Weekly Report & Reflection #7

Google Docs has been an application that I have gone back to time and time again because of its easy to use sharing capabilities. The whole office suite is available to use for free (with the exclusion of certain features within the application) and all of your work is stored on the website (yay for preserving the storage space on my laptop!) which means it can be accessed through any device with an internet connection. This works wonders for those of you (myself included) that seem to loose the usb with your presentation on it the day or your presentation, or just forget to bring it. This is immensely helpful when working with groups of people that might not be available to meet in person, or have conflicting schedules. What I especially enjoy about working with Google Docs is the capability allowing multiple people to edit the document (or slide or sheet) at the same time. This feature even identifies which person is editing which part in real time. 

I've also been using the Google Forms application for creating an online survey in another research class. I already have a Gmail account, so I'm able to immediately start creating the survey with my partner (again - at the same time). This tool doesn't have restrictions on it that require you to pay a premium to have more than 10 questions (Survey Monkey I'm talking about you). 

I've also recently found the messaging tool within Google Docs a time saving feature. Instead of exiting out of the document to message other group members, simply pop open the message window and communicate away! (For those of you who aren't familiar it's the little messaging Icon that pops up to the left of the Present button on the top right side of your doc). 

I'm surprised I didn't put the Google Docs on my PLE already, what I had instead was my google plus icon, which is what I use to access the Google Docs. I've added Google Docs to the Digital category and the Online sub-heading. I wouldn't remove any tools from my PLE as of yet, I consider many of the tools we've reviewed in class as differing in their applications, and why remove a tool that may be useful for future learning activities?

This week I read an article from my Feedly on The 8 Biggest Blogging Mistakes new Bloggers Make, and while I'm not entirely new to the world of blogging, it's important to review literature that emphasizes the basics, and how to find success through that. What I found particularly interesting was the section on links. Within my blog I've used the tag "Link" to reference an image that I've included, which this blog says is dead wrong. I can see why it might be more important to use keywords that indicate in advance where the link will bring new readers. Keeping up with ways to continually improve your writing style is important, and this link showed me how to develop myself through my blog. 

Weekly Report & Reflection #6

This week in particular I was introduced to a tool that I had not used first hand. I know my peers had used the application before, but while in class I generally enjoying using the good old paper and pen note taking strategy. While exploring this tool I seemed to hit a few speed bumps, so to speak, and I felt the application lacked some tools that my previous digital note taking applications had. Cue the compare and contrast of Google Docs and Evernote. 

Evernote did not have a back button, which frustrated me when I was trying to edit the formatting and would accidentally delete my work. This meant I would have to backtrack and either rewrite, retag, re-upload and re-edit my work. Additionally, there are not many options to edit the formatting; there were no spacing tools for the writing and the font options were pretty limited. I also found the fact that I could not seem to find the messaging tool (except when I reentered through the email I was sent with regards to sharing) and I could not save or favourite the note that had been shared with me. Additionally, the clipping tool (that was similar to Diigo) did not allow me to add a clipping to the note I was currently working on. I had to create a new note for every clip. So I ended up using the screen shot tool that's built into my laptop (Shift+command+4) and then manually adding the image and a link to the page. 

On google docs I enjoy that once you are invited to share a document, it is automatically added to your list of documents. This makes it easy to find and come back to. I find there are many ways to edit and customize the document as well, and you can see when multiple people are editing the document at one time. 

The one thing I did notice about Evernote that could be useful is the categorization of different notes into different notebooks. When studying at school or making notes for class this can be extremely useful to maintain organization. I don't think I will be adding Evernote to my PLE considering the alternative applications that seem to better suit my needs. I would use Diigo in combination with Google Docs to complete my research and work collaboratively online. 

When exploring publications analyzing digital literacy I found a common definition being multi-literacies. This explains the necessity to utilize multiple resources through a critical perspective. Digital literacy as a modern application goes beyond the capability of accessing resources and having the ability to write online, but it encompasses the analytical perspective. The vast resources available to the public must be understood as not all reliable, and the information gathered should be cross referenced. 

This week one article that stuck out to me was written by a Brock student, it outlined the way in which planning your time wisely can increase your efficiency and reduce stress levels. Although short, the post reminded me of the simple ways that I can ensure my learning goals are met; all it takes is a little planning. 

Weekly Report & Reflection #5

I really appreciated the use of Twitter this week in class! Microblogging can be tricky, because your fitting information into such a small character restriction requires your ideas and information to be succinct and to the point. I often seem to elaborate more easily than I condense, which means microblogging is a challenge for me! This challenge, however is encouraging me to develop my digital literacy. Being able to communicate clearly through multiple platforms encourages a more well rounded appreciation for the digital context. Twitter works as both a networking tool and learning tool. You are able to so freely connect with people on various topics using hashtags, while simultaneously gathering information on the same hashtag. Using the lists features allows for a more specific news feed, and the messages section propels the networking function. 

Twitter is actually already on my PLE that I created in week #2! I have used this tool before but the functionality of it I was not as familiar with. I have had Twitter for a number of years, but I have not consistently used it either for posting or learning. 

Coming into this course, I though I was already very familiar with many of the tools I can use to advance my digital learning. Little by little, however, I am finding that there are so many more uses for the tools I already use, and there a so many tools that I had never heard of! I was surprised I had never heard of Twitter lists before, and upon reading how to access them, I can see very clearly that they can be used very easily and efficiently. 

I also enjoyed the focus on other students in the class this week. We were encouraged to comment and read each others blogs and discussion topics and I found that there were many other ways to use the tools we had previously set up. This collaboration for next week will be much easier knowing some of the ways digital tools can encourage successful learning. 

This week I came across and interesting article on my Feedly from a newly followed website BlogTo. With all-star weekend and the Auto Show being packing into the up coming weekend, traffic would be expected. BUT the Toronto taxi protest may block the Gardiner on Friday! Thanks to my Feedly reader I will be taking an alternate route as I was planning on Driving through Toronto on the weekend.

Long live Uber!

Weekly Report & Reflection blog post #4

When exploring the Diigo tool this week I was surprised at the customizable nature of the bookmarking! All of my bookmarking has previously been done on my Chrome browser and is linked to my computer. The ability to remotely access bookmarks could be especially helpful when writing assignments for school, especially considering the variety of ways Diigo makes it possible to bookmark. Being able to highlight, make sticky notes, take screenshots, and record a URL allows me to save only the bits of information that are really important. This narrows down the time it would take to go back and review sources to find the information, by saving only the pertinent content. The ability to bookmark reliable sources (such as peer reviewed articles) adds to the ease in developing my information for any given topic, and subsequently organize my argument for the essay or assignment. 

I also used some of the current RSS feed items to link back to my bookmarks. Items that I linked back were recipes and stories that I was able to pull important information out of to use for later. I like that the bookmarking tools don't put restrictions on what sites or information I can link (like the RSS feeds). The only thing I wish the Diigo had, that the RSS feed supports, is a link on my browser with a drop down menu of the items I have bookmarked. That being said, it's easy enough to click on the quick link of the Diigo app and bookmark items there, then jump back and open up a tab to view them. 

The Diigo tool would be placed in the same category on my PLE as the RSS feed I set up last week. That is, it would be listed as an online, digital tool, however I would hesitate to see if I can make this digital tool social. I noticed the share button on the Diigo app, and although it can't be considered social media, it can be be considered not exclusively personal.

When reviewing my RSS feed today I found a link that might interest some of the other fourth year students in the class! Through Student Life Blog, there a link to an article asking the ever present question, Should You Get a Masters Degree? The article briefly highlights the importance of additional education and notes the high price point of this commitment.

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.