Reflections on Core Activity 2.1

Activity 2.1 was an extremely confusing activity for me. I am slightly disappointed that my group was not massively enthusiastic about completing the task, and that we ended up with a less than perfect template . I am also left feeling I have not picked up the broader purpose of the task; although a template was the output of our efforts, the main purpose, I now realise, was to get our heads around the whole subject of e-portfolios and their uses. But what I have learned in the past about OU courses is that the task is not the main point - the main point is the personal learning. Using the personal development template of H808, here are some reflections on lessons that I can take forward to future activities.

Practice related
I reached the end of this task not being absolutely clear why we had been asked to create a template of drivers. I now realise, having read back over the course materials, that this activity was intended to raise my awareness of e-portfolios, their application and the pros and cons of their use. Had I realised this at the outset, I would have spent my time differently, doing much broader reading, and considering the arguments for and against e-portfolios with a more critical eye.
So my resolution from this piece of learning is that with every new activity I must ask myself, why am I doing this, what do I need to get as a personal learning outcome and how will it contribute to my H808 studies?

Communication related
I find that online group activities are notoriously tricky to mediate, especially when a group is still quite newly formed. The experience with my group on Activity 2.1 was that few members became active participants in the group aspect of the activity. Most people checked in, nominated texts to read, and then disappeared. My sense is that at the outset, we would have done better to take a little longer discussing the task and what we think we needed to get from it, and then to have agreed how to collaborate on getting it done. But by collaboration, I don't just mean sharing the work out, I mean working out how we can genuinely co-create knowledge. For me that co-creation is where the most value added has come out of previous OU modules.
In future, whilst not wanting to assume that that I should take a lead role at every stage, I will be conscious of the dynamics at the outset of new group activities, and lobby for discussion about the process and underlying purpose of the activity.

Technology related
A big 'aha!' moment came for me when I found myself trying to fill in the template on a wiki - I was working out how to use the technology, and then discovered I didn't have much to enter in the template.
Just because technology exists does not mean you have to use it. In fact, I often find that technology gets in the way of conversation, as those who are not accomplished users end up struggling with making the technology work, and even worse, feel useless because of this. (An example of this frustration came from Jan Moreland in her forum post of Unit 2 Activity 2.1 Group A , 27th September, right back at the beginning.) True, it could be argued that if learners are not forced to use the technology, then they will never become adept at using it, but there is a balance that I need to strike.
In future activities, I want to do a better job of positioning the technology as the servant of the learning and not the other way around.

Research related
My learning about my approach to research is linked to my point above about practice; namely that I must be clear what I am researching and why!

In future, I must take a step back from the exercise, and consider what background research is going to provide me with material I need to complete (1) H808, (2) my e-portfolio, and then (3) the activity. Had I done this with Activity 2.1, I would not have spent well over 12 hours wading through a most lengthy study from the Centre for Recording Achievement. Whilst interesting, it has not provided me with the grounding in understanding and making the case for or against e-portfolios that I really do need. So that learning will have to be picked up in later studies.