UMW Blogs: A Student Persepective

The jackals at DTLT Today have been relenetless in reminding me that I have not been carrying my weight for the team’s TV show over the past few weeks. But come 4:15 PM this afternoon in UMW’s instructional technology nerve center that is DTLT, I was all alone and I delivered the goods, per usual. Today’s episode was my first solo venture and I had the distinct pleasure of having our first UMW student as a guest (that wasn’t a DTLT student aide, mind you) .

Valerie LaPointe was inspired to write an article about UMW Blogs after reading this post about UMW’s publishing platform in Times Higher Education. The fact that UMW Blogs is considered a model of excellence and trust when it comes to sharing and highlighting the work happening around a university community takes a number students by surprise. So many of them are so used to it being part and parcel of their UMW career that it’s surprising to hear few other schools provide their community with the same resources, not to mention trust. And it must be noted that Valerie is no stranger to UMW Blogs; she’ll be graduating at the end of this semester and has been using UMW Blogs for a variety of courses since her Freshman year. What’s more, her study abroad blog “In The Wonderful World of Oz” offers one of the most compelling chronicles of a student’s authentic learning experiences abroad I have yet to see on UMW Blogs, or anywhere else.

All this to say, when Valerie asked me if I would do a quick interview about the Times Higher Education article, I figured I would take the opportunity to turn the tables and have her on DTLT Today talking about her experience with UMW Blogs—and I have to say she is probably the most articulate and thoughtful commentator on this platform I have come across since Brad Efford. So, I offer you one student’s perspective of UMW Blogs, and what it might mean for a community of students to assume social media, networking, and working out in the open as part and parcel of what a college education is all about. Conversations like this make me proud of where I work and what I do.

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5 Responses to UMW Blogs: A Student Persepective

  1. Jim Doran says:

    Your sitcom is NOT better than mine. FACT.

  2. Reverend says:

    Jim,
    This is not a sitcom. FACT. But my sitcom will kick your sitcom’s ass when it premieres this week.

  3. Jim Doran says:

    Let me guess – your sitcom features a dude with a gray beard in VANS sitting on a sofa, with a fancy coffee table and blue curtains. That IS hard to top. 😉

    TV will rot your brain – go outside and play.

  4. Reverend says:

    Jim,
    I will rot your brain with my awesome labcoat that I about to unleash on the internet. You watch your tongue Doran, I am about to make internet history….again.

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