Unit Reflection

         In this unit, we have been learning about who we are and how to express ourselves because it is important that we know ourselves before we begin showing off who we are to the world through blogging. We have not only learnt more about how to express ourselves, but after this unit, we now know how to do so in an effective, positive way using a blog. I now know my responsibility as a blogger, the way I should behave and what it expected of me. Although blogging will be an important tool in my learning from now onwards I think that the most important thing I learnt was how to see myself from a different perspective.

         I found the paper blogging, acronym poem and the ‘Me Poem’ presentation very interesting. The paper blogging was really good, because it was a hands-on experience which showed us what blogging would be like. It was enjoyable to write about topics that I liked and I especially loved being able to comment on other people’s work because I personally love editing and the commenting gave me a chance to do so.  I enjoyed making the collage for my ‘Me Poem’ presentation because even though I am not good at drawing I still love the chance to be creative and as much as I love writing I do believe that sometimes pictures get a message across so much more clearly. The acronym poem was definitely my favourite piece of work from this unit because it made me learn the most about myself. I had to think long and hard about what to put in my poem which showed me that I didn't know myself as well as I thought I did. Normally in English classes I just have to write stories or essays and they aren't usually too personal so this was a new experience. That was what I liked the most about it, the fact that it was such unfamiliar territory.

       I didn't really enjoy the activity where we had to teach other grades about digital citizenship. Making the presentation was fine but I didn't like the idea of presenting. In the end however, I didn't have to present because another one of my group members did. I hate presenting and I wish I never had to present something again but unfortunately that is not an option. The reason that I disliked the project was simply because it involved an oral presentation and these kinds of projects will not become enjoyable for me until I get over my fear of presentations. I hate the fact that I get so nervous and that I’m so self-conscious but I just can’t stop it. It doesn't matter how many times I tell myself to relax or that I’m not going to be nervous because by the time I go to present I’m trying to stop myself from shaking. It’s annoying that at some point in my life I will probably need to be able to present when I have no further desire to do so due to the fact that no matter how positive I go into a presentation it ends up with me feeling like a wreck.

       Although the acronym poem was my favourite activity, it was also the one that I found most challenging. I like poetry, and the depth of emotion in some of the poems I've read is amazing, but as beautiful as poetry can be, it’s only meaningful when you understand what you are writing about. To be able to write about myself I had to look at myself from a different perspective, which is far more difficult than it sounds. I know what my dreams are, what I want to portray and the things I want to be and sometimes it’s hard to determine what you are and what you wish to be when you can’t actually see yourself. The challenging part was not just coming to terms with who I was, or at least who I thought I was, it was mostly about trying to write it in a way that I was comfortable presenting. I don’t generally discus emotional things, at least not with the entire class, and I had to somehow work around that so that I would be okay with presenting while still keeping it just as much about me.

       I would have liked to go on a blogging website and maybe read posts off of some real blogs because I think that we could have used real life bloggers to help us learn. That is the one thing that I would add to the unit if I could. I know that the paper blogging community was to give us some knowledge as to what it would be like to actually blog but we could have used other people’s blogs to see what kind of things people blog about and how they used labels and so on. This unit really has made me start to think more about how my digital presence could affect my future. It’s was a bit scary to hear that so many employers nowadays look at people’s accounts on social media websites before hiring them so that they can get psychiatrists to look at writing and posting patterns in order to determine what kind of people we are. I think twice about posting now because I am so much more aware. I have increased my security settings and I tell myself that if I wouldn't want to say something in real life in front of my parents then I shouldn't be posting it online where the whole world can see it and judge me by it accordingly.

       I think this unit was an important one, not just to learn about blogging, but to really talk about everything that can go wrong online. Most people have common sense knowledge of how to behave online but until the dangers of irresponsible behaviour are put into context, like in this unit, it is just extra information that nobody thinks too carefully about. The internet is becoming and ever-increasing presence in newer generations and because we are so used to it we don't take the problems as seriously as we should be taking them. This unit was good because it got us thinking about how to be safe and responsible online. It was nice to be introduced to blogging through these many little projects that were for the most part, both fun and informing.