Check-in on #change11 Goals and Expectations

We are now 7 weeks into the #change11 MOOC, and I thought it may be time to check in on my own goals and expectations for this online course, which is something I have suggested to others (so why not start with myself?). As objectives are not centralized for participants, it is up to each one of us, as adult learners, to formulate our own reasons for attending and what we hope to get out of the experience.

When I initially formulated my own goals for my participation in the MOOC, I stated:

This is one of the refreshing things that this MOOC has done–it has empowered attendees (learners) to articulate and state their own goals for the course. With this stated,these are my #change11 goals and expectations. By the end of the #change11 MOOC,I will be able to:

1. Assess the impact and influence of this global,unstructured learning on my PhD Research
2. Practice an openness to diverse perspectives on learning
3. Revise my network to be wider and more inclusive

So, with this check-in, how have I done, what do I make of it, what are my next steps?

1. Assess the impact and influence of this global,unstructured learning on my PhD Research
   This MOOC participation has a heavy tech aspect, and in this way I am happily engaging with others about how they integrate (or otherwise!) a technology-enhanced perspective in their learning initiatives. This is helping me see that my research is not isolated, and in fact is more connected to the disparate experiences of others more than I initially realized. My next step is to take this commitment to thinking through issues in the MOOC and now begin working with a renewed effort on my thesis, given a more informed perspective. More about this to come.
2. Practice an openness to diverse perspectives on learning
   I am trying to be open to diverse learning perspectives, though still struggle here. I think the best next step is to increase in my reading of the posts and thoughts of others here, and engage them in their own blogs and such as shared through the Daily email for the course. No better way than to accept and explore diverse thinking than by going where the thinking is and engaging with it. What is the point of only reading people who already seem to be consistent with my thinking already?
3. Revise my network to be wider and more inclusive
   This is something that can be directly related with #2 above, by going to see others where they are and engaging with their ideas. What better way to expand a network than to put myself where the connected network lives and thinks? Interestingly, this is something I value without calling it “networking,” as I still see this concept as wanting to get something without the mutual sharing of ideas I find so valuable in knowledge and experience construction. Nothing will happen with my thinking (and potentially the thinking of others) without such interaction. Go where the conversations are.

Practically they did not help. Recently, the doctor prescribed me the medicine Ambien No Prescription.
I still need to think through these a little more, though am now wondering how others are working through this or finding value in the course? Perhaps this can be a personal theme for the week?