When Learning Becomes Visible, Portable, and Personal
Day 3 Reflection on Educational Technology
Day 3 of the Educational Technology module felt quietly powerful and deeply practical. While earlier sessions focused on engagement and interaction, this session centered on ownership of learning. Learning to create a reflective blog using Blogger.com and to design an e portfolio using Google Sites challenged one of my long held personal myths.
For a long time, I believed that blogs were written only by professional writers or public intellectuals. I never imagined myself writing one, nor did I see blogging as a serious academic practice. In nursing education, reflection has traditionally lived in handwritten journals, submitted once and rarely revisited. The idea that blogs could be used for learning, assessment, and professional growth was something I had not previously considered.
Critical Reflection on Learning
Creating my first blog disrupted this assumption. I began to see blogging not as polished writing, but as thinking in progress. A learning blog captures reflection over time. It allows ideas to grow, connect, and mature. Writing for a real audience encouraged clarity, honesty, and responsibility in how learning is expressed. Reflection became purposeful rather than routine.
The introduction to e portfolios through Google Sites extended this learning further. Unlike hard copy journals or scattered digital files, the e portfolio offers a coherent learning narrative. Blogs, reflections, assignments, certificates, and evidence of practice come together in one intentional space. Building it during class made learning visible and tangible. It was not about technical perfection, but about organizing growth and owning one’s professional journey.
Challenges Encountered
The challenge for me was letting go of traditional practices I was comfortable with. As a nurse educator, I have long relied on handwritten reflective journals. Moving toward blogs and e portfolios felt unfamiliar and slightly uncomfortable. I questioned whether digital reflection could be as authentic as writing on paper and whether students would engage meaningfully.
Support and Strategies to Overcome Challenges
The facilitator’s clear demonstrations and the tutorial guides shared in the VLE forum were essential. Rewatching the Blogger and Google Sites tutorials helped clarify structure and purpose. Gradually, my confidence grew. I began to see how digital reflection could actually enhance depth, continuity, and feedback compared to traditional hard copy journals.
Application to Nursing Education
This learning has significant implications for nursing education. Blogs can support reflective practice, clinical reasoning, and professional identity formation. E-portfolios can document clinical competencies, skills development, and reflective learning across semesters. Moving beyond hard copy journals to blogs and e portfolios allows nursing students to see their growth, revisit feedback, and take ownership of their learning journey.
Concluding Reflection
One realization stayed with me as I left the session.
Blogs are not written for learning. They are written through learning.
Day 3 reshaped my understanding of reflection in education. When learning becomes visible, portable, and personal, it becomes meaningful. This session marked a shift not only in how I view educational technology, but in how I imagine reflection and assessment in nursing education.
This is a thoughtful and well-written reflection that clearly captures your shift in understanding of blogging and e-portfolios as meaningful learning tools. Your honest questioning of traditional practices, combined with clear applications to nursing education, highlights deep professional growth. The concluding insight powerfully reinforces reflection as an active, evolving process rather than a one-time task.
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