This document discusses using blogs to document experiences. It suggests that blogs can be used to keep a diary, but should involve more reflection on how an experience impacted learning. Blogs can be used privately or shared publicly/with employers. When shared publicly, care should be taken to avoid posting private contact/financial details. Social media like Facebook, Twitter and LinkedIn can also be used to promote oneself, and a blog URL could be included in a CV, business cards or email signature.

1. Blogging your experience
Matthew Mobbs
e: mjm33@le.ac.uk
web: http://mjmobbs.com
twitter: mjmobbs
www.le.ac.uk/careers

2. What do these people have in common?
All kept a diary
www.le.ac.uk/careers

3. Who is this man?
William Speirs Bruce
Led an expedition to Antarctic Circle
Never kept a log!
www.le.ac.uk/careers

4. What is an e-Portfolio
“An e-portfolio is a collection of electronic
evidence assembled and managed by a
user, usually on the Web…
E-portfolios are both demonstrations of
the user's abilities and platforms for self-
expression, and, if they are online, they
can be maintained dynamically over time.”
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Eportfolio (09/12/2009)
www.le.ac.uk/careers

5. Collating Evidence
Team
£30.00
Working
Skills
WORK
Team working
Team working
Team working
Group
Project
www.le.ac.uk/careers

6. Why do this?
What experience
do you have of
working in teams?
Team working Networking
IT Skills IT Skills Communication
IT Skills
Team working Team working
Team working
Team working Networking
Team working Work
Communication
Placement
www.le.ac.uk/careers

7. Not just a diary!
Collection • Purpose
• Style –Audience
Progression Reflection
• General Impact
• Impact on Learning
www.le.ac.uk/careers

8. Not just a diary! The approach
Level 1 Level 1
• Experience only • “It was a huge experience, achieved a lot,
but I’ve forgotten a lot of the details.”
Level 2 Level 2
• Record and make explicit • “………, I had a pretty tough time at first –
the experience my boss was a nightmare ….”
Level 3 Level 3
• Reflection on the learning • “I had to develop different strategies for
experience dealing with boss depending on the politics
of the day and what was happening at the
time. I became quite adept at judging the
right tactics for getting a positive response.
For example …….”
www.le.ac.uk/careers

9. Not just a diary! The approach
Level 4 Level 4
• Making the links and • “I reckoned that I could use the same skill
Matching the Learning when dealing with the finance dept.”
Level 5 Level 5
• Application of Learning to • “The finance director was a totally different
new situations kettle of fish however –I discovered that the
tactic that worked with her was to be polite
and assertive at the same time.
Level 6 Level 6
• Adapting to the new situation • “By the end of the year I had developed a
broad range of persuasion skills that I can
apply effectively almost anywhere. I even
tried the same skills on my tutor - it worked
and he is a bigger nightmare than the
boss!”
www.le.ac.uk/careers

10. Best tool for the job
Blog
Private
Chronology reflection
Share with
Tagging
employers
www.le.ac.uk/careers

11. Just for me
Blog
Team working Networking
IT Skills IT Skills Communication
IT Skills
Team working Team working
Team working
Team working Networking
Team working Work
Communication
Placement
www.le.ac.uk/careers

12. Just for me
Blog
Team working Networking
IT Skills IT Skills Communication
IT Skills
Team working Team working
Team working
Team working Networking
Team working Work
Communication
Placement
www.le.ac.uk/careers

13. Promoting yourself
Facebook Twitter LinkedIn
• Social • Networking • More professional
• Large companies • Share ideas • Digital CV and
have Fan Pages achievements
• Job Search
– www.tweetmyjobs.com
• Large number of
companies and
– www.twitterjobsearch.com
groups of similar
interests
www.le.ac.uk/careers

14. Promoting yourself
• Add selected link to your:
Matthew Mobbs
– CV Learning Technologist
Student Support and Development Service
– Business card University of Leicester
LE1 7RH
– Email signature
e: mjm33@le.ac.uk
Web: mjmobbs.com
Twitter: @mjmobbs
LinkedIn:
http://uk.linkedin.com/pub/matthew-
mobbs/7/381/48b
www.le.ac.uk/careers

15. A word of caution
Anything you publish on
wordpress.com is publically
available online.
DO NOT release your
address, telephone number or
secure details
www.le.ac.uk/careers

16. Example
http://mjmobbs.com
Help:
http://mjmobbs.com/?tag=lgip
http://en.support.wordpress.com/
www.le.ac.uk/careers

17. www.le.ac.uk/careers