Sci-Fi, Technology, and Society

Exploring the sociotechnical

Reflective Blog Guidelines

by · Published · Updated

Adapted from https://etec642summer.wordpress.com/assignments/reflective-blog/ with credit to Steve Wheeler (2010) and Wayne Iwaoka – University of Hawai’i at Manoa)

How to write a blog post: A reflective blog chronicles the journey through your learning experience. Your posts should reflect upon lessons you have learned from this experience from the reading and practical activities, share your perspectives and opinions about the tools and methods you are learning, and comment on your views for applying what you have learned to your schoolwork, future careers, or everyday life.

Blogging serves the following purposes:

  • Communicates your thoughts about the course material between yourself and instructors, and among your peers.
  • Provides regular feedback between you and the instructors to help match your expectations.
  • Serves as a platform for synthesis of new knowledge and ideas.
  • Helps to develop critical thinking.
  • Helps to elicit topics of interest, challenging topics that need improvement, etc.
  • Helps to clarify troublesome concepts.

How do I write a good blog post?

A good post is personal, reflective, substantive, and well-written. It can include:

  • Written text with lessons, opinions, questions, and ideas
  • Images to illustrate your views and inform your readers
  • Hyperlinks to a source or to content that takes readers deeper into a topic or discussion that you have summarized
  • Humour, word play, or even satire to strengthen your post and entertain your readers
  • Other original and creative content

Here are some guiding questions to think about when writing your post:

  • What new concepts or ideas did I learn about this week?
  • What excited me about the week’s activities? Why?
  • Which of the week’s activities helped me to understand emerging technologies better? Why?
  • What new insights and perspectives did I realize during discussions or while working with others?
  • What would I like to learn more about? Why?

“How to Write a Blog Post” section adapted from https://etec642summer.wordpress.com/assignments/reflective-blog/ with credit to Steve Wheeler (2010) and Wayne Iwaoka – University of Hawai’i at Manoa)