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4/26/2013

One year of blogging - top five lessons learned

So, in a few days I will have been blogging for a year. Promoting my blog through social media and getting feedback from around the world. All in all a totally positive experience that lets me share my experiences and projects with my awesome students, my research and my collaborations with other great professors and students.

I have learned a few things along the way, which in fact have improved my teaching to some extent, as I have become more understanding of the need to express some things visually. Now i encourage students to incorporate photos and videos to support their written projects - to make the project more interesting for the students, but also to inspire them to think in different ways.

Here are a few things I have learned in the past year of blogging - in list form:

  1. People like lists - seriously, I do not use them enough, but the times I have done those posts get more views
  2. People like photos - and I swear some people don't really read my fine words, but just look at the pictures - I am fine with that now!
  3. Disseminating research to the outside world is hard - but I will never give up trying new ways and new methods
  4. Students research projects on blogs - I am sure some of my models have ended up in assignments from India to Germany and beyond!
  5. I love when people read my work - the visitor count makes me happy and the country count makes me constantly wonder at the power of the internet.
I will continue to blog, even after I leave the UAE. This summer I will be driving the Alaska Highway with my Mom and Dad and will start a blog shortly about our planning process and then write daily posts about the trip (need to buy a new phone with a better camera). I have my smile and courage blog and adventures of Auntie as well. 

I guess blogging is in my blood now!
Most common view when writing my blog posts! (Except it is usually sunny)




6 comments:

  1. Looking forward to reading about the next chapter!

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  2. Hi Connie,

    I'm so glad to see faculty members like you "take it to the streets". There are things to be shared outside of academic journals, and your blog is living proof of that. Keep it up!

    Mathieu

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    1. Thank you Mathieu :) So many people misunderstand what "theory" is and theory is just observations about real life that form a pattern - but the patterns are everywhere (not often in a classroom though!). And I want the students to show me what they are for them and for industries and life here...

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    2. Spot on. Patterns are what distinguish novices ("there is so much information here, I don't know where to start!") from experts ("I've seen this before, we have 3 options here."). Phil Kellman from UCLA calls this "chunking". See: Perceptual learning and human expertise

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    3. I feel a paper coming on for next year's AOM... excellent link!

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