I posted on Michael Wesch, and within a couple of days he replied on my blog. The same with Sheryl Nussbaum-Beach. It’s exciting, and is supposed to show the power of open education. The implication is that this kind of response is what we want.
In a “regular” class, I’d be a student and Dr Couros would be the expert. I would write a paper, and he would critique it. Perhaps he’d tell me an argument I made wasn’t fair, or he’d point me to another source. Peers would review it, and give me feedback. 
I could do a rewrite until the product has some finish to it. I could have the same kind of certainty as when I wrote a history paper in college. I defy anyone to read my masters’ thesis on medieval and early modern woollen technology and tell me I missed something. (Indeed, I defy anyone to read it, period.)
But a 12th century fulling mill is not going to come along and comment on how I portrayed its character or ideas in my thesis.
Blogging is designed to be “draft like” — the ideas posted are supposedly understood to be unfinished. But how brave can we be posting such unfinished ideas, where those whose work we critique can critique our work immediately? Doesn’t this extreme openness restrict the “draft” nature of blogging, the feeling that it’s OK to be wrong?
It’s like writing a paper criticizing the Communist Manifesto and having Karl Marx leave a comment saying, “Well, Lisa, what I really meant by “working men” was…”
And unlike Marx, the people whose ideas I criticize are all educational technology media types. They have Google Alerts and other devices set up to track every time someone mentions them. In 2008, as part of the Connectivism class, I blogged a critique of an article by Barry Wellman, whose work I thought had moral implications. He emailed me directly, and the very few exchanges we had were not very pleasant. He’ll probably know now that I mentioned him again — oh goodie.
If someone with my experience is freaking out, what must less experienced bloggers feel? I realize that Dr Couros himself thrusts us into the limelight via Twitter. That doesn’t normally happen — I’ve been blogging for years on my own blog, announcing my own posts myself in Twitter and linking them into Facebook. Only rarely has anyone whose ideas I’ve analyzed so much as stopped by.
Oh, I realize the benefits — don’t get me wrong. A 12th century fulling mill would not be able to give me good advice, help my thinking or point be toward better resources. I know it’s helping me learn.
But this is getting pretty damn weird. Learning in the open has never been something I feared before, but now…
Lisa it really is amazing the responses we sometimes get through social media tools. I remember getting an email a few years ago from either Alec or Rob Wall (another member of our EdTech Posse) saying that I had hit the big time because Stephen Downes had left a comment on my blog.
If you really want to see this power in action, watch what happens on Twitter. Sometimes it’s as simple as some “celebrity” in our field choosing you to be one of the few people they follow, but then they go and do something like retweet what you said or actually respond to you.
Yes it’s about power isn’t it. Discursive power…whose voices get how much air space, which in turn equates with social and material capital. It’s always interesting to me that women generally, more than men generally, are those pointing this out.
One of the privileges of the privileged is blindness to their privilege. To be sure, to understand how power works is to be willing to work it. Some of the language you use Lisa suggests that you do
.
I’d agree with you that blogging is generally seen to be draft-like. However, if those commenting on your posts are cognizant of the medium in the way that you are, wouldn’t there be an element of forgiveness (see @schwier) that would/could/should serve as the default condition (especially if the exchanges were civil & friendly)?
I’m also wondering (and this is an honest inquiry), where would you rather see the exchange on your ideas – on a blogpost that you’ve drafted (where you are forming your ideas), or on an academic, peer-reviewed paper? Would there be as much potential for learning on the latter, where your ideas may be perceived to be more cemented?
Also, where does confidence and conviction as a writer/analyst/theorist/practitioner come in here?
You’ve given me a lot to think about – thanks again for sharing your ideas.
Alec, despite my experience from CCK08, I am not so much concerned with the civility of the response (although, yes, if Rick is right, then there must be forgiveness, and certainly my commenters have given me a lot of that). It’s more that it happens at all, and what the reaction is of the original author (in this case, me).
Your questions about where I would rather see my ideas dealt with is interesting, since I’ve been reading books like The Shallows and Hamlet’s Blackberry and Entertaining Ourselves to Death. All three point out ancient Greek resistance to writing things down, and the first two in particular claim that Socrates was against writing precisely because it did cement ideas. So if that’s true perhaps I shouldn’t be writing at all, but instead talking to people I trust?
In an academic paper, the number of people with input would be smaller, and I would know them all before they gave me input. And unless I was writing about one of them or their work, they would not be personally or professionally invested in their response, except in their capacity as my advisors (kind of like your mentors). The potential for learning could be seen as more limited, because fewer people are participating. On the other hand, it is emotionally safer. What level of emotional safety is needed for us to learn well?
Perhaps there are levels of tolerance for openness. I have many with my private life (I do not share that on the web), but didn’t realize till recently that I even have pools of reticence professionally. I consider myself to have rather extraordinary confidence, and yet I’m thrown. Conviction is different — I do think I’d have more of that with more closed forms of review happening before “publication”.
At any rate, I was trying to deal with your questions about the class itself as part of next Tuesday’s discussion, and thought maybe my ideas could contribute to that from my own zone of discomfort.
Pingback: Tweets that mention So Karl Marx posted on my blog… | Lisa's EC&I831 Blog -- Topsy.com
It is all very well to wring our hands about comings and goings in the ephemeral blogosphere, but this is all mere Superstruktur. The transformation of consciousness begins with the change in ownership of the means of production and reproduction. It scarcely matters about what we blog – it matters more that we blog, and are able to do so: ownership of the means of publication is changing hands, becoming decommodified, being massified in the mode of liberation rather than alienation.
The bloggers united shall never be defeated! For is it not blog action day? Blog, then, workers of the world!
OK, I think the point’s been made here about things getting just a tad bizarre… or perhaps I should mention that sometimes we don’t even know who’s commenting on our work? (Except in this case I do – thank goodness for revealing IP addresses
)
Busted!
Wow! The insight that was given life as a result of someone, albeit an important someone, just commenting on yourblog post…
It really changes how we think, and how we feel about what we think, doesn’t it? It encourages further thought, more writing, more blog posts and more comments from the many “someones” out there. Really makes learning different doesn’t it? Keep writing!
Yes, Rod, but it changes my thinking in a direction away from where I was hoping it would go!
I agree learning is transformed by the proliferation of connections we can make. Inevitably some connections will become stronger than others. I also recognize that having a link to information may be one-way. Our inquiries will not always be responded to. Just as in the past, much of our knowledge and understanding will still come 2nd and 3rd hand. Our digital connectivity is no different than our sensory connections. Filtering is necessary and the people we want most to connect with might remain inaccessible. Imagine yourself in a crowded stadium trying to establish proximity and conversation with someone who has become the focus of many.
Alan, this is precisely the circumstances to which I am accustomed. In my regular blogging, I do not expect comments, although I certainly welcome them. I also do not normally expect the people whose work I discuss to “stop by”, though I understand they can and might. What’s different here, and different from my sensory connections, is that my posts are being shouted out through the class I’m taking. They aren’t just out there, hoping to connect. I am much more accustomed to the crowded stadium, and not being able to get the attention of the hawker to get my peanuts.
“Blogging is designed to be “draft like” — the ideas posted are supposedly understood to be unfinished. But how brave can we be posting such unfinished ideas, where those whose work we critique can critique our work immediately? Doesn’t this extreme openness restrict the “draft” nature of blogging, the feeling that it’s OK to be wrong?” You capture the purpose of blogging-”draft like” and it is so different from schooling…..How many English teacher would allow this type of writing to be published.
Hey there Lisa,
I enjoyed this post and even bookmarked it to share with my students. I believe it is important to set expectations when I ask my students to blog. When we open our thoughts to the whole world, the results are on a continuum from no readers-no responders to readers who don’t respond, to those who agree or offer support, to those who don’t agree and voice it loudly, to those who spam, to those who attack the person rather than the thoughts. There are risks to putting ourselves out there. For me, the risks outweigh the rewards, but it also means I’ve developed a thicker skin than I had when I kept everything to myself.
Thank you for sharing your discomfort. I think it will resonate with others.
Best,
Wendy
Thanks for this post Lisa. I felt the same twinge of “honoured by” and “terrified by” the amount of response to my blog. I, too, have been blogging for almost a year now and have not had the response that I had through this course. However, I have found that I really appreciate the response. I am not only enjoying, but looking forward to the challenge I am getting to my thinking. I am coming to thrive on this learning. I have come to realize that it takes a lot for me to “speak up” in class, I learn by the interactions with others. Blogging about my learning has truly balanced my need for feedback from others with my fear of speaking in front of others. Somehow getting pushback about my ideas online doesn’t feel as threatening to me as the face2face pushback I might receive in class. Thanks again! You’ve got me thinking.
Hi Lisa,
How very nice it was for both Michael and Sheryl to comment back to you. If nothing else this speaks to the fact that those who are well known, for whatever reason, are no more celebrity than you or I. We are all just people sitting behind a screen yearning for more information and or a deeper knowledge base. This does however bring to light the feeling of intimidation that we might have regarding your ideas of, ” blogging is designed to be “draft like” — the ideas posted are supposedly understood to be unfinished. But how brave can we be posting such unfinished ideas, where those whose work we critique can critique our work immediately? Doesn’t this extreme openness restrict the “draft” nature of blogging, the feeling that it’s OK to be wrong?” I have never thought of blogging as a draft and I am glad that you have brought that to my attention. Up until this point I have seen it more as my personal reflection – which is it – in published copy format. I think I may need to loosen up a bit. 
I enjoyed reading about your open “encounters” with greatness.
About those who are well known, Alec certainly is, and when he tweets out that one of us has written a post, they respond. He is our “celebrity”.
Pingback: Writing in Draft « gforsythe.ca
Hello, my name is Allie and I am in EDM 310 at the University of South Alabama in Mobile, AL. I read your blog as an assignment and I had never thought of people being able to see what I am writing on my blog as soon as it posts. This is definately a sign that learning has come into a new era. Thanks!
Hi Allie! I’d love to hear aobut EDM 310. Were you assigned to my blog in particular, to our blogs in EC&I 831, or to read another student’s blog?
I enjoy your posts, Lisa. Your understanding of WordPress and how to utilize it features illustrates the potential of this medium. I am still learning how to use WordPress, Twitter, etc. and have not yet become an advanced user. I appreciate your blog for its content but also for your ability to use it as a tool to connect to others. It is fantastic that you have received feedback from individuals you have highlighted within your reflections.
After reading your post on Michael Wesch and reviewing the comment from Michael Wesch himself, I was glad to see one of my thoughts reaffirmed in his comment. Whenever I view videos, presentations, etc., online, I often think about the ‘context’ in which it was originally intended. It is easy to view something and extrapolate meaning but it is important to also consider the background of the creator, the context and audience for which it was created, etc. It is important to think critically and reflect thoughtfully on information found on the internet. It seems social media and its ability to allow for personal connections and conversations can be of great value in interpreting meaning.
Vanessa, indeed! I wonder whether the blog medium (and the YouTube venue, for that matter) encourages us all to take things very much out of context. Some of the disaggregation, sampling and fragmentation encouraged by web formats seem to be doing some damage!