Being an "extrovert" in an online world

The idea of being "connected" to others is very appealing to an extrovert. (As much as I hate labels this dichotomy seems to exist). I love the idea of being able to share my ideas with others and learn from them. However, what I am finding is that in an on-line world, where it can take some time to become connected, the extrovert, in contrast to the introvert, will struggle with the "silence."

I'm not saying that I'm not connected via social media, such as Facebook, Google+ and even LinkedIn, however, in contrast to blogging, all these formats do not involve real engagement with your ideas and they are usually with people you have met in real-life. Any interaction is often short and sweet and does not require too much sustained thought. As I thrive on conversation, the sharing of ideas and the opportunity to explore new ways of seeing the world, in the blogging world, much like the writing world, one can feel like he or she is in an echo chamber - hearing only their own voice...

My son, who is definitely an introvert, has his own Youtube channel and is very active on not only Youtube but also a large number of gaming forums. When I ask him how he feels he says he feels like he is part of the "You-tubing community." He says that he gets a lot of support, and although there is the occasional "troll" or "flamer" the community is proactive and are very ready to share their ideas and creative output.

My other son, who is pretty much a carbon copy of me, spends a lot of his time talking via Skype whilst playing games or navigating the web. He is much more social in his approach and finds gaming only interesting if he "can talk." The contrast between them both illustrates to me the challenge of being on-line for the extrovert. I think it is the same challenge that faces extroverted writers, who only make a small minority of the writing community.

This is one of the fundamental challenges that I am facing on this journey of becoming connected. Some of us may enjoy being on-line and not need as much conversation whereas others see that it is important but not as much. 

I think as I engage further into this journey I will take the advice of Sarah on her blog Yatopia. As an extrovert, she writes, we need to "fake it" till we make it. This includes blogging with other's in our company and sharing what we are blogging (writing) with friends and family.

I can do that! :)

What to do when you are "different" to your peers?

The title of this blog is essentially about the age-old dilemma of how to handle being different to your peers. I chose the title as there is a temptation to try and be the same as others, to just try and "blend in" or "not stand out." However, I think everyone is fundamentally different to each other, as we are all unique, having idiosyncrasies that signal us out from the rest. The subject Networked and Global Learning (NGL), a course that I am studying, I believe, accentuates our differences whilst also embracing our similarities. It is effectively saying: "It is great to be different." 

When I began completing a Masters in Learning and Development, an area of Education, I knew I would be studying with many different individuals. Now, a few weeks into NGL, I have found many "like-minded" peers who share a passion for learning and developing human potential. However, there is the "issue" of being so different that you stand out like a sore thumb. For one thing, at the moment, I am not a part of an institution, I am "institution-less." (Not a word, I know, but it gets the point across.) Whereas many of my peers are working in some sort of educational organisation. This is the first time I have actually become "self-employed" and it is definitely not for the feint-hearted. I am also a "creative" who is a bit of an "iconoclast" - a little resistant to the status quo.

There is one student that I identify with the most, Mari Marincowitz. She has identified herself as a South African Visual Arts teacher currently teaching at a Canadian International School (CIS) in Bangalore, India. On her blog (sm)art education network she outlines how she has very similar interests to me, such as engaging in a "healthy, active lifestyle" and taking part in "trekking adventures around the globe." Although I have not trekked around the world I have in many areas of Australia and my goal is to go hiking in many regions around the world. Mari also has a keen interest in the Arts and is very creative. I immediately found her interests, including the area that she wants to teach via her blog, as something that I would like to learn about. She is teaching how to "use oil paint as a medium in Visual Arts." I would love to know about that!

If I were to identify individuals who I have the least in common on the course it would have to be some of the students who have more of an educational technology focus. These include Brendon Willocks of iThink, iTeach, iTeens and Philip Wong of Dreamsys. Although I love the latest innovations in technology and always want to be up-to-date, I find that the whole field of educational technology too dry and lacking meaning. This is meant in no way as a "put down," as we just have different interests and are different people. I find the only time I will read anything on information and communication technologies is if there is something in relation to where the higher education sector is heading or if someone has a very strong opinion about the area. What I do like, though, is having interactions with these students as they keep me up-to-date and we do share an interest in lifelong learning and learning design.

So, what to do when you are different to your peers? Well, as I have expressed, no one is completely different. We all share some similarities and some differences to our peers. What the course encourages is this difference. It says to me in very loud words, embrace your uniqueness and share that with the world.

References:

Herald, M. (2014). Do You Dare to be Different [Online image]. Retrieved October 10, 2014 from http://www.inspiredgiftgiving.com/do-you-dare-to-be-different

A sea of information: run!

One of the things that continues to take my breath away when learning within on-line networks is just when you think (and I'm sure that some of you may relate even just a little) that you're progressing, a sudden tsunami-like wave of information feels like it is looming on the horizon and there is the biggest temptation to duck and hide until the deluge subsides.

Of course the temptation abates and you continue swimming through the influx that wasn't even a tsunami, it was more like a giant wave at the beach, or something a lot less life threatening! Although you still thrash about you eventually do manage to begin free-styling your way through. The key word being eventually. ;)

What I am beginning to realise is we are living in a different era, one that does not reflect the seemingly calm waters of television, educational institutions and traditional media that I grew up in. I never for a second felt that there was an abundance of information with a plethora of gateways. It was either reruns of Mash or a whole day of sport. Not any more. I asked my sixteen year old what he thought of my evaluation and he laughed and said: "There's not enough!" For a moment I thought he was kidding but he continued: "There will probably be too much after 100 years but the Internet hasn't been around long enough to be too much."

This makes sense as all my sons have ever known is the world wide web and I, not only they, cannot even imagine what it was like before. Although I find it exciting and am forever grateful for all the access I have, as I think boredom will definitely be a thing of the past (at least for me), I do sometimes feel like there is so much to look at, read, view, and navigate through that it can seem like there are endless possibilities.

What I have found as a voice validating my experience is a talk by Professor George Siemens at the University of the Sunshine Coast. In "Connecting learners: technology, change and higher education," which was shared via Goksu Dines, a peer of mine's, blog (http://ggdines.wordpress.com/). Siemens put up the quote that the "21st century is a terrible time to be a control freak." I immediately laughed as I could see it happening within the schooling system for many years. There is a constant attempt to control learning. Although this may have worked in the past, when schooling was more entertaining that being at home, well, it was in my case. Now, young people, at least, find school to be "boring."

Siemens also talks about how there is a grand narrative that asserts "learning is a wonderfully smooth process of running through meadows." "No," he asserts, "learning is violent." The paradigm shifts and "restructuring" of neuro-pathways, or of just conventional ways of thinking causes the learner to initially feel "frustrated" or "irritated." (I know I have certainly felt the former.) However, he says, when the learner persists he or she will become active "sense-makers," meaning connected individuals who contribute to learning rather than "duplicate" what is known.

I don't think the drowning feeling will forever go away but at least I know now that I am definitely not alone in navigating this open sea.

Learning like a Master: the "most powerful tool you can ever grasp"

Have you heard of the Pomodoro Technique? Neither had I until I viewed a TEDx talk by Barbara Oakley called "Learning how to learn." Anything that teaches you how to learn in a more productive and time efficient way, I thought, is always welcomed, particularly as I had began to master the art of procrastinating rather than the art that was my passion.

The idea of Mastering something has always been alluring, and no, being a Procrastination Master is not one of my goals, however good I may be at it. :D Oakley, a Professor of Engineering at Coursera, a massive open online course provider, speaks about what causes procrastination. Rather than blame the individual and label them as "lazy" or "unmotivated," she highlights how when we procrastinate, whether it is from doing our homework, chores or yes, even writing a novel, we have created a habit of avoiding the initial discomfort. What we need to learn, she says, is that the "pain" of doing the activity always goes away once we begin.

I have found that to be true every time. Once I get started I go into "The Zone." Oakley calls this the "focus mode." A mode where you deeply immerse yourself in an activity, in contrast to the "diffuse mode," a relaxed mode that enables you to see the issue or problem rather than being "stuck" on the problem. If one was to stay focused all the time we would be less productive because we would not allow creative thoughts to arise, therefore, we need to also go into the diffuse mode.

The Pomodoro Technique entails the learner using a timer for 25 minutes of "focused attention." After the time has elapsed the individual is to do something "fun," something they enjoy. This strategy is a way of conditioning your brain to begin enjoying the process, particularly as you anticipate the rewards that will follow. I can see this strategy working for me and have already tried it this morning. My fun activity was having a chat with my one of my son's whilst overlooking the Gold Coast. 

What I love about researchers like Oakley is the way they see learning as being pivotal to nurturing human potential. She says that to build mastery of the material, we, regardless of who we are, need to "combine practice with repetition in a variety of circumstances." Only when we practice do we gain "true mastery." She concludes that this is why "learning how to learn is the most powerful tool [we] can ever grasp." I think so too.

What strategies for getting through procrastination, or resistance, do you use?

A Writer's research routine

Series 1.1 - Beginning Writing

What I have realised is important for anyone about to write a novel is having a PKM routine. What is a PKM routine you ask? In a previous blog I wrote about how a writer, or anyone who is regularly blogging about something they love, will need to have achieved Personal Knowledge Mastery. In order to achieve this mastery they would need to have a routine, albeit an evolving one, but nevertheless a routine that enables them to research, keep track of their research and organise their ideas.

If you're anything like me you may read about how others go about organising their writing day and establishing some kind of routine but you will always modify and adapt the suggestions to suit what works for you. This is why your PKM routine will be unique, it will be personalised to suit your lifestyle and will be something that will be realistic for you.

In the table below I have used Jarche's framework of: Seek > Sense > Share to illustrate my current PKM blogging and writing routine. I do have my preferred tools but occasionally, and due to irresistible curiosity, I will venture off and use other tools, particularly if I think they are better. However, this is how it looks at the moment.

Annelise's PKM routine

PKM	PROCESS	TOOLS AND STRATEGIES
SEEK	Search for information and for valued members of knowledge networks	·         Feedly ·         Chrome bookmarks ·         Google+ ·         Facebook ·         Reddit
SENSE	Reflect on and put into practice what I am learning	·         Write posts on my blog ·         Use Diigo and Mendeley to make notes and categorise the information ·         Write my novel
SHARE	Exchange resources, ideas and experiences with my networks	·         Blog ·         Google+ ·         Diigo ·         Mendeley

As you can see from the above table I use Feedly as my aggregator for my preferred blogs and newsfeeds. I get most of my news from Facebook, Reddit, and, of course, friends and family. I avoid watching television and occasionally may listen to the radio in the car, but only when I don't have my phone to listen to Audible or Youtube. I, like Jarche, carefully select who I follow, as I am only interested in following those who share the insights, observations and commentary that will help me grow, or at least, keep me entertained. I also bookmark websites into particular categories using Chrome. Only within the last month have I shifted most of my focus on this blog. 

It is through the blogging medium that I intend to share with my fellow bloggers or anyone who stops by. I see this blog as my online journal that records my ideas and something that will continually evolve. It will also hold me accountable, something that my paper journal never did. :)

What is your PKM routine? Do you have a writing routine?

Who should write a novel?

Series 1 - Beginning Writing

To begin my adventure into writing my first novel I will explore why beginning to write your own novel poses such a challenge and how I navigated my way through the abyss of "everybody wants to be a writer" and "only very few (almost microscopic) will ever achieve any success." This is a question that has been one of my most fundamental challenges throughout my life. In the end I realised that regardless of what happens I will write because that is what I love to do. 

I have always thought that writing a novel was something that only the privileged or the really talented could do, and only because they had began writing stories throughout their childhood or teenage years. Writers that I particularly admire seem to fulfil this stereotype, such as George Orwell, Lucy Maud Montgomery, Roald Dahl, George R. R. Martin, Mario Puzo and J. K. Rowling, to name just a few. They all wrote for many years, usually beginning in their adolescent years and only becoming successful after at least a decade or two.

I'm sure you have heard of these stories as there is definitely no shortage of the narrative. However, that is just it. It is a narrative that had been popularised in our schooling, where we would learn about great authors, almost like child prodigies, who would go on to become successful writers only after many, many years of writing. What these narratives failed to illustrate was how many authors achieved success later on in their lives and that the key to writing successfully for all authors is the fact that they loved or love what they do. I learnt that it is only when you love the craft of writing that you will persevere with the art.

It was a relief to begin reading and listening to Steven Pressfield, author of the War of Art, who said, "[u]nlike many writers that [we] hear about, [he] did not know he was going to be a writer until well into his later years." He had always loved literature but he did not recognise it as his calling. I fall into this latter camp. After finishing schooling I entered the working world and became a young mother. My world would be my sons for many years, where I would, however, read prolifically, a combination of fiction and non-fiction. What I did notice throughout this time was how much I was drawn to the ideas in novels, and how much I wanted to express the ideas, similar and different, in my own writing.

And now when someone, and there will be many, tells me that "everybody wants to be a writer" and that it is 'incredibly difficult" to publish a novel my response will be, "I write because I have something to say and maybe their are others who want to hear it. If not, at least I am enjoying what I do." 

In this blog my attempt will be to illustrate this journey, and share with you how I learn to write my first novel. This will entail providing you with my ideas on plot, characterisation, and mostly importantly, themes. My learning journey will be structured in a "series" format for the purpose of following me on this journey and for organising the steps of the novel writing process (i.e. Series 1.0, 1.1 ... ). This technique will also separate entries that refer to other areas or ideas that I write about.

What have I learned in NGL?

What has been most illuminating on my journey in NGL, and in my learning journey at this stage of my life, is the importance of learning something that one feels most drawn towards, almost like a "calling" or something that the learner feels puts them in the "zone."

I feel this way when I am writing or creating something that expresses who I am. Whether it is a resource for my learners to help them write in a particular way, or constructing a piece of writing, whether fiction or non-fiction, I feel completely absorbed in the activity, losing track of time and space, almost like someone in love, losing all sight of my worldly existence.

What I have learnt, particularly over the last few years as I have been on a search to find out who I am and what I value the most, is that I seem to be "gifted" in writing across the spectrum, from essay writing to painting entire landscapes through the use of imagery. Indeed, I align with Chekhov's expression, albeit slightly modified, that "non-fiction" is my wife and "fiction" is my lover. I love this expression for it illustrates the nature of learning. We may learn for necessity, as in learning some aspects of a profession or craft that we may not really love but it is necessary to know, or we may learn because we want to know, such as learning about a craft in order to pursue an area that truly provides fulfilment.

One of the most profound insights I have also had is the concept of Personal Knowledge Mastery (PKM). Harold Jarche outlines it as a "set of processes" that helps individuals stay connected in the network era, regardless of their employment status. What I found particularly appealing was the emphasis on individual autonomy and becoming a "master" of one's craft, a craft that is "not directed by external forces," or requiring "management." It is a craft that is developed by the individual because it is in accordance with his or her "abilities, interests and motivation." It is this deeply personal aspect that then enables the individual to acquire the knowledge needed to understand the information and act upon it." Only then can the individual become a "sense-maker" and a "sharer of knowledge." This, as espoused by Jarche, is my aspiration and is what drew me to education in the first place. I wanted, and still do, to be a sharer of knowledge.

One of the goals of NGL, and of my Masters in Learning and Development with USQ, is to "develop an appropriate PKM process" so that I can "continue using it after the course has long completed." This was my major concern before pursuing the Masters. I did not want to engage in a degree that would provide me with endless theory only to have me writing at a more sophisticated level, stuck as a lone voice in an "ivory tower," but not preparing me to be an active contributor to the future of learning and development, particularly in a rapidly changing landscape. Based on my experiences so far I believe I have chosen a degree that will nurture my aspirations, whichever direction I may go.

References:

Downes, S. (2011). “Connectivism” and Connective Knowledge. Retrieved April 09, 2011, from http://www.huffingtonpost.com/stephen-downes/connectivism-and-connecti_b_804653.html