Perception

I have to admit, I'm not entirely clear yet about the blogs--the directions talk about "aha" blogs, diaries, journals, and just blogs. Are these all references to the same thing? It's my understanding that we're to write and post to our blog a short essay at least weekly in response to our readings and experiences, and these are combined together to constitute a monthly a monthly entry. I'm completely confused about the process of submitting the url to a drop box. I think I found the drop box--am I supposed to submit the url each time I make an entry into my blog or do something else?

I think this is a perfect example of perceptions. I've taken very few courses in the education department (this makes two). My perception is based on my experiences in the UNI communication and English departments. I've found that instructors assume that instructions are perfectly clear to everyone because most students are in that department and may have even taken a course from that instructor in the past. But my age, my past experiences, and my need for absolute clarity all affect my perceptions.

This is one area I'm very aware of since for the past six years I've taught college students of all nationalities, beliefs, ages, abilities, learning styles, and majors. It requires me to evaluate my own communication and methods of communicating to ensure that all my students can understand the same message. I consider myself lucky if this takes place in one exchange, but more often than not, it doesn't.

Another example of perception is the photo of the cacti on this page--a picture I took some time ago. Interpretation doesn't require that the viewer know when I took the photo or where. It is an interesting study in color, texture, and shape, but if one looks closely, a small ring suspended on a slender string is visible in the center of the picture. My own experiences, perceptions, and fascination with cacti come from spending summers in Colorado, but this is an indoor exhibit at Arbor Lodge in Nebraska City.