Here is the last update I have received from my field study faculty mentor, Dr. Burton. Apart from working on my honors thesis prospectus, this is what we have been talking about:
Rachel:
I've read all of your posts, even if I haven't commented much. I'm on
the road extensively during the next four weeks. Today and tomorrow,
Chicago.
First, kudos on making so many efforts to connect. I wrote a post about connecting yesterday, based in part on my reflections of what
you have been doing (and other recent students). You know I'm figuring
out the connect thing right beside you.
I liked your post about connecting with family. This is never to be
ignored, and ultimately more important than all the rest. This
includes your boyfriend (I think!). All part of the authenticity. It's
amazing to me how few students feel like their own families will care
about what they are doing or make any efforts to engage them. Family
is always weird, rhetorically, but not to be ignored.
As I said in my post, neither is the connecting that is going on among
the small group of people you are with. Kristen mentioned this in a
recent blog post, the unexpected nature of small group bonding. But it
is also ephemeral. What is your relationship with your fellow Ghana
students now? It's an interesting thing to think about. These chance
alignments among fellow students can actually be life forming. I'm
typing this in the basement of my wife's former college roommate from
25 years ago. She's the one that lined Karen and me up on a blind
date. Sometimes the college connections are anything but temporary.
They matter as much as the more romanticized Tibetans or Indians. As
you do your mid semester retreat in Amritsar (isn't that about now?)
that is something to keep in mind.
I'm delighted to see you connecting with Shara. Isn't it interesting
to hear how much of a novice she is with media, and how much she
appreciates making ties with a kindred spirit?
I learned a lot by having my recent class produce their own eBook, and
I encourage you to spend some time going through my blog and some of
my students' from that course as they talk about the process of its
production. In particular, I want you to look at the assignment that I
gave about reaching a potential audience
(http://thedigitalwriter.
If you think about Shara, and go looking for others like her on forums
or by way of events, publications, podcasts, syllabi, iTunesU, etc.
and then start creating a list (like the one I had my students
contribute to, linked to from that same post) this can help shape what
you do. Think to yourself: "I am going to be delivering an eBook to a
set of people who will enjoy it and profit from it" and start getting
that list ready. This will change your process of consuming, and will
likely alter how you plan out your activities and what you create. The
main thing I learned from doing the eBook with students was to keep
that audience in mind early and really try to target them. You are
certainly on your way with your various efforts to connect so far.
Now, be even more systematic about it. I'd like to see your growing
list of people soon. Start with four or five. Shoot for twenty or
thirty. We'll take it from there.
Good luck and take care. I'll be watching your blog closely. Tell
Kristen I will respond to hers more fully in a day or so when I can
get back to the computer better.
Dr. Burton
Rachel:
I've read all of your posts, even if I haven't commented much. I'm on
the road extensively during the next four weeks. Today and tomorrow,
Chicago.
First, kudos on making so many efforts to connect. I wrote a post about connecting yesterday, based in part on my reflections of what
you have been doing (and other recent students). You know I'm figuring
out the connect thing right beside you.
I liked your post about connecting with family. This is never to be
ignored, and ultimately more important than all the rest. This
includes your boyfriend (I think!). All part of the authenticity. It's
amazing to me how few students feel like their own families will care
about what they are doing or make any efforts to engage them. Family
is always weird, rhetorically, but not to be ignored.
As I said in my post, neither is the connecting that is going on among
the small group of people you are with. Kristen mentioned this in a
recent blog post, the unexpected nature of small group bonding. But it
is also ephemeral. What is your relationship with your fellow Ghana
students now? It's an interesting thing to think about. These chance
alignments among fellow students can actually be life forming. I'm
typing this in the basement of my wife's former college roommate from
25 years ago. She's the one that lined Karen and me up on a blind
date. Sometimes the college connections are anything but temporary.
They matter as much as the more romanticized Tibetans or Indians. As
you do your mid semester retreat in Amritsar (isn't that about now?)
that is something to keep in mind.
I'm delighted to see you connecting with Shara. Isn't it interesting
to hear how much of a novice she is with media, and how much she
appreciates making ties with a kindred spirit?
I learned a lot by having my recent class produce their own eBook, and
I encourage you to spend some time going through my blog and some of
my students' from that course as they talk about the process of its
production. In particular, I want you to look at the assignment that I
gave about reaching a potential audience
(http://thedigitalwriter.
If you think about Shara, and go looking for others like her on forums
or by way of events, publications, podcasts, syllabi, iTunesU, etc.
and then start creating a list (like the one I had my students
contribute to, linked to from that same post) this can help shape what
you do. Think to yourself: "I am going to be delivering an eBook to a
set of people who will enjoy it and profit from it" and start getting
that list ready. This will change your process of consuming, and will
likely alter how you plan out your activities and what you create. The
main thing I learned from doing the eBook with students was to keep
that audience in mind early and really try to target them. You are
certainly on your way with your various efforts to connect so far.
Now, be even more systematic about it. I'd like to see your growing
list of people soon. Start with four or five. Shoot for twenty or
thirty. We'll take it from there.
Good luck and take care. I'll be watching your blog closely. Tell
Kristen I will respond to hers more fully in a day or so when I can
get back to the computer better.
Dr. Burton
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