endeavors. If the planets align correctly, I am sure we will meet again. :)
Dear Ben,
I totally agree with you that initially I also saw blogging as a cumbersome task and since I had not attempted it before I thought of it as a exposure too..
However as the semester went along, blogging turned out to be such a interesting and exciting task as there was so much interaction among all of us in the class. If we had to maintain a manual portfolio, we would probably share our ideas only with Prof and he would give us feed back, as it happens in most courses. But the e portfolio was a novel idea where we all could give feed back on one another and learn accordingly.
I am sure we can still carry on our friendship even if our role in ES2007S has come to an end...:)
Good luck Ben for all your future plans...:)Cheers..:)
Hi Kheng Aik and Vijani, I'm so glad I wasn't the only one who felt this way! Adding the grading dimension to blogging definitely heaped that little bit more pressure on all of us.
Vijani, i totally agree that switching from a manual portfolio to an electronic one gave us all a chance to view and reflect upon each others' musings and writings, learning about each other on the way.
Hello Ben.
Well, to me, blogging is something very familiar as I have a personal online blog as well.
However, I really enjoy reading the posts each one of us made pertaning to a similar theme. Despite having a common theme, many different ideas and views can be generated, clearly displaying individuality.
Blogging also serves an a written form of communication and the tone and language used in each posts to bring across each individuals' thoughts enables me to know each one of you better (:
Hi Ben!
Haha i don't know if Brad will be interested in getting drunk with us.
Really appreciate your insightful posts. You certainly write very well, and i'm really surprised that this is your 'first' attempt at blogging! (Thought you were a frequent blogger!)
I agree that things really got interesting when ideas and opinions were shared. Guess many heads are truly better than 1!
Cheers buddy!
Mr. Chubby Alonso,
This post is a fitting tribute to a term filled with wonder for so many of us. You have literally "plumbed the depths" (I've never used that word before...I guess it's related to plumber) of the ES2007S/Group 4 experience, capturing in your diver's net so much of what made this term special about our group: moving out of comfort zones, shedding old habits, adopting new approaches.
That is it, dude! Beautifully stated.
I truly appreciate your major contributions to the classroom and blog discussions, your enthusiasm for the topics, and your incessant need to --using another cliche from exploration -- not leave any stone unturned.
Thanks once again, Benjamin----and may many new discoveries greet you at every step of your future's way.
All the best there!
Brad
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