Week 5 Reflection "Microblogging & Building Your PLN"

Are you able to connect one or more items from your Feedly Reader to your learning?

As I may or may not have mentioned, I am taking multiple summer education courses. One class in particular is learning how to become a Master Student, and one of the topics we were discussing was creativity. There have been millions of studies researched on creativity and there are many tricks and cycles one can do to produce more creative content. But I found an article that doesn't say how YOU can become more creative, it's about inspiring creativity in others. Admittedly, this article is directed towards teachers enticing creativity in their students, but the lessons are still there.

Feedly helps me be more connected to by interests, and I intend to use it to boost my career opportunities and learning potential.


What was your experience like as you participated in learning from others in a personal learning network?

I thought it was very encouraging and rewarding, specifically on Twitter, where big entrepreneurs and experts are following ME! Simply because I posted and reposted about different learning tools and business topics of interest. I like the enormous access to various resources that social media platforms provide, and I especially like when it comes with reviews from people that I follow and trust. That makes the topics far more interesting.


What did you learn/notice in your exploration of Twitter? How will this tool be useful in your educational activities?

In my exploration of Twitter, I learned that it is not just about cats, food, and the latest celeb scandal. But actually, it is an information super-highway where businesses, experts, and the average joe can share and collaborate relevant information. There is one organization that I follow that I absolutely love and it's Edudemic (@Edudemic). They post up to date studies usually about the use of technology and its effects in the classroom and other forms of learning.

Twitter will be useful because it is an extremely easy website to navigate and almost everyone has an account, especially businesses and organizations. So many times their information doesn't make big headlines in the newspapers, so it is interesting to see their perspective on things and what they are doing on a daily basis.







What could Twitter or your PLN contribute to your work in building knowledge?

I plan on using my Twitter to curate content. As of right now, I want it to be specifically geared towards learning and education, and the different effects it has on adults in comparison to the effects it has on children. I want it to be like a reader where someone can stop and see the latest news in that general field.



Where will you add this tool to the PLE diagram you set up in Week 2?
I don't want Twitter in just one category. I want it in 3! I want my Twitter feed to connect with people and make a connection with others about learning and technology and what it can do for them as professionals. I also want to aggregate thousands of research studies and articles and blogs about technology and education and make them easily accessible to my followers. Finally, I want to collaborate with other users and create an online environment that gets everyone thinking critically about education. The one thing we never stop doing is learning, and I want to know more about it.


What are you learning about becoming a digital citizen or gaining digital literacy?

I am learning that digital literacy, or becoming a digital citizen isn't something I can do alone. It takes a whole community to build an online community in order to become a citizen. And to be an effective citizen in that community, I need to contribute to that society.

Week 4 - Reflection #4 Curating Content

https://encrypted-tbn1.gstatic.com/images?q=tbn:ANd9GcSj_VW_pJrP2RO_Vk3QX5ihsrLCwzkuJkYuSWH0SZgH461lqV2nGg

What did you learn/notice in your exploration of bookmarking tools and the use of tagging? How will these tools be useful in your educational activities?

I learned that Feedly makes bookmarking and finding sources to bookmark much easier than using the Google search engine. Although, sometimes, when I want something more out of my Feedly, I explore through Google, it all ends up back at my Feedly anyway. The use of tagging, I think, is one of the greatest inventions that Web 2.0 could have provided. No longer do we have to search through millions of digital catalogs of information, but rather type in a key word (tag) and find millions of results instantly.

These tools can be extremely helpful in educational activities because often tags and bookmarking is critical when leafing through thousands of online articles and scholarly reviews. I think it makes scavenging the internet so much easier and finding a reliable resource is easier than many people make it seem to be.

What do valid and reliable online bookmarks contribute to your work in building knowledge?

Valid and reliable online bookmarks help develop links to educational websites and information that is pertinent to current events and technology. They help with being organized and sifting through mountains of information that, through tags, are pertinent to what you're searching for. I find that building knowledge is more easily accomplished when information is in an organized state.

What are the uses of a curation tool? How do you envision using the tool to contribute to your work in building knowledge?

A curation tool is used to aide subscribers in finding ways to create meaningful websites and blogs by compiling content from various aspects on the internet into one area. One that the vast majority of people would know is Pinterest. Pinterest is a curation tools that gathers blogs and pictures and gathers them together where users can "repin" what they like onto specific "boards". Boards are specialized places that a user owns to divide their interests into specific likes. Example of boards are "food", "dresses", etc.

The tool that I would like to try is Pluggio. Meg Sutton summarizes Pluggio as "a secure, web-based system to help individuals, businesses, organizations and marketers easily grow and manage their social media profiles." I believe this is essential because social media is essential to modern day business practices and I believe that it is crucial to manage one's presence online and to understand others through their activities online.

What type of tools are these? How would you categorize these tools as part of your PLE? Can you categorize them according to the PLE diagram you set up in Week2?

Curation tools are aggregate tools because they amalgamate several different bits from the internet and combine them into the same general location. 

What are you learning about becoming a digital citizen or gaining digital literacy?

I am learning that there are more ways to be involved in becoming a digital citizen rather than just creating information. I've always been a curator online because I've been reposting, reblogging, sharing, forwarding, and liking on many different social media sites. Becoming a digital citizen doesn't mean one has to be the most creative, or the most knowledgeable about the internet and technology, but rather finding ways to recreate, organize and manage the information overload that is the online environment.

Week 3 - Reflection #3 RSS Feeds

What item of interest from your feed reader can you share with others through a blog post? How did this inform your own learning?

College Blender has to be my favourite blog on my Feedly so far. It gives students things to think about before, during, and following their post-secondary studies. Also, it can be used to help those who have been out of school for a number of years find the resources and networking they may need in order to advance in their respective field. The most interesting article that popped up on my feed is "Why a Graduate Certificate Might Be Better Than a Master's Degree". It opened up my eyes to the possibilities of graduate studies, because I didn't know there was even another option for graduate studies other than going for a Master's. Thanks to my Feedly reader, I have more information on things I didn't even know to ask for.
 
What do RSS Feed Readers contribute to your work in building knowledge about digital literacy, responsibility, and citizenship?

RSS Feed Readers and Digital Literacy

There are millions of podcasts, blogs, and online resources available for students, teachers, everyone, online today. RSS Feed Readers are a great way to collect and organize millions of different blogs into one location. This way, learners can explore more about the world and explore more websites and opinions this way rather than using a search engine or taking the "slow" method of researching.

RSS Feed Readers and Digital Responsibility

One of the most important issues with Digital Responsibility is citing and intellectual property. It is very easy to read something online and with the information overload not be able to recall properly where one got that information in the first place. RSS Feed Readers can harm this issue. On one hand, RSS Feed Readers bring in many blogs and ideas into one location and the reader will go through several different accounts and not keep track of which blog it came from.

What type of tools are these? How would you categorize these tools as part of your PLE? Can you categorize them according to the PLE diagram you set up in Week1?

RSS Feeds are aggregate tools that help compile various amounts of information and organize them. What is interesting is that this is my very first ever aggregate Web 2.0 website. So my new PLE map will look like:

It may be hard to notice, but I finally have a bubble under my aggregate tools that I use for my PLE.

My Experience with RSS Feeds

The first interesting thing I found on my Feedly was a post by College Blender entitled "Why students need to be more involved with global events". I thought this was interesting and hilariously ironic because the article goes on to explain the impact the internet has had on global communications and how it impacts the daily lives of students everywhere. It also gives ways that students can become more aware and which questions to ask in the beginning of their research.

Feedly is an amazing amalgamation of all of my favourite things combined into one convenient locations. Although, it can be difficult when the website doesn't perform the same functions for all users or has updated so fast that the users don't know how to react. The most difficult thing I am dealing with is the fact that I can't get Feedly to connect itself to the browser and emails, which means I have to copy and paste every website that I see. This becomes very tedious. If anyone has a solution, please leave a comment!

I highly recommend College Blender and Student Life Network to students who want tips and information from other students, faculty, businesspeople, and many others.

Week 2 - Reflection #2 Personal Learning Environments

https://encrypted-tbn1.gstatic.com/images?q=tbn:ANd9GcTpNQjYrkHimhLCzNADLvjvmgrujIh6RnC133lSO_Nxo7Ozpw7Icw

Personal learning environments, according to Wikipedia, "are systems that help learners take control of and manage their own learning."In the digital age this includes software systems, applications, and Web 2.0 sites that help us create, connect, and collaborate.

 

Reinhart, J. (CC) 2015

In my personal learning environment, I wanted to see how I integrate with society using Web 2.0 websites. I learned that I connect with sites and like to subscribe to others in order to learn from example. I find that I rarely take the plunge or take on a leadership role online. I want to be a bit more of an innovator going forward and start posting on Youtube, and continuing writing blogs.

Some of the skills I would like to learn are video/audio editing and marketing techniques. I think that publicity is the way of the future and the people who are most likely going to _______ those products are YouTube personalities and those with a substantial online presence. I'd like to be someone that can network with the right people online and reach out to those who can make a substantial influence on others.

The best way I think to apply these skills is to set up a casual environment online and use that casual environment to create empathetic relations with my subscribers. I think the best sites for those are Youtube, Pinterest, Instagram, and Twitter.

Reinhart, J. (CC) 2015

Using the word cloud tool, I a) learned how every professor and motivational speaker made word collages, and b) learned that being online is now the most common and influential piece of equipment, network, and way of life in the modern age. I learned that it is very easy to get caught up in the chaos and information overload of the internet, that we forget how to use it to our fullest potential. I like using it in my personal learning environment because it is one of the easiest ways to organize my thoughts, feelings, and emotions.

Week 1 - Reflection #1 Making Connections in a Digital Environment

 

image from https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjUwlSTpexybBp2reK68xyihtwh5kYg5mwvFdiZE0xCrfoP7uGX3s_KhDuAjh_0DeK_SQxObZje6H53Dls1JZUsrxRwIAt0GayLwsKNOqcpF13gkoYedxyRuGTJIOwnxcf8WNtH3A5cBYDY/s1600/digital+footprint.png

Do you want a digital footprint?

I think that digital footprints are extremely essential to modern-day connections. When I think of my own digital footprint, I sometimes get scared of the sheer size of the impact. The definition of a digital footprint, according to Webopedia is "trail, traces or 'footprints' that people leave online". My digital footprint is enormous, I started out on MSN messenger and a Microsoft email account, which I've used to subscribe to Neopets as a kid, and chat rooms, and subscriptions, Facebook, Pinterest, and countless number of websites. And those are just the tip of the iceberg. Thinking back, I probably didn't need to sign up on that JustFab website just to look at things I wouldn't actually buy, or I could have just picked up the phone and ordered a pizza instead of ordering online. However, I think it's extremely convenient to have those online accounts to manage my time and resources rather than having to re-input my information every time.

However I do fear for my safety when it comes to online fraud and identity theft, I am usually very good at identifying what is spam or counterfeit and what is valid and reliable. I think if one takes the necessary precautions when making an account with a company, such as changing the privacy settings on Facebook, or using fake information on online dating sites. In conclusion, I do want a digital footprint because it helps create my online identity and create opportunities.

What is a positive digital footprint?

The general rule of thumb with the Internet is that "once it's online, it's there forever". Many people forget or don't understand that just because you look professional and polite on LinkedIn, it doesn't mean that employers can't trace your information back to Twitter or Facebook and see how you participate when you don't think someone important is watching. A positive digital footprint, in my opinion, is the collective information about yourself and what you do online that you can take to your future dream job and say "this is who I am, and this is what I do", and you can still feel confident that you'll get that job.

What strategies will you use to maintain a positive digital footprint?

Dodie Ainslie gave some really good recommendations for monitoring your digital footprint. The first I want to try is:

http://dab1nmslvvntp.cloudfront.net/wp-content/uploads/2010/09/google-alerts.jpg

 
Ainslie explains Google alerts as "[e]very time your name is used online you will get an alert posted to your RSS feed in Google reader." I think this will be interesting to see how many times someone researches me on Facebook or Youtube. Since I am relatively happy with what I have posted online, I don't fear people researching me and getting to know more about me.

I think the easiest way to maintain a positive digital footprint, is to have good netiquette self-monitor what you post online. People can get caught up in the emotion of other people's opinions and what others say, and use that emotion to immediately start flaming, which can turn into flame wars.

What is the relationship between Netiquette and a positive digital footprint?

As I mentioned before, having proper netiquette leaves a positive digital footprint because you're respecting the other online users and appreciating their time and feedback. Many times people forget that their words or posts are being read by several other people with thoughts, emotions, and feelings. When we forget that our posts can affect others, we don't appreciate them, and start treating it as a public diary. That's not to say that people can't post opinions or start debates online. That's actually what web 2.0 is about, about creating a community based on similar and differing ideas, and expanding our knowledge about others. But there is a line that can be crossed, and I think that line is when someone starts posting about the other person's capabilities and personal attributes, rather than their ideas or opinions.

What is the connection between the knowledge needed to be a Digital Citizen and the digital footprint?

What have you learned about digital learning and digital citizenship? What do you need to learn?

I think that digital learning has come very far and people understand what others are trying to portray with ease. MANY PEOPLE UNDERSTAND WHAT IT MEANS WHEN SOMEONE POSTS WITH CAPITAL LETTERS. It can show that a person can be excited, shouting, or is really trying to get their point across. The use of emojis and capital letters help explain how the writer is feeling about the content of the post and most users can easily understand the meaning behind the words. However, I understand that it can be very difficult for others to use online sources and social media contacts These "digital immigrants" may need additional help to learn and understanding from media users. Users that help these people along create a positive digital society and help build the foundations of an accepting online community.

I need to learn how to identify when I can be informal, and when I should use proper sentences and proper grammar online. Many times I find it difficult to know where/when it is appropriate to use slang and colloquial language, especially regarding sending emails. Therefore I'd like to focus on digital communication throughout the course.

Based on the results from the Digital Driver's License exam, what areas of digital citizenship will become your focus in your learning over the next few weeks of the course?

Although I managed a perfect score on the Digital Driver's License exam, the areas of digital citizenship that gave me pause were Digital Literacy and Digital Commerce. 

My First Post!

Well internet, guess what? I'm catching on!

It's been almost 12 years since I first signed up for MSN messenger for the very first time, but now I've finally created my very own blog post. Although it's my online course at Brock University kicking me in the rear to get here, (hey look, I rhymed!) I'm pretty excited to share my opinions experiences and adventures with everyone involved.

Quick background info:

I'm a student currently at Brock University and I'm one of those cool kids who goes to class and then either goes home or goes to the library to study for a ridiculous number of hours to the point where people think I'm antisocial. However, I used to be (and am trying to get back to being) a very involved person. As a kid I grew up in a very Catholic house where I went to church every Sunday and went to Catholic elementary and secondary schools. I was the alter server and even a lector there. I used to play sports more than anything, especially in elementary school where the goal was to collect as many Winit Seals as possible. In high school I made a complete 180 degree turn and became a stage addict and performed in 2 musicals, 3 plays, and 5 cabaret performances. My favorite quote (I think it's from Shakespeare) is Life's a Stage! Followed by the phrase I live by "Fake it 'til you Make it".

Unlike most people, my goal isn't to be rich or famous, but to be average. I want to be that person who can work a typical 8-hour job, come home, raise a family, make a decent wage, enjoy themselves with volunteer and societal involvement, and be a well-rounded individual. Since I have a large number of interests and skills, I don't want to focus on only one aspect of myself, but rather balance everything as a whole. In five years I see myself as a young adult who can walk with her significant other down the street of a small town and talk to shopkeepers and other members of the community. I'll have a decent-paying job with a mortgage on a house. At night I'll be on local theater stages and performing plays that are well-known, obsolete, funny, serious, solemn, hopeful, and everything in between.

The reasons I have started an online blogging adventure is 1) to start conversations about important (and not as important) topics with others to broaden my learning and establish myself as an online presence; 2) to explore the cyber-environment and learn about who I am as a person as well as reflect on who I develop into; 3) contribute to society as the magnificent country has allowed me to do; and 4) because my professor told me to (shh!).

Come join me on my first ever blogging adventure!!