8801+Collaboration+report+2

The opportunity to submit an initial Collaboration Report provoked me to consider the greater importance of collaboration - firstly as a tool for learning, secondly, for the expansion and growth of this course, and third, for what I consider to be the most important part of this learning process: My potential to take what I learn and apply in a real world context.

Lecturers will no doubt be aware, the slow dawning of such realisation is probably usually accompanied by an incremental rise in student workload and the associated pressure to submit our best possible efforts! Despite this, I made significant attempts to focus on other students during the second half of semester, emailing often just as an act of moral support, and ensuring my posts on other students’ threads focussed on constructive support for those with fewest replies.

I was also contacted by Tim Long - a student who suggested we learn from our first unit and make time for face to face - or at least regular Skype - contact during Unit 2, in order that we overcome the potential for isolation that internet learning does little to mitigate.

Further to realising that I needed to expand my collaborative network, I pursued the potential to contribute to The Australian Conservation Foundation’s work. As a result, two weeks ago I was approached by Adam Machjer and invited to do some contract work over the coming weeks, in the area of communications strategy development in a post-carbon pricing world. It is at this stage, just a short-term project, but a result of some persistence and I have no doubt my commitment to a future profession in the sphere of environmental communication has been viewed more credibly since I began IHS studies. This is the first step of a major course goal!

I would also like to use this opportunity to highlight the significant and ongoing support I have received from Angela Jantz over the entire unit. In addition to technical advice and offering her past project work as a guide to what might be expected of me, she has been a ‘buddy’ in a supportive sense, reassuring me when I began to feel a little overwhelmed by the incoming workload, and offering a perspective on priorities. She is an invaluable asset to IHS as you no doubt already know, and though our geographies have made greater contact a little challenging, I cannot thank her highly enough for her willingness to contribute to my learning.

In turn, I perceived that fellow student Sarah Guthleben was feeling a little inundated by her workload, so made contact (on a supportive rather than technical basis). She has since replied with good humour - and we’ve agreed to increase our collaborative efforts in the next unit.

Finally, I have also made contact with a fellow presenter from The Climate Reality Project - Linh Do - asking if she might let me know when she next does a presentation, as my skills in presenting are a little dusty. She has agreed - and I look forward to re-energising this part of my life.

With the submission of ‘Eudaimonia’ as my major project for Unit 1 studies, I am keen to gauge feedback and, if it is viewed favourably, pursue the possibility of having it posted on the EWS site. I know there is no guarantee of it being accepted, but will make the attempt in any case, both for the purposes of expanding the site’s content and to increase my academic confidence.

I look forward to studies in Unit 2.