Blog #3

Throughout the course the most common pattern of response I used was Reflective Guide.  An example of this is:  "I agree will everyone's assessment regarding social interaction not being relegated to the water cooler.  As Mary said, at times it may be appropriate to re-direct the conversation if it is going in a strictly social direction.  However, community building is an on-going process.  It begins with social dialogue and evolves as thoughtful discussions take place (Brown, 2001).  To remove social conversation that is interwoven in the threaded discussion has the potential to harm the community building process." 


I seem to be most comfortable with restating an idea with a slightly different emphasis.  


On occasion I also used the voices of Personal Muse and Generative Guide.  I feel these three voices represented my voice as a student.  I like to think that as the instructor I will also use the voice of Conceptual Facilitator and Mediator.  I feel least comfortable with Conceptual Facilitator due to my limited experience with this role but I am confident that with experience I will become more comfortable with it.  I think this discomfort stems from my lack of experience in teaching in general.  


The tones I use most commonly in conversations are neutral, nurturing, curious, and devil's advocate.  I likely will utilize neutral and curious tones most often as a facilitator as they are second nature to me.  


Familiarizing myself with the different voices and tones is extremely helpful in heightening awareness of my interactions.  At this point I think it will take great reflection and thought to match the tone and voice with a critical thinking strategy to make an appropriate intervention, but the more I exercise the different combinations, I hope the more natural it will become.  


I am looking forward to the experience in Module 6!