Evaluation of the use of blog for learning by Ashley Yeung

Undoubtedly, blogging is not only as an isolated phenomenon, but as part of a broad palette of cybercultural practices, which provide us with both new ways of doing and new ways of thinking. This is the very first time for me to use the blog for learning. In order to create a learning community, weblogs actually can help us achieve it by giving us a space to share our writing with other classmates in the class, who have the opportunity to leave comments under our classmates’ posts. Weblogs are also a powerful tool for teaching students about writing for an audience; we can reach the other classmates in the class, and also the readers outside the class who leave comments. Moreover, Weblog is easy for us to create content for the Web without knowing much HTML, find online articles related to topics discussed in class, and share them easily with other students. In my experience, blogging can encourage associative thinking. For example, we can share a youtube video or an image, which is related to that topic on the weblogs easily. And we can share some non-academic information, which can enhance our interests to the topic. For me, it really works since I may not be so active in class discussion but actually I have some opinions in my mind indeed. Therefore, weblogs can provide a good place for me to type some opinions or comments of some interesting issues. But at the same time, assigned blogging can be easily regarded as forced writing, since somebody may not have any opinions of the issues and writing blogs should be self-motivated rather than a forced writing. By the way, it is a good place for learning and commenting.

The most interesting topic in this course is the question of “Am I a cyborg?” and the posthuman. I have read some articles from Hayles and Harraway. Hayles’s view is that being posthuman does not necessarily require one to literally be a cyborg since the defining charactertistics of being posthuman involve the construction of subjectivity rather than bodily interventions or ‘prosthetic’ extension. Being posthuman, Hayles contends, is a point of view rather than a prescriptive state. I could consider myself a cyborg, since I can conduct daily activities online such as shop, communicate, bank, study and work. I can apply for jobs online and the system will remember my details to help populate future applications. My presence online can be recorded and tracked. I can be artificially kept alive in some cases. I can be projected via webcam down the wires and am a digital photograph, which can be modified, touched up or completely remixed. My whole essence is a series of codes from brain waves to DNA.

In the end, I would say this course has done a good job for me to rethink our bodies, identities and self in cyberspace. We always think that we are the creators of the technology so we can control the technology, however, we actually cannot live without technology in the twenty-first century. Thus, do we still have the boundary between human and machine? The technology changes our thinking and reasoning systems. It seems that we are now following the technology and adapting to the technological environment. The boundary between human and machine becomes blurred and disappeared. I think that is an interesting and critical issue for us to study further. Last but not least, I want to share a video of the ‘Future female: fetish or force to be reckoned with?’ Please enjoy!

Evaluation of the Use of Blogs for Learning Purpose by Leung Frances

It was the most unfamiliar course among others in this semester. It was a bit shameful to tell that I was panic when I heard of the term ‘Cyborg’ in the first lecture. Feminism, dualities, gender identities… many different topics have been discussed in this semester which are all new to me. Also blogging as a learning platform is also new to me as it is rarely used in Hong Kong and frankly speaking I am still not very used to it. But undoubtedly, if blogging is promoted to be one of the learning methods, perhaps it is such a great platform for everyone here providing new ways of learning and thinking. Sharing among classmates can be done easily by weblogs and comments are always available for us to speak out and do a reflection effectively.

The common use of weblogs questioned us the concept of cyborgs. We rely on online materials for presentation and sharing here and a domain ‘blogger.com’ for uploading our materials and giving comments right at the bottom of articles. Haraway has defined cyborg as ‘a hybrid of machine and organism’ that in some extent, we can more elaborate it to whom rely much on technology and cannot live without it. I cannot imagine if I do not have any electrical devices in hand as my network is now mainly constructed on social network platform. As many of my friends are in other foreign countries, it is the most convenient and fastest way to get to know the status of them through internet. I rely much on internet in my leisure time too like reading magazines and watching programs and dramas online or surfing for the newest products of some brands.

The unit, I would say, is quite abstract and ambiguous as somehow it is very new to me and sometimes I cannot really get a full understanding on some topics. But it is a course which let me think of myself thoroughly to rethink our bodies, self identities in the virtual cyber world and finally the dualities like nature and culture, human and technology. Have we well controlled the technology we invented? The problem is that we, humans, are bounded by technology but are still claiming ourselves we are controlling it. Self – deception is obviously the solution dealing with technology. Technology saves us but kills us. Perhaps, the unit is a course for all human beings!

Evaluation of the use of blog for learning_by Gladys Yeung

Reflective of weblog

This is not my first time to use weblog. I had a sharing diary with my friend during secondary school.The blog had recorded my daily life, my feelings and my experience which are memorable. Yet, I never imagine that blog can be used for learning purpose. I think it’s a new and good platform for students to express their opinions. We can share and discuss any topic which is related to this subject. However, I think we didn’t make a better use of this blog to share any ideas or opinions with classmates and lecturer. For me, this blog is just a place for posting homework instead of any sharing. Anyway, weblog is a good idea for academic used.

Reflective of Cyborg

At first, I didn’t have any idea about cyborg. The concept of cyborg is really abstract and difficult to understand. Cyborg is about the combination of mechanics and organics. It is not simply talking about embedding some machines into human’s body. Human become cyborg unconsciously once they use the technology. In other words, we cannot avoid being a cyborg in the contemporary society. Nowadays, technology is ubiquitous and we cannot live without it. For instance, people will feel insecurity if they forget to bring their mobile phone. We use it to keep contact with our friends. We rely on technology so much. For me, I admit that I am a cybrog because I absolutely cannot live without computer and mobile phone. Using computer and mobile phone is one of my living habits.

Reflective of Unit

This subject introduces a new concept, Cybrog, to me that is very interesting. After this course, I have a reflection that what human is. If a person relies on a machine to maintain his or her life, this person is human or not? What is the definition of human being? This question still confuses me a lot. On the other hand, this subject also makes me think more about the relationship between human and technology. We are the creator of those technologies but somehow we scare of it. Human are afraid that we will be controlled by technology in the future. I think it is a great irony.

Evaluation of the Use of Blog for Learning Purpose - Yan Shek

Nowadays, technology really makes our living become more convenient. We can easily get much information from the world and it also gives us a way to express the information. Such like the weblog I use in this course. Although I not often look and post the blog on it, no doubt that it really give us have another method to give more information from our classmate or the lecturer. For example, every week the presenter will post the content of their present on the weblog, we can watch more detail of the present. It can help us understand more of the present and understand more of the lecture of that week. It is very helpful for those students who have missed the presentation.

After I have studied this course, I start to think about one question – am I cyborg? Also, what the relation between human and body? I very agree that in nowadays, people really cannot live without the technology. Use myself as an example. Computer and mobile phone is the necessity of the daily life. I cannot imagine if one day I have lost these two things, how I get contact with my family and friend or how I do my assignment. I know that sound a little bit crazy but that the truth. Nowadays people are too relying on the technology. For example, nowadays every teacher will use powerpoint to present their lecture, student usually to read it on the computer at their home. Also, nowadays every people will use mobile to get contact with their friend. I can imagine if they lost their mobile, how nervous they will be. It is because the technologies make people forget how to have communication with other by face to face.

Before I think that cyborg is meaning those people who have machine inside their body, so it makes them become different with normal people. But the new technology has changed my mind because in nowadays people have very close relation with the machine. For example, medical use, etc. As I mentioned before, nowadays we cannot live without the technology, so I will also make us become cyborg. And it has change how people think about what is cyborg. I think it is interest that to discuss the question about cyborg because there have much different definition about it. I think it is time for us to have new understanding about cyborg and ourselves.

Evaluation of the Use of Blogs for Learning Purpose - Wong Cho Yi, Joey

This is my first time to experience learning on a weblog and it’s an interesting way to learn with an online platform.

This kind of platform allows us to express our own point of view, especially for student who might not participate actively during class time. Hong Kong students tend to remain silent in class time, thus we used to have a unilateral learning with only teachers’ voice of teaching. However this weblog allows student to access anytime, and it is exoteric. Therefore those shy students who do not speak during class time can also voice out their thought and share with others once they have any idea on this unit.

The platform stimulates learning between students. Students can learn from others when they see any comment on the weblog. Some students may have a uniquely thought come up in their mind after class. When we do not have this weblog, that special idea would only stay in the student’s mind and will never publish. But now, thanks to the weblog establishment, those particular thought can be share after class and expand the area of how we think and develop our view.

I regard that I am a cyborg even before I use this weblog for learning. People nowadays rely on computer to manage their work, to communicate with friends, to gain information. All those actions require people to stick with a device and connect to the internet. Of course, I am one of them. Opening computer is the first thing I do when I go back home. Checking e-mail, facebook or working on my assignment, so the time I sit in front of the computer is much longer than the time I spend with my parents. On the other hand, when I am on my way (to school or to work), I always put on my earphone and listen to my ipod. Seems like I am with different kind of devices at different moment. So no doubt to say I am not a cyborg.

This unit is the most ambiguous course I have ever seen. All topics in this unit are also describing things round us, but at the same time, feel like I haven’t seen them in the reality. I think it is because of the nature of technology. Technology is the thing that it has so many ways to transform. It can be a tool for human to have a more convenient life style, but it can be a instrument to alter our society.

Evaluation of the Use of Blog for Learning Purpose - Poyu Ng

When I knew that I have to study a unit called " Self. Net Identity in the Digital Age", I really have no idea what I will going to learn in this unit. Will it very difficult for me or will it is about some interesting topics or about something of your personal? This makes me rise up a lot of questions in my mind.

I still remember the first lesson of this unit, that was about cyborgs. What is cyborgs? From that moment I started interested in this unit.I also feel this unit is a bit surprise in some topics, that is because I never thought about that can be linked which all are related in our daily life.

Also, this unit is different from other units is that there is a weblog platform for us to share the works and comment on every week topic. Before, I used blog to express my own feeling about my daily life or just type a few words about the day.Now, blog is different to me that I can use it in acadamic works and share different feelings about the unit, this is a new study format for me.

I think this weblog is quite useful for me, it is because we can see all the works done by our classmates and can learn from them or share any idea in different topics that in our unit and the presentation discuss question and express our idea after class. This makes the learning place not only at school but also in every where that you can access to the interent and this is what makes the boundary between study and leisure blured, but I think this is new try for me and this helps me to learn more besides from school.

Evaluation of the Use of Blog for Learning Purpose_BETTY WU KI YAN

When I signed up for this course “Self Net identity in digital age”, I didn’t really know what to expect. In the beginning I had my fears. For instance I was concerned that the class was going to be fraught with imagine to future, some virtual things. So I was a bit apprehensive, but it turned out not to be as scary as I’d originally thought it would be. In contrast, I think this course is quite fun. At the beginning of this course, I learnt about the cyborg theory, then in the group present I have presented a topic about “Friends” which about the relationship between Facebook friends and real life friends. It was a quite come to life experience for us since we always surf on Facebook. And through this course can let me think more about internet, real life, and social network relationship.

Other that the feeling of this course, I think the blog is meaningless to me. First, in my opinion, blog is not like this. This “Blog” to me is just a message board for UWA students to hand in their homework. Different classmates posted the Webliography, present summary, and comment on this blog. It is no doubt that it can increase the interaction between classmates, however, for the real blog, I think this is not. I have a real blog and that blog is already run almost 7 years. The blog mainly record my feeling in my daily life, my experience, and some lyrics I liked. If I got some interesting things happen in my daily life, I will record in it. You can say this is not a real blog since everyone has different definition with blogging. However, if compare two blogs, my own blog and this UWA blog, I will say mine is better.