The first difference I have noticed is in the introductions - obviously not an institutional, but more an individual difference... We have been asked to introduce ourselves by one word or image and describing that word or image. I read through the 8 or so posts that were there, and noticed that they were quite personal. Most of the posts revealed quite intimate details about the students' lives. This made me feel a bit uneasy... how much do I share of my life? Do I want to share the sorts of details in those posts with people I don't know?
So that raises questions: Does sharing intimate personal details with your learning peers help you to engage with the learning? Does a personal connection with the others in the class help you to be willing to commit more effort to learning? Does opening yourself up (potentially to attacks on you as a person, or what you believe) to people you don't know, help your learning?
Really.
Then turn to being the teacher/lecturer/facilitator. Does opening up to your students help their learning? Is there some personal connection that has to be made so that your students will study harder (read as not let you down)? Do you risk the exact opposite and the students will dislike you? Does revealing your own information mean that you are wanting the students to do the same? What kinds of professional boundaries might this overstep?
I'm not much into sharing personal details either in a class or as a lecturer. Am I ashamed? Am I fearful (as per forum post), or is it justified? Being a 'thinker' rather than a 'feeler', and knowing that many other people are... this is hard to answer.
Standby as I investigate!
