In this commentary I am going to reflect on the use of creating a reflective blog using WordPress. I aim to link this software to learning theory, detailing the advantages I found and the difficulties I came across while using this software.

During this lesson the tutor introduced the class to WordPress, this is a free open source software which can be found online and used to create websites and blogs.

I created a WordPress account to document reflectively on a weekly basis the contents of Mark`s lessons, how I felt, what I had learnt, the technologies/software/applications that was used and teaching styles. This account will become my blog that will be assessed at the end of this module.

Using WordPress as a reflective tool can be useful, as it gives an individual the ability to potentially keep an online reflective journal, which can be edited or added to at any point.

Reflection is described by Dewey as ‘…a chain of linked ideas that aims at a conclusion and is more than a stream of consciousness` (Moon, 1999, p. 12).

An individual can reflect ‘…unconsciously or consciously…. Reflection can also be enhanced by writing, leading to the development of diaries and portfolios` (Matheson, 2008, p. 60), this can be linked directly to my account on WordPress, as it can be seen as a form of diary, before creating WordPress I would personally reflect on a situation in my head without writing anything down. Although I found reflecting in a writing form somewhat troublesome as I dislike writing or talking about myself, looking back over the past weeks were I have reflected in the written sense, it has helped in a couple of ways. This blog can also be seen as a learning journal which ‘… can be effective in encouraging learners who have been away from formal education for a long time to begin writing’ (Tummons, 2007, p. 53), again this can be linked personally to myself. At the start of this blog my first reflection is very short and as I have got into the habit of writing a reflection they have gradually become longer.

The main advantage of WordPress that I have encountered is that it had enabled me to begin to write reflectively, hopefully if I continue to reflect on situations in a written form I will continue to improve and reflect effectively. At the moment my reflections are very basic without much depth or meaning to others with more work, time and effort I’m hoping the depth I reflect will become greater; thus, leading to a deeper understanding and knowledge of how I learn, work and think.

The only difficulty I encountered with creating this blog of reflective commentaries was trying to make the page my own as I was new to the sight and did not fully understand how it worked. I managed to edit a few things on the sight and somewhat make some changes to incorporate myself into the page.

References

Matheson, D. (2008). An Introduction to the Study of Education (Third ed.). Oxon: Routledge.

Moon, J. (1999). Reflection in Learning & Professional Development. New York: RoutledgeFalmer.

Tummons, J. (2007). Accessing Learning in the Lifelong Learning Sector (Second ed.). Exeter: Learning Matters LTD.