Month: April 2021

Networking in social media differs in professional settings than in private settings. One of the biggest takeaways I learned from this course is creating and shaping an appropriate public social media image to best realize one’s professional interests. I finally decided to start my professional networking on Twitter this year because of this course; although not much information has been presented in it, I have to start somewhere.
For my personal use of social media, I have been more aware of the presence of media literacy. I became more aware of how news and apps like Tiktok could mislead users by using baits for commercial and political interests. Though some of us may be very conscious about what’s happening, our growing dependence on these sources of information would eventually change our ideas and the way we look at things.
The article also gives advice on being a good digital leader. It encourages leaders to think of anything from the perspective of “we” instead of “I” in teamwork. It also reveals the necessity to create awareness and engagement to realize the best outcomes. I would say communication and the patience to clarify are essential in any kind of teamwork.
I also learned that expanding and diversifying our PLN could eliminate personal bias and stereotypical views. As the article indicates, social relation is the key to any success. My next step is to build connections with more experts in the education field by networking online via emails and tweets. I would also use Uvic’s Co-op portal to participate in events and workshops to gain experience and insight while seeking job opportunities.

Reference:
Digital Leader: 5 Simple Keys to Success & Influence Ch. 16 Qualman, Erik – Empower Others https://learning-oreilly-com.ezproxy.library.uvic.ca/library/view/digital-leader-5/9780071792424/ch16.html#ch16

Consider how you can use the PLN interactions of this course to further your digital identity post-term.

Mattermost serves as a professional and appropriate social media platform that helps me learn and communicate with my class this semester. What I’ve learned from the communication in the Mattermost is that I have to take the initial position to start a conversation in order to make everything else possible. At the beginning of the semester, I was a bit passive and timid about sharing my blogs with the class; and I would always read what others say in the group chat instead of participating. Looking back, I’ve lost many valuable opportunities to share my thoughts with my peers to produce better learning outcomes for all by creating a beneficial and competitive learning environment. In the future, I would actively and consciously use PLN interactions to get involved in communities to build a more accessible digital identity.

What does it mean to have a digital identity in your industry of choice, and can your current PLN be used to help professional development post-course?

I plan to start a career in education, and I’ve learned that having a digital identity becomes a necessity as education could take place online. Education is no longer limited to time and space, and it could even continue in challenging situations like the COVID-19. Realizing how the internet provides educators numerous learning resources, we must learn to make use of them. Professor Jesse Miller is a great example that I could follow. He invited many guest speakers to address issues and share their thoughts related to our topics during the course. I used to think of learning materials (e.g., textbooks, articles, videos and etc.) as learning resources, and he changed my mind. From another perspective, I learned that I need to connect with more people to diversify my PLN. My current PLN is mainly informative; it consists of academic articles, book reviews, and other learning materials. To achieve the professional development post-course, I must connect and include more human resources in my PLN.

Oliveira mentions the crucial notion of “collective intelligence” in the article. As the instructor, I will be responsible for the learning materials that the students will access in my class, and this learning process requires the media literacy and collaboration of both of us. (Oliveira, 450) Oliveira defines media literacy as “the ability a person has to perform, effectively, tasks in digital environments – including the ability to read and interpret media to reproduce data and images through digital manipulation and evaluate and apply new knowledge in digital environments.” (450) In my opinion, media literacy should be viewed as the ability to adapt new sources of information and identify the information’s validity. The development of this ability is crucial for every learner because the internet has already become our main source of information.

Additionally, as you progress through the steps of your career, can your PLN be relied on to open professional opportunities?

I still have to work a lot on my current digital identity to make it a possible aid in my future professional career. At the moment, my PLN could give me a kickstart in my future career, but it is not mature and fully functional. This year I aim to network more to expand my PLN to better prepare myself for professional opportunities.

Reference

Digital Identity of Researchers and Their Personal Learning Network – Digital Identity, PLN, & Conclusion pp. 469-475 Oliveira N.R., Morgado L. (2014) UVIC LIBRARY https://tinyurl.com/yz82x2ly Link- Springer https://link-springer-com.ezproxy.library.uvic.ca/content/pdf/10.1007%2F978-3-319-07485-6.pdf