In her article Moira Hunter discusses online tools, such as blogs, wikis and social networks, the use of which, is currently reaching a “tipping point” among adult learners. Hunter points out that blogs and wikis provide adult learners with a relative ease of use, customize-able interface, and a variety of privacy settings that are important to adult learners. Social network blogs allow the learner to be more self-directed in their own learning, whereas the learner can set up their learning space, and put all the information that they need in one spot. This can be very appealing to the adult learner who generally has limited time, and very specific motivations for learning. The article points to several factors which influence the success of online learning for adults. These are: ability to manage the online learning environment, interaction with online content, and interaction with online peers and instructors.
This article really coincides with where I am personally in adapting online tools for my personal learning. Having never really used a blog before, I can say that the ITEC 830 blogging experience has been a key motivating experience for me. I feel like I can track my progress in class through my reflections, and I can use the blog to post additional information that has been meaningful to my learning. In addition, I have to admit that I really like to have the interaction with my peers through the comments section with. Hunter emphasizes several times in the article that adult learners are have concerns with privacy and confidentiality, which I can relate to. The class blogging experience motivated me to start my own personal blog to share with my friends. I really gave a lot of thought to whether I wanted a private or public blog, but opted for private, because of my own personal issues with confidentiality. I think this might not be a chief concern for younger generations who are used to using social networking tools.
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I think one time I had six different blogs, so I can compartmentalize my life. I couldn't keep up with them all and also I could not remember IDs and Passwords. I finally decided to keep only one. I am still embarrassed about my ability to write in English in public, but I need to practice what I preach so I write. I have to face that English is not going to be my first language, and I will only learn to write when I practice it.
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