Hi everyone! This is my first experience in blogging and I never thought of starting a blog if not for the course ONL 191. Thank you ONL 191 group for encouraging us to blog! It would be too unfair by the others if I say that my generation is not used to blog, yeah, my friends (not all, though) are very active in blogging. They do write about various things, but I never wanted to start one, maybe I was too busy, or too lazy for that!
Well, I think it is better to introduce myself to you a bit. Unlike the other members in my PBL group, I am still a student: a PhD candidate at the Stockholm University, Sweden. The challenge in my PhD study is that I am doing my studies being in Sri Lanka which is my mother country. Thus, my PhD itself is an example for distance learning. ONL course was recommended to me by my supervisor because we believe that it could give me some exposure to computer mediated communication which would be really important for my study. If I tell you a little bit about my study, it is on computer mediated corrective feedback and these days I am engaged in a study which examines the use of digital tools in the ESL classroom.
I was amazed to see that there are so many digital tools which we can use in the ESL classroom; unfortunately, not all of them are used in the Sri Lankan context. Even I am getting exposed to those only after joining the ONL course.
Most importantly, I also realized that I am in a fantastic group of people from around the world. So, I am looking forward to this amazing online experience and I am so excited about the many things we will learn in this international platform.
Think on my Words 
Hi Piyumi,
You are not the only student in our group – we are all students in this course right now. 🙂 Also, since I never finished my PhD that I started half a lifetime ago in 1995, I’m still a student in that sense too.
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Hi, good to know that you are almost in a similar situation like me. New to blogs, I am also a Ph.D. Candidate here at Stockholm University. Of course, I am based here in Sweden. I agree with your supervisor for having recommended you to do this course. I did a similar course earlier before this, but I am also expecting a lot from this course in terms of new knowledge and digital tools that can be used for improving the experience in a networked learning context. As you are doing your doctoral studies at a distance pace, this is an opportunity to boost your experience in working in groups from a distance. Even this blogging style of learning is a good step to learning in communities.
As you mentioned, I have also never had this experience before the ONL Course. But now I am using blogs with my students for teaching and learning processes. The thing is, with blogs, as teachers we can improve our Student-Centered learning process.
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Hey, nice to hear that you are also from Stockholm University. Yeah, I also thought of using blog posts with students. That should be really good!
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So, you can imagine participating in a similar online course? Best regards Helena
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