Weekly Report & Reflection Post #3

Setting up my first RSS feed has opened my eyes to accessible bookmarking. One link that I really enjoy is the TED talks feed. I am able to guide through the various topics on the feed itself instead of having to open another tab on my browser. The TED talks have been something that I've wanted to follow for a while, and using an application to sort the content in such an easy way has enabled me to cut down on the time it takes to search for the information. The TED talks has something for everybody; There are podcasts that range from learning techniques, to philosophical questions and perspectives on personal identity. I tend to think that I already know and use many of the tools for my learning, but setting up my RSS feeds goes to show that there are tools I'm unaware of. Exploring through the RSS feeds may help me to discover more tools that I am not currently using but may be useful!

RSS Feed Readers add another branch to my Personal Learning Environment and work to expand the ways in which I consume knowledge. This tool would fit under the online digital resource branch and would develop my efficiency and subsequently my digital literacy. I can use RSS feeds to develop my lifelong learning skills once I graduate come this April, and drastically cut down on the time it takes to search through webpages. This will be especially helpful for websites that have directories for their articles, so that I am able to easily search through to see if there is something of interest before I jump to the page. This also helps for research projects if I have a topic that requires me to monitor certain webpages! Having all of the pages in one spot also reminds me to check the pages that are important to monitor. So by having learning resources on the feeds, as well as resources for fun I'm able to strike a balance to encourage my learning. 

Setting up an RSS feed for myself is something I should have done a long time time ago, and continually developing this tool to suit the needs of my continuous learning. 

My Experience with RSS Feeds

This week I set up my first RSS feed on my browser. I use chrome on my laptop, so setting up the feedly was a bit different than the course outline described. This was a small challenge as I wasn't sure where to look at times, and navigating the chrome APPs page was eventually what led me to establish my quick tab for the RSS feeds.

Once I established the feed, adding the content was surprisingly very simple! Feedly adds a green + to the orange RSS feed button so it's easy for me to see which webpages are compatible. From then on I was able to view and add web pages to my RSS feed. What surprised me was how many pages are available to add to my feed. This makes the application extremely customizable, and within minutes I was able to add multiple pages. I also enjoy that its possible to sort the importance of the feeds I have added by choosing favourites that will always appear at the top of my list.

One feed that I've added to my favourites is the New York Times 'Food' page. I love looking for new recipes online and I've normally turned to Pinterest for my daily cooking ideas. But this page has recipes that have video tutorials attached to them, and a breakdown of the related recipes that would pair well.

PLE: My learning environments (Week 2)

Report:

Oleskevich, K. (CC) 2015. 

Pictured to the right is the Personal Learning Environment Diagram (PLE) as created by myself on my exploration of the ways in which my everyday tools look to develop my education. I chose to focus primarily on the tools that I use most often and are most important to my learning experience. I have separated the tools through their type (digital or non-digital) and then those have been divided further into online and offline tools. 

The non-digital tools that I have chosen to include aid in my mental and physical health in some sense, which in turn allows for a stable and focused approach to learning. I have chosen to include a car, friends and family, smoothies (I drink them every morning), books, newspapers, and my own brain of course! All of these privileges are essential to my personal learning environment, because fostering a positive home and work environment provides the basis for a successful learning environment.

I chose to allocate an entire category for social media as I am very involved on multiple platforms daily. This involvement shapes the way in which I receive information, and subsequently, the way in which I develop my knowledge. I have chosen to allot a separate category for WIFI/ Internet connection because without this, my learning environment would be severely hindered. The majority of my work is not only developed using online tools, but it is often submitted and used for comparison through online digital platforms.

Reflection:

After completing my very first PLE diagram I have gained a better understanding of the ways in which I learn and the tools I use to progress my education. I have learned from ADED 1P31 that I am a visual learner, that is I often require a visual representation of concepts in order to more fully comprehend them. Although I can absorb information in other ways, it is more beneficial for my mental process to simplify concepts into visual representations. By laying out the ways in which I use the tools around me to learn, and subsequently categorizing them, I can more easily develop action plans when faced with learning new concepts.

Developing this diagram has also provided context for my lifelong learning goals. Through exploring the unconventional tools that I use regularly (ex. my non-digital tools) I am able to more fully understand the tools I need to employ to continually, and successfully learn.

After completing my PLE I noticed how different PLE diagrams are between myself and other people. The tools that I use to frame my learning environment are dependant both on my learning style and learning tendencies. This can be seen in the composition of the diagram itself. Many other diagrams that I viewed were set up with very different categories, tools and graph formats. The graphs that we all produce, I believe are a representation of the different organizations we have in our mental processes. Therefore those processes are reflected in exercises such as these and act as differentiating samples of our learning.

While creating my word cloud, I realized not all of my tools were set up properly (I had to update my Java and change browsers on my computer). This initial realization set me back a few minutes in my creation of a wordle. This acts as a representation of the way in which we prepare ourselves for digital learning can alter the effectiveness of our learning endeavours.

After I had completed the wordle, I was provided with an alternate perspective on the way in which I use language to express my learning priorities and reflection. As I said previously, I learn through visual representation, the development of the blog post for week 1 into a word cloud altered that perspective I had on my previous post.

I enjoyed creating alternate representations for my learning in the digital environment, and I feel that it ultimately provided a new context for the ways in which I learn.

A Digital Frontier: Digital Footprints (Week 1)

Reflection:

Source

Retrieved on: Jan 11, 2016

At the very least, if someone chooses to not to recognize their profiles for their professional capacity, it needs to be made clear that employers may still be watching. More often than not, employers are going online to check out interviewees even before they take their first steps into the office. I encourage users to first educate themselves on the capabilities of the Internet to fully realize the risks that come along with the possibilities. The DigitalDrivers Licence (DDL) as an educational tool for schools in America I believe is very necessary for a safe leaning environment online.

I fully believe that a digital footprint is necessary for many careers in today’s job market, and is a powerful tool for developing yourself professionally. That being said, in order to use the Internet to advance your network, and possibly your career, the way in which you present yourself is very important. It is more often being asked if you don’t exist online, do you exist at all? While this question may seem extreme in nature, I believe the overwhelming development of the global digital community is proving the need for a digital presence and footprint.

To maintain a positive digital footprint, one needs to monitor every platform they engage with online. With the digital literacy age becoming younger every year (my 8 year old sister regularly posts on Facebook for my step-mom) the possible hazards of the Internet must be made clear to these younger digital citizens. Once you post something on the Internet, it can be accessed by anyone, from anywhere, at anytime. Even if you make a profile private, there are ways people can gain access very easily. This means that being aware that the information you provide online is visible, and can go viral for any number of reasons.

Report:

After completing my DDL, my first thought was why has a program such as this taken so long to develop. Programs such as this should be mandatory at all schools across North America, because an educated digital citizen is a safe digital citizen. The second thought after the completion of the DDL was from question 9, because although it is easy to assume everybody has access to technology in this day and age, many still do not. Integrating the technology into public school systems allows for equal opportunity between peers, and may aid in social equality within school systems.

My second area of focus is the access for individuals with disabilities to technology. This seems often overlooked, as those with disabilities remain a minority. I presumed the technologies specifically designed to overcome those disabilities would be more costly, but I was surprised to read that many of them are actually quite cost effective. I would like to look more into these technologies and discover the ways in which they can be integrated to provide equal access to everyone.

I also found consistency in the resources provided in the Building Background section for Week 1, and the DDL that was used for students. Highlighting the importance of a positive digital footprint through blogs such as Technology Chatter, and websites such as Handy4Class propels educational programs such as the DDL. Much of this education must be primary focused on the youth of todays global community, as they will pave the way for a new digital frontier. 

Who am I?

I am a fourth year honours student studying Media and Communications at Brock University and I have also completed a graduate certificate for Public Relations at Mohawk College. I was born in Oakville and raised in Burlington and Oakville until my transition to university. I played rugby during the four years of high school, both on the high school and the club team of the Burlington Centaurs. I also played for two years with the Brock Varsity Women's Rugby team, but following an injury, I have been unable to continue playing. 

During my first year away at school, my parents moved to Nova Scotia with my younger sister. I have since been living mostly in Toronto for the summers between school, while working as a bartender full time. I have worked as an intern for Rugby Canada during my third year at school, and am currently employed as a receptionist at a tech company based out of St. Catharine's. 

During my final semester at school, I have chosen to enrol in courses that not only develop my knowledge of communications, but also introduce new, foreign concepts. I look to absorb as much as I can before I enter the working world as a graduate, and this hope has led to the decision for my registration in the course ADED 1P32. I have previously taken ADED 1P31 and it allowed me to look more closely into the ways in which I learn, and how I can improve the strategies for efficient learning. In order to better prepare myself for life after university, and to improve my lifelong learning skills, I will be examining my digital learning skills in ADED 1P32. 

Come May 1, 2016 I will not be continuing my education past the Bachelor Degree as I don't have an interest in a Masters Degree. That being said, I am very open to taking courses throughout my future employment to remain current in industry practices and advance my career. As for my direction in the field of communications, I remain relatively unclear. I have enjoyed the concepts I have learned throughout my university and college education, but I am not sure how well that translates into a sustainable employment path. I am very inclined to first work in a public relations agency so that I may try my hand at working in various different sectors with various specializations. 

Through my education, I have found that I am very task oriented and organized. I enjoy leading a team and managing competing ideas so develop a successful plan or project and I require structure in work related tasks. This satisfaction I feel aligns with my personality, as I am very assertive and confident, but I am well aware that entering the workforce I will be vary unaware of many of the industry practices. Based on these self-realizations, I am inclined to think that I may eventually look to become a project manager, or coordinator of sorts. That being said, without the experience in the responsibilities associated with these positions, I can't be certain that this is my path. If I do choose this route however, I will likely complete additional certifications to qualify for the positions. 

Finally I would like to gain a better perspective on the ways in which I can use my talents to succeed in the work environment. Building off of my previous self-discoveries, I hope to develop a plan for employment, and a better direction in the positions I should apply.