Over the last few months I have had a difficult time in finding a mutual balance between my work and the time to study. As like many others I have met on BAPP, balancing my full time performing and extra teaching career with the 'spare time' to actively put my mind to the elements of this course, has been frustrating to say the least. I must admit when I discovered BAPP and found it was classed as a part time course I expected the work load to be managable and easy to juggle with my professional work, yet in reality I admit that I have indeed struggled. With my weak knowledge and experience with some web 2.0 platforms, blogging has and still is a very new task for me to become fluent in. Facebook for instance is the opposite. This slight 'addicition' I have with checking facebook and updating my profile, is something I hope to transfer across to other technologies as this will no doubt improve my development in these areas. The first being my blog site. T o my excitement, I have found that there is a app for the iphone, where I can upload and edit my posts. This new, close to hand option may be a break through for me (I do expect this to be old news for many, but I am proud with my find, haha! Keep an eye out for my first 'on the go' post!)
I have however, been writing entries to a journal when being away on tour, (I seem to have a better connection with putting pen to paper) so I guess at least I have some material to reflect upon.
When reading Nina's post, titled 'Quantity or quality' it got me to thinking about myself and my balance. I too had queried the best option for the blogs... Is it better to either post little and often or less frequent but with ground breaking content? I have decided that I am going to use mod 1 as an experiement to find this happy medium and figure out what is the best way for me and my practice.
How are you finding the balance so far?
Good comments about the way in which continued professional learning needs to be managed. I don't think only one solution exists, but its sounds like your reasoning is sound Hayley and you have formed a new approach with your journals will pay off and you have noted that the quality of 'data' or evidence that we bring to our own practice is highly valuable - there just needs to be enough of it to enable choices to be made. Experimentation is a good option.
ReplyDeleteI am also struggling with the balance of time Hayley.
ReplyDeleteJuggling all my different practices, studying and considering there are people to connect with in my life, it's hard enough to get the balance, let alone with the extra study time thrown in. First thing I decided is to accept that it is something we have to do, so I just needed to get on with it. Then, I think I have developed three modes of study. When work and life gets completely crazy, I tend to write journal entries and leave the rest of the studying for a while, but I note that I will have to counter act this at some point, This I look at as low study time. Then in medium study time, I can blog and complete tasks and balance everything else, ideal really. Then there maybe a weekend where I'm alone and I have no commitments (rare as it is) and blitz a good session of studying, high study time. It kind of works for me, I hope this helps...
Ahmet
Thankyou both for the comments. I feel as this is going to be a long process to find the 'right' way to study,as for me it has been such a long time in doing so. I have decided as you mentioned Ahmet to face it and 'just do it!' I feel the longer I leave the publishing of thoughts and journal entries on the blog, the harder and more disconnected it will become. The description of the 3 stages of study time has helped me to think and organise the time I have in my favour, and I have found that with scheduling an hour or two here and there in my diary, means I HAVE to stick to the allocated time for my studying. Somehow if it is in my daily schedule then I feel obliged and somewhat pressured in to doing so... certain kinds of pressure can be prove to be beneficial opposed to heavy going, I guess thats the idea with time managemnet hey :)
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