Conversation is essential to the development of any individual and enables one to expand their ideas, see things through a different lens and above all, promotes the benefit of discussion.
In truth, one of the elements of completing a Masters online was the potential lack of collaborative learning and student discussion that it may present. Engaging with this module has not only further dispelled any doubts of that nature but it has also reinforced my belief in the importance of listening to others and discussing their opinions as well as my own. That, ultimately, is the main lesson that I haven taken from this module and one that I will try to make present in my professional (and personal) life, moving forward.
Throughout the module, I have commented on 6 blogs (though I did try to read all of my fellow students’ submissions) and each one has given me food for thought in different ways:
Max and I have a separate and very interesting dialogue on LinkedIn which has been really insightful and interesting. One of the things we bonded over was that, outside of Uni, we both work in Social Media, so I was very excited to read his blog on automation.
By reading Max’s blog, discussing it with him and learning about the different tools he uses, I was able to begin conversations at my own workplace about implementing some of the same systems.
In contrast, reading and adding my thoughts to Gayle and Jack’s blogs on teaching and fitness were eye opening because they are both industries with which I have very little contact or understanding. The different applications of digital technology are fascinating although it’s amazing to see where the similarities are. What I gleaned from both Gayle and Jack’s blogs were the importance of utilizing these technological developments alongside the human touch, instead of replacing it.
While I don’t work in the retail/service sectors, obviously they are services I use and so reading Charlotte’s blog on supermarkets and Victoria’s blog on Starbucks were really interesting to me and both were written in incredibly accessible styles, which made the information easy to consume and fun to read.
Another, completely different, blog from Max on a flying taxi start-up was so well written and humorous that it reeled me in to the extent that I just had to engage with it and that also got me thinking about the importance of an approachable writing style. I’d genuinely continue to read Max’s blog, should he continue it!
To summarise, here’s what I learned from the module in nice bitesized chunks:
Conversation – be the parts in the sum of a stronger whole and move your ideas forward by discussing them and listening to others.
Humanism – grasp the outreaching digital hand with your own, human, one.
Explore – read a combination of subject matter that you are familiar with and subject matter that you have no preconceived notions about, both are equally valuable and entertaining.
Blog comments:
https://jackwilloughbyblog.wordpress.com/2019/02/03/operation-fitness/comment-page-1/#comment-7
(At time of writing, this comment is awaiting moderation so I have included a picture below)
Sam Ratcliffe 