A Visual Sociology class from Belmont University, lead by Dr. Andi Stepnick left Nashville right after Christmas to spend several days touring and studying in India. As part of that experience the group is blogging: Visual Sociology in India.
I have been on several overseas trips and strongly support the spontaneity and personal reflection that a blog can provide. Numerous comments from those blogs seems to indicate that family and friends benefit from the embedded-journalist-type reports from non-US soils. As a promotional tool, the unpolished nature of many blog posts gives a unique insider's view of what life is like as a study abroad student. There are challenges involved to make this happen, however. The three biggest challenges are (generally):
- finding a (convenient) high speed internet connection
- carving out time from hectic travel days to sit down and compose a post
- manipulating/optimizing/uploading images to include with a post
Chris, one of the students currently in India, raises some interesting questions about capturing the experiences during these trips and how the focus on capturing can get in the way of actually experiencing all that a country has to offer. He is right...and finding that balance brings me to some thoughts on how to support students on these adventures.
I would propose that every student group establish, in advance, what I would call Life Lines...technical support-type folks who can look over the shoulders of those posting stories. To include an optimized images in a blog post can take time that may not be available to the weary, time-zone-challenged traveler...attaching/emailing an image to a Life Line can take the time pressure off but still carries the intent of the blog without compromising the spontaneity. The same concept holds for sending notifications and promoting the blog...the Life Line becomes the homeland advocate to moderate comments, clean up coding problems, and make the best use of images. That same person, armed with knowledge of how the blogosphere works, can provide training and strategy support prior to a group's departure...in essence, becoming the stay-at-home team member. Yes. It sounds a little like the job of an editor/publisher, but it would shift the focus away from producing a blog and back to the broader engagement of a student in a foreign country.