Something a bit unkempt, even dishevelled. Smart, a lot – too many – of ideas. A sea indeed of ideas. An ocean of ideas. And there’s networked media. A boat. Certainly not a big one. Doesn’t really have a sail but there is some sort of mast to pin something on, against, to. Or a motor. Not adrift. It bobs, floats, weaves. Seeks and follows eddies of the breeze, currents, a wave. Sometimes it gets blown and washed around, other times darting along with deliberate intent revelling in its boat knowledge of breeze, current, wave. There is no shore. Not at least to be seen. Anywhere. All ocean, and because it is all water one place is as well as close enough, or further away, than any other. Each wave is different. Different enough to have a difference, a difference that matters. This gives this ocean contour, currents, eddies and tides. You dip an oar, seeking something over there, enjoying the whirl and whorl of water around the oar.

The idea of an endless ocean is an acceptable metaphor; however we need to have some parameters I feel, even if it is only in the context of this course. If we are all cast out into this sea of information with only our little boats and our keen minds to keep us from drowning, the survival rate surely would be a tad discouraging. I’m not the biggest fan of manning a submersible solo, navigating through a perfect storm of html codes and blog rolls to some final mecca of understanding and fulfilment. Well, maybe.

There has to be some final point (for me at least), that can be worked towards and achieved. If we never find land and instead are constantly adrift, it not only makes for a disconcerting and overly daunting experience but it also never allows for a sense of accomplishment once you have finally commandeered through the vast depths and have finally mapped out your path behind you.

We are all cartographers, discovering this new terrain for ourselves, at our own pace. The maps of course are digital and are subject to change, such change that no map makers have ever seen before. The road (or the ocean) behind us is a sure thing, a cached webpage that is now on file for the rest of eternity. But what lies ahead is a completely cognitive environment that is shaped by our own actions as we progress.