Re-learning in a digital age

This launching of myself into digital space comes about because I am taking the Learning in a Digital Age course (LiDA) through OERu. First learning challenge: "Declare Yourself". That means, set up a blog and start writing. So here I am.

Setting up a blog is one step on the way to establishing a Personal Learning Environment (PLE) and Personal Learning Network (PLN).  These two concepts, unfamiliar to me until starting the course, are core to  LiDA. The premise is that learning no longer needs to be limited to a bi-lateral exchange between you and your tutor, with some optional interaction with classmates on the side. Likewise, resources for learning are not restricted to a real or virtual pile of costly books and articles that your tutor sets in front of you. Instead, once your mind is open to the possibility, the internet offers a totally new learning model, centred on you, the learner. You create your Learning Network - made up of all the experts and peers that you choose to follow or interact with on the web. Similarly, you construct your Learning Environment - the set of digital platforms that you find work best for your interactions and for recording your own thoughts and contributions.

To be honest, at this stage I am intrigued but apprehensive. I can see exciting potential in these ideas, but my traditionally schooled brain is screaming 'chaos' and 'exposure'. I know that the course is going to provide guidance on how to find reliable sources of information and how to select appropriate technology, but the internet seems so vast that I am worried about wasting time in blind alleys while searching for the occasional pot of gold. Starting a blog is even worse - putting myself 'out there' instead of furtively handing in a bit of writing that only a tutor will see is scary. I am making myself feel positive about it by focussing on the values of community and reciprocity - I can see the benefits of a global digital learning community that is not driven by the market and I am grateful that there are others out there who already share their thoughts and experience, so maybe it is about time I made a commitment to that community myself. This blog is the start of that commitment.

P.S.
For any other first time LiDA bloggers, here are the sites I found useful when setting up this blog:

• How to Start a Blog on Blogger.com for Beginners: for the practical steps to create a blog on this platform
• How to name your blog (by the way, be prepared to come up with several different versions of a domain name because many are unavailable)
•  7 Ways to Manage Comments on Your Site (Without Losing Your Mind)