Engaged Learning

I hate to admit it. I hereby announce my past follies: When I first heard of blogging, I thought, "What a waste. A lot of people talking and others reading their thoughts, their journals, in reality. Boring. What is the point?" Little did I know the power of blogging. Still it blows me away that I was so close minded to it and now that I am so open minded to it that I have one (actually two) of my own. Yet for things we don't understand we often question, "What is the point?"

Since then, I not only have learned the point, but I have learned how it applies to learning and what an incredible tool it can be. There is one that I don't get, however. And I wonder if it will be the same process as blogging. One new fad is Twitter. It gives its own best description, "A global community of friends and strangers answering one simple question: What are you doing?"


In a way it is like a blog. You post your thoughts. But these are smaller. Much smaller. For example, here are the first few that I find:

• off to intramuros for the PMAP earth day celebration
• youklis hit by pitch in bottom of 1st. It starts early.
• at Starbucks now...beyootiful outside
• Running
• daughter is big in Brazil.

Alright. So.....? I am still trying to figure it out. What amazes me is that some people are addicted to using this. Really, who cares that 'chadallen' is running right at this moment? Why would you want to take the time to inform others what you are doing or a simple thought or... and how do you know if anyone cares?

This one baffles me. But each time I think this I can't help but wonder if I am falling into another 'blogging' trap. Is there real benefit to it? I don't see it. Can it be used for learning? My guess is NOPE. But you never know, it may surprise me.

So do I not understand it? And I am sure there are other technologies and thoughts out there that I might even approve of, but not apply it to learning.

Take a look around you. What are you missing?

Labels: blogging, twitter