Redo or Start Over

Originally published in edublogs, Writing for Learner Engagement. Part of the Class Home Room Blog from a course at the U of T. Posted under Always Something More to Learn, URL

What is easier? To redo someone’s existing work, or to start over. Sure it is nice to have something to start with. Someone else has done all of the work. All you have to do is tweak it and make it better. But that can also be painful. Sometimes I get stuck in their language. I can’t think of any other way to say it.

If you start from scratch your voice is present throughout. The piece follows your stream of consciousness. The words, phrases, and information are your personal choices. Disadvantage here is that you might not know how to start, or what to say.

I am struggling with the first assignment, trying to rewrite someone else’s copy. Last year was spent the same way. I rewrote an existing course and made it into something new. I also created a new course from scratch. In the end, both are good courses, but I am extremely proud of the one that I created on my own. This one also didn’t take as long to complete. Interesting. I should spend some time thinking about that.