Adrian Miles is our lecturer (or symposium leader) for Networked Media as well as the author of this week’s reading; a guide for teachers on using blogs as learning tools. I don’t know Adrian Miles too well, this being the first week and all, but it seems he may be in top of this ‘networked media’ stuff.

Whenever I read required chapters and excerpts for uni classes, it takes me a few pages to figure out why the section given to us students is relevant. With this weeks reading I knew immediately that the information would be useful.

One of the things I struggled with during my first semester at university was knowing exactly what is was that the tutors and lecturers wanted from me. At high school, teachers were clear with what they wanted, and always had time to sit down with you if you were confused. They could talk you through an entire exam if you needed it. They mostly always made time for you. At university, tutors see you once a week, and probably do not even know your name. The course and assessment guides can be convoluted and nonsensical. Other students give you incorrect information and sometimes harmful, albeit well-meaning, tips and advice.

In this reading, the first for the course, Adrian is open about his, in my own words, ‘blogging agenda’. His advice for other teachers is clear. His aims for his students are clear. The chapter keeps the relationship between teachers and students exposed. There are no hidden bits of criteria, no assessment traps. I feel secure in my understanding of the point of this blog. I do not feel as if it is a meaningless piece of assessment, written only with the aim of a passing grade. Rather I am clear in the use of this blog as a learning tool, as something that is public, and something that is intended to be a long lasting and useful resource.

I like this sense of security. I like knowing what I am meant to do, even if I don’t always do it. And I especially like understanding the aims of the teachers in terms of assessment tasks.

Words I didn’t know before this reading:
Pedagogical: of or relating to teachers or education
Loquacious: talkative; likes talking and finds it easy
Garrulous: excessively talkative, particularly about trivial matters