Blogging is an amazing tool for learning, introspection and knowledge creation.
Here are some things that I have discovered about the act of blogging.

Breaking the block
In my busy world I sometimes find it hard to concentrate.
I have healed my ‘Bloggers Block’. When I hear or read something of interest (a conference presentation, a book, a blog) I automatically think - can I tell other people about that? Can I blog it?  I write blog posts to help other people, but also because I get a lot out of it.

Considering my audience
If I listen to or read something without a clear objective who is to know what will happen to the knowledge?  I posted once about liveblogging lectures.  If students who are blogging during lectures don’t have the audience in mind when they write, they are likely to produce useless drivel.

Engaging myself
To create interesting blog posts I need to be engaged.  It’s like a meditative state in front of my computer, nothing else matters, only the post I am writing.

Learning
If I blog something I am taking it from someone else’s perspective into my own.  My mental aerobic efforts lay down new pathways and I create multiple triggers - pictures, words and sounds.

Understanding
If I don’t understand what I am writing no-one else will.  So I do some research to make sure I fully get it. Wikipedia is often enough.

Memorising
If I am engaged when writing or reading something I will remember it.

Making it real
The act of putting knowledge out there makes it real to me. It gives the knowledge pounding in my head a meaning.  Not to mention that other people will hold me to what I say. At least I think they will.

Creating knowledge
By attending to what I’m doing I WILL come up with new perspectives.  If given a chance my mind takes a critical perspective on what I am reading, and what I end up writing is something that is better than when I started.

Reviewing
When I go back to read the stuff I have written I see what my state of mind was like then and notice how far my thinking progressed.  Then I can update it, and everyone benefits!

Thanks for Attending!