How you can use the PLN interactions of this course to further your digital identity post-term?
I will use my PLN interactions from EDCI 338 to further my digital identity post-term by continuing to learn by sharing ideas, experiences, and resources with classmates on Mattermost. The blogs that have been posted by my classmates throughout the course has provided me with valuable information and given me insight into a variety of different perspectives on what our digital identity is and the role it has in my professional development. By taking a step back and being critical about my digital identity, I have realized that there is a certain level of responsibility that comes with using social media for personal and professional purposes. The valuable lessons that I have learned on how to “manage and protect my reputation in public and private online spaces” and how important it is to be media literate in today’s online world, will help me communicate and collaborate in a much better way(Olivera, 2014). I also think the PLN interactions from this class will help remind me to stay focused on the two areas of my digital identity that Costa & Torres highlight; presentation and reputation(Olivera, 2014). My presentation will encompass how I work online and how I engage and interact in shared spaces, and my reputation will focus on the perspective that others have of me. By expanding my digital identity, I will build trust with the people I interact with and this will improve my online reputation and credibility. I am hoping that my PLN interactions in this class will continue post term because I have met a lot of cool people and I hope to stay connected through various social media platforms.
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?
As a fifth year Recreation and Health student at UVic, it is important to have a digital identity that is well respected by my peers. As a varsity athlete, it is important to have a digital identity that is an honest reflection of who I am and how much I value representing my team, teammates, coaches and university, in a respectful way. It is a challenge to keep my personal and professional digital identities separate and my current PLN will continue to support me in achieving a balance between the two. When I graduate next year, one of my goals is to try and play basketball professionally overseas. I hope to continue to expand my PLN and connect with people that may be able to help me achieve this goal. If my dream does not work out, I will continue to expand my PLN with people who have similar interests in working in the recreation and health field. No matter what direction I take, the goal will be to continue to build a network of people with whom you are connected to in order to learn and that is created according to personal interests and needs, providing learning opportunities, providing answers to questions and contributing to mutual learning(Olivera, 2014).
As you progress through the steps of your career, can your PLN be relied on to open professional opportunities?
I think that as I progress through my career, my PLN can be used to help open professional opportunities because it not only provides me an opportunity to share resources and ideas with other professionals anywhere in the world, but it also provides me a way to share my knowledge with others and a way to gain new perspectives. After all, a PLN is a group of colleagues and/or professionals that you can connect with in order to enhance your personal learning and take charge of your own professional development. I believe that learning never stops and the connections that I have made and will make, will provide me with opportunities for professional growth.
References
Oliveira, N. R., & Morgado, L. (2014). “Digital Identity of Researchers and Their Personal Learning Network.” Learning and Collaboration Technologies. Technology-Rich Environments for Learning and Collaboration, 469–475. doi: 10.1007/978-3-319-07485-6_46
Hey Calli,
Great post this week! I agree completely with what you said about this class having helped you learn how to “manage and protect [one’s] reputation in public and private online spaces”. I have also found that I have learned so much from our peers in this class, as well as all of our lovely guest speakers. It has been really interesting to see how despite many of us coming from different programs and backgrounds, how digital literacy and social platforms fit into the ways that we each learn and brand ourselves online.
I liked what you said about building trust with the people that you interact with and this improving your online reputation and credibility. I have found that it can be a bit difficult. I recently decided to ‘put myself out there’ by appearing in a YouTuber’s video. I had thought that I had researched what I was speaking about carefully, and I still found that once it was posted that there was a debate in the comment section. I ended up replying to some of these comments to clarify, and then stopped reading the comments entirely. I think that there is definitely some risk to putting content out there and being vulnerable in that way, but if you are willing to accept responsibility for your mistakes, I think that it does not always have a permanent impact on your credibility.
Also, I think that it’s really cool that your goal is to play basketball professionally overseas! I really hope that this will happen for you! 🙂
Thanks for your comment Rachelle. Isn’t is so sad that people feel they have the right to voice their opinion when they know it will be hurtful. There is definitely a risk to putting content out there knowing that you will be judged. This is why it so important to be confident in who you are and what you believe in. When you are true to yourself and when you do make an honest mistake, people will be more likely to be understanding. Having said this, I commend you for having the confidence to speak up about the video. I also think that it wouldn’t matter how much research that you did on the subject before you commented, would have really changed everyone perspectives. You can’t make everyone happy and I am proud of you for replying to some of the comments to clarify.
Hey Calli! I enjoyed reading your blog post this week! I would definitely recommend signing up for a LinkedIn account if you haven’t already to connect professionally with individuals in the same field as you to expand your PLN. I have defiantly benefited from doing this and have met so many like-minded people in the same field as me and have been able to access possible co-op opportunities.