Self Evaluation 2

Hey guys, sorry for the interruption again here, but it is once again time to attend to some class room logistics.  Just skip over this post if it does not pertain to you.

Dr. Schneider, this semester has really helped me grow in communicating to the public.  It has taken me a while, but I am finally seeing how the deficit model is totally inappropriate for getting the message across.  Who would have guessed that not showing off all you know and hitting people with raw facts for pages on end would be more effective in teaching.  Obviously, I think we scientist/engineer folk have a lot to learn in the future and I totally support this class becoming part of the core for aspiring professionals.  Just wanted to give you that feedback.

As far as my blog, I have really been putting a lot of work into it this last grading period.  I am still doing a lot of research for the posts and what not, but I think the challenge this semester has been trying to get the facts and then convey them without conveying them in the raw form.  This has been my challenge over the last few weeks.  Who ever thought that it would be easier to convey less information was crazy!  I think that I have done a good job though.  I have tried to convey difficult concepts with visualizations and by making analogies more.  It has become about getting the take home message across other than trying to make my reader an expert.  Whew, glad you finally got that across to me!

The second big goal, in which I feel I have been fairly successful, is acquiring engagement.  I am trying to get at the hearts of the people by talking about difficult issues.  I try to prevent controversy and often taking a stance that is not too far over the middle but slightly to one side will cause people to weigh in with their opinions.  This has been happening more and more in my posts and I am having a great time doing it.  It is not always about being the expert, but it is about making the reader think about what they believe.  That is where you are truly communicating.  If you are making the reader think about what you are saying, then you have engaged them and they are open to learning.  Without that, it is just not going to happen, especially on an issue that can be technically very dry.

As far as promoting my blog, I have been doing a lot more of that as well.  I have had a lot of success using facebook to get all my friends to read what I am writing.  They are often too shy to comment on the blog, but I am getting lots of comments on my facebook page.  There is a lot of good discussion that goes on there now!  Facebook, when combined with a blog, can be a very effective way of getting your message out.  I also have been following Rod Adams at Atomic Insights more, but I am not having much success in engaging him with my blog.  It just seems that his blog is too large and he is too busy to work with me.  On the other hand, I did manage to slip my blog to a reporter over spring break at the Pueblo nuclear power plant hearings.  I have not seen it in a paper yet, but I still remain hopeful.

Now for the logistics.  As you can see, I have been posting quite a bit.  I post often long articles and at least three times a week.  I guess it helps that I am just so passionate about the subject!  Also, I have been aiming my commenting toward other energy blogs.  Getting discussion going between us I feel could be very exciting.  Unfortunately, the fact that blogger doesn't email back when someone comments on your comment still seems to be affecting this.  Conversations seem to die quickly as we forget to look at the discussion we started.  Quite frustrating.  But anyway, I have been commenting anywhere from 5 to 10 times a week I would say, depending on how much content I see from the other people in the class.  I am constantly looking!

As far as media use, I have been trying to get my writing to accomplish the same thing.  I still have posted several videos and I love the use of pictures to get a mental image across.  I am working with some other guys on a nuclear power video that I will have up sometime during the semester, but it is not ready yet.  I constantly link to other articles on the subject so people don't just have to take my word for what I am saying and they can get other views on the topic.  I think I have moved a little past just posting an interesting youtube video I found though.  This doesn't seem like effective blogging.

Given all this effort, time, and the fair bit of success that I have had, I would go out on a limb to say that I think I deserve an "A" for the grading period.  I hope you agree!