Final Post - A Reflection

Blogging. Before I took this unit I had only the most cursory knowledge of blogs. I had read a couple of blog entries but I didn’t follow any blogs regularly and I had never participated in keeping or commenting on a blog. I found that keeping a blog for this unit was useful. It was useful to read the perspectives and critiques of my peers regarding tutorial readings, particularly if I was having issues with the article. It is also a good way to share other information and post link to sites that are related to the themes of this unit. In this way, the tutorial class is much more connected and blogging seems more useful than Blackboard on WebCT in keeping us connected. Having said that, I still felt shy about posting on the blog, as with speaking in class. The knowledge that my words would forever be “out there” and that anyone could access the blog made me hesitate, nevertheless, I think that blogging is useful for learning puposes. It creates a space for students to discuss ideas, post links and challenge each other (intellectually speaking, of course). It is also very accessible, one can access the blog beyond the 45 minute tutorial time and it presents the potential for onging discussions.
As to whether or not I consider myself a cyborg now, I would have to say that yes, I do. I think that in some ways it is naïve to believe that we can separate ourselves from the digital technology that we use. We are affected psychologicaly and behaviourally by our external world, by what we see, touch, the language that we use and the ways that we communicate. We are cyborgs. Technology has become a part of us, an extension of ourselves. If I forget my mobile phone at home, for instance, I become slightly anxious and paranoid that I am suddenly not reachable, that I am “offline”, so to speak. The digital technology that we have created has become part of our identity.
Finally, the unit is general. The unit is extremely relevant to our lives and our futures and I found it enjoyable. There were issues that were raised that I had never considered before. The better that we understand the digital age in relation to the self, the better that we will be able to navigate it.
All the best guys