Since the last evaluation, I have posted 17 posts with a variety of topics pertaining to lasers.
I have continued to address controversial aspects of laser technology, but I have returned to informing my readers about the science behind some technologies. During the second evaluation period, I lapsed into a period of mainly posting about news stories, and less on the science behind lasers. I have since then adopted a policy of having a balance of the two. I keep the news stories, which tend to maintain reader interest, while trying to subtly throw in some laser physics.
I have made a video blog in which a perform an experiment using my laser pointer. The video took a long time to make, but I have received many compliments about it. I try to give my viewers a hands-on feel to get them very intrigued, while throwing in humor to keep them interested. I am proud of the result, and I have learned that videos can be incredibly useful for communicating physics to viewers. Showing is more effective than telling, I think.
I have continued to comment on classmates' blogs. I have even linked to Nano Nook in one of my posts because one of the posts there concerns a laser-based technology. I have posted quite a few comments on ScanMeIn and several others. I don't have a consistent set of blogs that I visit to comment on. I usually visit the first half of the list on CommForge (the ones with the newest posts) and then decide if I have anything to say after reading the posts. I have found that I post many more comments than I receive, which may be because few people enjoy my blog, :( , or because I comment more than the other students. Either way, what feedback I do receive is encouraging and lets me know which direction to head in future posts.
SEMESTER OVERVIEW
Since the beginning of the semester, I have changed very much. It is hard to forget when the entire class decided that they could not understand my jargony posts. I have come a long way since then. I have posted a total of 38 posts, which is more than most of the class. I have consistently posted more than twice a week. I have discovered that controversial posts receive more attention than educational posts. I have tried to incorporate science education into those controversial posts, and I believe I have been successful. I think some of my success has to do with the way my style has changed since the beginning of the semester. I have become more conversational in my posts, and less of a scientist.
I had a few goals at the beginning of the semester, and I have not accomplished all of them. I wanted to get the class very interested in the little details behind lasers, but I have found that it takes an intensive background in physics to really, truly get to that kind of understanding. I have resorted to giving overviews of concepts using analogies, which is effective, but I don't think it is practical to believe my audience can be motivated to learn from my posts as much as I have learned in school. My field is somewhat of a specialist field, after all. This was probably one of the most challenging things to realize. Another challenge was for me to become less of a scientist, but the readings helped me to realize, first, that I had to, and second, how to do so.
The most enjoyable part of the blogging experience was making the video blog. My video blog post was my most successful one, with 202 total pageviews. If I wasn't so busy with other classes, I would have posted many more videos of myself performing experiments and demos. Even before the video blog was assigned, I had already taken clips from commercials and videos to make videos with my own message. Those projects were entertaining for me, and I wish I could have done more of those posts.
I have come a long way, but I know I can still improve my science communication skills. I think that for any piece of information, there are probably a few optimal ways to communicate them, depending on the audience. The challenge is discovering those ways. I have learned through the readings and my blogging which methods are effective, and which methods to avoid. I have learned from the comments that I received which kinds of posts appeal to certain people. This structure of the class, where we give each other feedback, is very helpful and informative.
Overall, I learned a ton concerning communicating, and I believe I have become a more effective speaker and writer. I actually have to present a senior design poster this afternoon, so I plan to use what I have learned during the presentation. I know my audience is not composed of laypeople, but jargon can still be avoided and analogies and examples can be utilized to make my presentation more understandable. Without the experiences I have gained from this class, I know I would be less effective at presenting as I will be this afternoon. I will continue to use my newly gained skills throughout my academic and professional careers.
Thanks, Jen!
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