How though does this mapping transfer onto the space that is Tumblog?  The properties and layout of the Tumblog promote interconnection of the blocks mentioned earlier.

I like the use of the spiderweb as a metaphor for my Tumblog. In the centre sits EDC and it is from this core that all of my posts have  seeded and sprawled. Each post sits as individual on its own silken thread but is integral in the make-up of the web as a whole.

This was not evident until a certain amount of the course content had been covered. Tagging allows for “the collection of information, the sense-making, the organisation of information through categorisation and the trading of detail and knowledge describe some of the essential processes of human intelligence.” (Merchant, 2007, p. 251) The tag is a powerful tool with which one may construct the stepping-stones of access through the blog space.

The category structure is an important gateway for user access through the blog. When deciding how to fragment my categories I felt that it would be beneficial to fork the division: blocks and weeks. Perhaps weeks or blocks would have been sufficient on their own but when the time came to decide on that section the spiderweb image still lingered in my mind and resulted in the inclusion of both.

The capacity for customization within the Tumblog is substantial. Although most of the group’s blogs looked alike for the majority of the semester it is only in the past fortnight that we have gone down the road of personalization through layout and image. The diversity of our imaginations and creativity is supported by the Tumblog structure.

• Merchant, G. (2007) Mind the gap(s): discourses and discontinuity in digital literacies. E-Learning, Volume 4, number 3, 2007

“We have perceptions, thoughts and personalities (already shaped by other communications technologies) that are affected by the way we use the medium and the way it uses us.” (Rheingold, 1993)

The Tumblog platform encourages use of and experimentation in a wide range of modalities. This platform menu opens the gateway to imagination and creativity. Personal experience has shown that oftentimes the use of non-textual terrain helps to understand a topic / subject confused by the black and white offered by the parole. Stepping outside of text has at times felt that it carried with it a risk but a risk mimimized through the presence of community.

The experimental nature that the Tumblog has offered to me has had an impact on what I have learned and also how that learning has been shaped, content and form. Crucially, it has removed the fear of the multimodal, instilling a sense of adventure and curiosity as companions for future learning.

• Rheingold, H. (1993) The virtual community: Homesteading on the electronic frontier. available: http://rheingold.com/books/ [accessed 06.04.2013]

Since the beginning of this module I knew that this blog was providing a radically different experience than the blog I used in IDEL. Having watched it take shape over the last few months, ebbing and flowing against the tides of offline life, the end is nearing, finality beckoning. On reflection, time itself was instrumental in shaping this difference, created through interaction and the establishment of community.

The blog interaction nourished through feedback and comment has helped to establish our EDC community. Totally aware that all posts are available in the mainstream the intimacy of our group number provided the feeling of being present within a safe, secure environment. Confidence gained through posting within this social network resulted in more confident posting as time progressed.

The community element played a role in how and what I posted. The social aspect embedded as core within the EDC blog meant that feedback and comment were anticipated and readily welcomed. Knowledge sharing was an underlying byproduct of interaction resulting in constant learning and awareness of new topics and technologies. This would not have been as achievable outside of a community based framework.

Using the same components or looking at the same platform may result in an experience poles apart.