Week 12 Report

Hey everyone,

this is my final blog post for the course! I can't believe how quickly the semester went by. At the beginning of the course I was a bit hesitant, not sure how well I would do. I've never been a tech savy person and was concerned I wouldn't be able to keep up or understand the course. I can now say that I am so happy I stuck with it until the end. I have learnt so much information about new technological tools, as well as how to use the internet safely and effectively. Some of the tools that i've learnt about through the course, i've already started using in other courses. Google documents has really improved my ability to work on group projects. I've also learnt a great deal of what it means to be a digital citizen. I now know that their is a digital etiquette that should be followed when online.

At the beginning of the course, when I typed my name into Google, the only thing that came up was my Facebook account. Now, multiple accounts come up such as my Twitter, Pinterest, and even a picture of myself! It truly is amazing how much information i've learnt in the span of 12 weeks. I was really nervous about having to keep a blog for this course, however I have really home to love the whole blogging experience. There is a whole blogging community in which people can connect with one another. It is a great way to express yourself and your opinions. You can share your knowledge with such a wide range of Internet users. I plan to continue blogging after the course concludes, however I might i'll probably blog about things that i'm personally interested in.

I'm going to end my last blog post by showing you my final PLE diagram. In the beginning of the course I was required to create my own PLE. My initial one had very few and very basic technological tools. Over the past 12 weeks I have been continually adding to my PLE. It has grown so much, and i'm proud of my ability to now use so many different tools online. Thank you to everyone who has read my blog the past 12 weeks and went on the journey with me!

 Emily

Source: Fabiano, E. (CC) 2014.

Week 11 Report

Hey everyone,

this session we continued learning about tools that can help us synthesize, remix and create material. The major focus was on webcasting. Webcasting allows Internet users to create an audio file that can then be shared online with other users. A number of people take part in podcasting as it’s a useful tool to get your opinion out and heard on the Internet. Podcasts can also be an affective tool for presenting lectures to students in the university setting, especially in online courses. I had the opportunity to create my own podcast this week using Garageband. The process of actually recording the podcast was quite simple, however I had some difficulties adding it to my blog. You can check out the podcast I created here.

Though podcasting is still an interactive and collaborative tool, it is a bit different from some of the others we have learnt about. Users can’t directly change the content of your podcast. However, what makes it unique is that people can respond by creating a podcast of their own, essentially you can go back and forth with one another. I think this is a really neat tool as it can allow you to carry out a conversation with someone who may live thousands of miles away from you. This tool is also different in the way it can assist in education. Many of the other tools we have discussed assist us with creating presentations, or keeping this organized. Podcasting assists by offering a new learning method for students. I think this is something we will continue to see more of.

Retrieved from: http://www.calgarymoms.ca/multitasking-moms-are-smarter/#.UzcNX81UXgI

Education systems are starting to make use of podcasts by presenting MOOCs (Massive Open Online Courses) to all web users. MOOC is a model for delivering content online to pretty much anyone that is interested in taking the course. You don’t have to be an enrolled student to participate; however you wont receive any type of credit or direct feedback from the instructor (Educause, 2011). Though you don’t get graded, it’s still a great way to learn about different topics and collaborate with others. MOOCs are typically run on sites that are easily accessible to all users such as wikis and blogs (Educause, 2011). MOOC is such an amazing tool that allows for people to interact with users from all over the web learning from one another and helping each other. Kids, adults, students, and workers have such busy schedules, MOOC allows for people to learn information at their own pace and work around busy schedules.

I would definitely add podcasting (Garageband) to my PLE. I think it is a great tool to have experience with. When looking at my PLE, I would place this tool in the production category as I’m using it to produce my own work. Each week my PLE continues to grow with new tools and categories. It truly shows the many benefits that technology has for students and workers today.

To conclude I’d like to share something I found on my Feedly this week. The article is titled 5 Steps to Determine the Right Social Media Content for You. I thought this might be useful as we have been exposed to so many tools throughout this course. I also think this article demonstrates important characteristics of what it means to be a good digital citizen. Enjoy!

Emily

Reference:

Educase (2011). Retrieved from: http://net.educause.edu/ir/library/pdf/ELI7078.pdf

This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License.

Week 10 Report

Hey everyone,

as week 10 comes to an end, I can once again say that I’ve learnt about new tools that will be valuable to me. Week 10 was all about synthesizing, remixing, and creating on the web. I learnt how to use online tools to create my own slideshows and presentations. In creating our own slideshows we make use of, and modify other people’s work, this is why the topic of copyright was so important this session. For those of you who don’t know, copyright was created to protect the creators of original material. Almost all-original material such as literacy work, music, performer’s performance, and artistic work can be copyrighted (Educational Society, 2011-2012).

I also learnt about creative commons, something I wasn’t previously familiar with. Creative commons (CC) allows the creators of original work to specify how others can use their work (Sites2See, 2012). Creative commons works with copyright to give people the opportunity to use their work, while still following certain conditions (CreativeCommons, 2007). Copyright alone doesn’t allow for someone to come in and use or modify the work that has been created, while creative commons allows for flexibility. Creative commons allows you to collaborate with other authors to build on the work they have already created.

Retrieved from:
https://www.eff.org/deeplinks/2013/10/creative-commons-policy-statement-supports-real-copyright-reform

I had the opportunity to remix material by using a tool called Animoto. As you can see on the Animoto page of my blog, I created my own short presentation explaining copyright and it’s importance. I found Animoto extremely easy to use and signing up for an account was straightforward. I was able to personalize my presentation by uploading my own photos, selecting my own music, and adding text wherever I saw fit. I could definitely see this as being a useful tool when having to create presentations for classes, or even in the workplace. One downside to this tool was that you could only make 30 second presentations for free. If you wanted to make a longer presentation you’d have to pay. For the purpose of this Session I was only required to make a 30 second slideshow so it worked out well, however in most cases presentations would be required to be longer than 30 seconds. This may influence one’s decision in deciding to use this tool.

Retrieved from: http://thephotographeracademy.com/page/view/animoto.html 

In terms of where I would fit this tool into my PLE, I would likely classify it as a production tool. It would best fit into this category, as I’d be using it to produce my own personalized presentations. I’m not sure if I will actually add this tool to my PLE as I don’t think I will use it again. I do think that it is a useful tool and can be used by a number of people in various settings, I just don’t see myself paying for this service. I would definitely use it again in the future if I had to make another short presentation.

To conclude this weeks post I will leave you with an article I found from my Feedly. The article is titled Simple and Effective Ways on how to be Productive Bloggers. Today people are always multitasking, trying to do a number of things at once and being short on time. Learning tips to help you make the most of your time are always useful! Enjoy

References:

CreativeCommons. (2007). Get Creative. If you cannot view the video, go to: http://mirrors.creativecommons.org/getcreative/Creative_Commons_-_Get_Creative.swf

The 2Learn.ca Educational Society. (2011-2012 ). Your Digital Presence. Available at http://www.2learn.ca/ydp/copyrightabout.aspx

Sites2See. (2012). Copyright for Students (resource page). Available at http://lrrpublic.cli.det.nsw.edu.au/lrrSecure/Sites/LRRView/8587/

Week 9 Report

Hey everyone,

Week 9 was a busy one with lots of activities to complete. Through the numerous activities I have learned a lot about some new technological tools. One of the major tools I learned about was VoiceThread. This tool is one I have never heard of so I was excited to explore it. VoiceThread is yet another collaborative tool that can be used for multiple purposes. It allows users to upload various documents and for others to comment their thoughts and opinions. Similar to other cloud tools we have learnt about you can make your presentation visible to only a select few or the general public. I can see this tool being used in both a classroom and work place setting. This would be a great tool to present presentations to an entire class and generate discussion. This would be beneficial in a work place too. I’m not sure I would personally use this tool when creating a presentation, but rather as a place to upload it so group members could view the final product. When thinking about where this tool could fit into my PLE I would likely group it with other tools such as Google Docs. I would classify this as a “production” tool as it will help me produce a final product I’m satisfied with. I can also see this being a social tool as it allows you to interact and collaborate with other users.

Retrieved from: http://synergiseducation.com/blog/voicethread-interactive-presentations-made-easy/

Another big component of this session was to expand our knowledge on Digital Rights and Responsibilities. We began exploring this topic in Week 8, and carried it over into Week 9 as it is such an important topic to be familiar with, especially if you use the Internet regularly. When you’re online you should behave in the same manner, and follow the same rules that you would in real life (Rudebusters, 2000). You want to treat others with respect to prevent cyberbullying, which is a growing concern. You must credit others work, which I discuss briefly in my previous post “Technology Use Scenario”. Lastly, one of the most important things is to protect you. There are so many Internet users, and unfortunately not everyone uses it for the right reasons. Do not give out personal information, or post things that you might later on regret. It’s easy for people to easily get ahold of this information, but it is impossible for you to remove once it’s up. Be mindful of the many uses of the Internet, good and bad.

As always, I’d like to conclude this post with something I found on my Feedly this week. The post is titled "Goggles Bring Virtual Reality Closer To Your Living Room".”. The article suggests that the Goggles allow you to live experiences you might not be able to in real life. I’m interested to know how people feel about this advancement in technology. Enjoy!

Emily

References: 

Rudebusters! Etiquette resources for high-tech and net rudeness. (2000-2012).

Technology Use Scenario

Scenario 12: Matt enjoys taking picture with his digital camera. His pictures are quite unusual and can be easily identified as his work. He wants to let other people see his pictures so he posts them on his website. A couple of months later he is surfing the Internet and sees some of his pictures on someone else’s website. At first he is flattered that someone enjoyed his pictures, but on closer inspection he sees that he is not credited anywhere on the site as the person who took the photos. The way the images are posted make it seem as if the site owner had taken the pictures.

From the scenario described above, it is clear that this unknown individual is using technology inappropriately. We’ve talked about digital rights and responsibilities quite a bit through this course; a major part of being a responsible digital citizen is crediting other people’s work. When we make use of or mention other people work in our own posts or papers it is crucial that we give credit to the person who created it. It seems as though Matt takes great pride in his work, and for him or any individual to not get credit for their work can be devastating. This is such a huge problem when so much information is readily available to the public. People often forget to give credit when it’s due. The consequences of plagiarism can be severe; it can result in failing grades, course dismissal, and financial loss among others (Emma, 2014). The individual using Matt’s work should have properly cited the image, so viewers could be linked back to his page. This issue needs to be taken seriously and people should be educated on this topic early on to avoid plagiarism.

References:
Emma, L. (2014). Consequences of Plagiarism and Cheating. Available at
http://everydaylife.globalpost.com/consequences-plagiarism-cheating-6118.html

Ribble, M. (2011). Digital citizenship in schools. (2nd ed.). International Society for Technology in Education

Week 8 Report

Hey everyone,

wrapping up week 8, I’ve learned a lot about the use of Wikis and the importance of digital rights and responsibilities. The past few weeks we’ve learnt about tools in which you can collaborate with others. Wiki is a similar tool that allows you to work with other people to create a webpage. Almost everyone has been on a Wikipedia webpage, but some might not realize that anyone can edit the page and add content. Something that I did not know what that a wiki page may be set to public, protected, or private. In a public setting anyone can view and edit the pages, in protected, anyone can view the page but only approved members can edit it, and in a private setting only approved members can view or edit the pages (K12Learning20.com, 2013). This allows for some control over what content is being posted to the page.

When first learning about Wiki pages I wondered how they exactly differed from a blog. They are similar in the sense that you can share your knowledge with the public (TeachersFirst, 2013). What sets these two tools apart is that nobody else can edit your blog except you. Blogs offer a way to express your personal opinion to the masses, while Wikis you can post what you want however others can come in and change it. I think both offer a great way for individuals to share their knowledge on various topics.

I can see Wiki pages being useful in the education system. It is a great way to work with other people to develop a webpage that can be seen by such a large audience. It could teach students how to work collaboratively and edit each others work. It might be a great way to show a teacher what you have learnt over the span of a semester.  I think Wiki pages could be useful for some types of learning and collaborative projects. For me personally I do not see myself using this as much for academic purposes. For working with others on projects I would likely lean towards using Google documents.

Retrieved from: http://www.worldlawdirect.com/forum/law-wiki/5951-law-wiki.html

Lastly, we learned a lot about the digital rights and responsibilities for Internet users. Digital rights and responsibilities can be described as the requirements and freedoms extended to everyone in a digital world (Ribble, 2011). The three rules that I find to be most important are report/deal with cyberbullying, the responsibility to cite other people’s work, and the right to privacy.

To end this post I’l leave you with an article I found on my Feedly. The article asked veteran bloggers to reflect on mistakes they made in their early days. I thought this article was important to read as I’m new to this blogging world myself.

Enjoy!

References:

K12Learning20.com (2013). It's a wiki wiki world. Available at http://k12learning20.wikispaces.com/8-wiki1

Ribble, M. (2011). Digital citizenship in schools. (2nd ed.). International Society for Technology in Education

TeachersFirst. (2008-2013). Wiki Walkthrough Step-by-Step. Available at http://www.teachersfirst.com/content/wiki/

Week 7 Report

Hey everyone,

after a week off for reading week it’s difficult to get back into the swing of things. I find March to be a particularly stressful month, when all of my assignments seem to be due around the same time. This week we got to practice our digital literacy while exploring Google Drive. Once again this tool was new to me, however I’m surprised I haven’t heard of it before. Google Drive allows you to create documents in which you can allow others to view and work collaboratively with you. Google Docs can turn off-line articles into online versions making them readily available to the general public, or the select few you want (Lefever, 2007).

Retrieved from:
https://educatorsweb2-0.wikispaces.com/3+Collaboration

While exploring this tool I found it extremely easy to use. It resembles the Microsoft document layout that many of us use on a daily basis. It also saves your work automatically. This feature is useful for forgetful people (like me). For those of you wondering how this tool might be useful to you, I thought of a number of ways in which this tool could be used in various settings. For starters this tool will be especially useful for educational activities. How many times have you had to work on a group project and continually send group members an updated version? With Google Documents you can create one file and collaborate with all member on your project in one spot. It gives you the option to add comments in which you could make suggestions to other group members without actually changing their work. You’re able to see your project come together right before your eyes. You can also use this tool professionally for whatever field of work you’re in. You and colleagues could develop a list of topics you’d like to address at the next work meeting. This would ensure everyone’s voices are heard during the meeting. Often in the workforce you work in teams, so once again this is a great tool to collaborate ideas and work on presentations. Lastly you can use this tool for personal use. One of the immediate things I thought of is using this tool to organize dinners with family members; this would help keep track of who wants to bring what. You can also use it to keep track of personal to-do lists. No matter how you plan on using this tool one common theme can be seen- collaboration.

Retrieved from: http://www.droid-life.com/tag/google-drive/

This is yet another tool that I can add to my PLE. As I mentioned in my last post I thought of adding a new “production” category. I think this tool would fit in nicely to this category. I can see myself using this tool to create various documents and keeping track of my work. However because this is a collaborative tool I think you could also place it under the social category. This tool allows you the chance to interact with other people and work together to produce a final product. I’m very happy that I got to learn about and explore this tool this week, I only wish I had learnt about it sooner.

As always, I’d like to conclude by sharing a post I found on Feedly. As I mentioned earlier, March is a particularly busy month for me, so how can I keep up with my blog while I’m feeling overwhelmed with school work? This blog post by Stacey Roberts gives pointers on how to blog effectively when feeling overwhelmed.

Enjoy!

Reference:
Lefever, Lee. (2007). Google Docs in Plain English. http://youtu.be/eRqUE6IHTEA

Week 6 Report

Hey everyone,

I can’t believe we’re already at the mid-way point for this course! The semester seems to be flying by. This week the topic was Collaborative Notes and Documents. Once again I was not familiar with the various collaboration and note taking tools available online. Throughout my 3 years at university I’ve only ever used Microsoft word to take notes and store information. Having completed this session I’ve become aware of various tools that make the note taking and research process so much easier and organized.

Let’s start by determining what it means to have collaborative notes and documents. This tool allows us to work on and add to our notes from any device that has access to the Internet. You can access documents you were previously working on and pick up right where you left off. This is extremely convenient for students who often work on assignments from various devices. Not only can you type in your own notes, but also you can save information directly from the web. The greatest feature is that you can share your notes with other people. This comes in handy for when your doing a group project.

Retrieved from: http://evernote.com/evernote/

The collaborative tool I explored this week was Evernote. When I was first getting started with Evernote I have to admit I had a difficult time trying to figure out how to use it. It took me a while before I got the hang of it, however the site provides a number of tutorials to make the learning process simple. You can store a number of things into your Evernote account such as notes, to do lists, camera phone snapshots and emails (Hamilton, 2010). I also found it neat that you could use this tool with some of the other tools we discovered in the course such as Twitter.  One of my favorite things about Evernote is that is automatically saves your notes and syncs it with all your devices. This means you don’t have to worry about forgetting to save your latest document or worry if your computer randomly shuts off (one of a students biggest fears!).

This is a tool I definitely see myself using even after the course concludes. I believe it will make the process of searching for information and writing papers an easier and more organized process. I can also see myself using this tool with other classmates when working on a group project.

When thinking about where I would place this in my PLE I think I would classify it under research, as I believe it will be most useful to me when I’m working on a research paper. Being able to store all articles I find in one spot, or having the option to save a part of an article I find important adds a convenience level that no other tool does. I was also thinking about adding a “production” category to hold things like Microsoft word, PowerPoint and Evernote.

To conclude my post this week I’d like to share an article I found on my Feedly. I thought it would be useful to those who have really taken a liking to blogging and wish to perhaps make their blog more successful. The post is titled "3 Lesser Known Blogging Tips to Create a Massively Popular Blog"“ Enjoy!

References:

Hamilton, B. (2010). http://www.slideshare.net/theunquietlibrary/introduction-to-evernote-fall-2010

Week 5 Report

Hello everyone,

this week the major topic was microblogging and building our PLN. If you’ve been following my blog you should be familiar with the term PLN (Personal Learning Network). PLN is a two way process in which you enhance your own learning as well as contribute to your network so others can learn from you (Dickens, 2012). It is such an amazing thing to be apart of as you can interact with people all around the globe, and though you may not meet many of the people you interact with you can still learn from them. Personal Learning Networks are becoming more established in a number of professional fields.  Like myself, some of you might be wondering how do I start building my PLN? Well, first you have to think about what you can offer (knowledge, insight and ideas). Secondly you must consider what it is you want to learn (Dickens, 2012).

To get started on creating your own PLN you can use a number of different web tools such as facebook, blogger, google reader and twitter. The tool I explored this week was Twitter. Almost everyone has heard of twitter, it has become a worldwide phenomenon over the past few years. Though it is extremely popular, prior to this week I’ve never set up a Twitter account, so the entire process was new to me. Through Twitter how can we set up our PLN? You must find people, whom you admire or think you can learn from, after searching for them simply follow them on Twitter (Weisgerber, 2011). It seems easy enough right? I found that while setting up my account it was extremely easy to navigate and I quickly got the hang of it. For those of you interested you can see my twitter account here.

Image retrieved from: http://projecttgm.com/2013/04/3-reasons-i-may-or-may-not-follow-you-on-twitter/twitter-followers/

Prior to this session, I didn’t really see any value in having a Twitter account. I thought why is it important to follow people who are simply going to tweet about their day or how they’re feeling. After having completed this session I learnt that Twitter is so much more than reporting on your daily life events. Twitter is extremely useful in sharing and learning about new knowledge as well as contributing your own thoughts. I’ve followed a number of  people in the field of psychology. This will be beneficial to my education as I can read about the latest developments in the field. I can learn from Psychology educators from various Universities even though I will never actually attend their classes. Twitter is such a great tool to stay connected and build your PLN.

Twitter is yet another tool that I can add to my PLE. Throughout the course I’ve been adding a number of online tools to my PLE that will be useful to me in both my education and future career. I would classify twitter as both a social and research tool. It’s a social tool for obvious reasons; it allows you to connect with friends, family, educators and many others. You can actively engage in conversations with people from all around the globe. It could also be considered a research tool as you can search for any topic using hash tags and be shown a list of tweets that contains information on that particular topic. Many users provide links to various sites in which you can learn additional information.

To conclude this post I’d like to share a link to an article I came across on my Feedly. The article is titled Flappy Bird Can Make You A Better Blogger. For those of you who have never heard of flappy bird, it is a highly addicting game you can get on your phone or tablet. Who would have thought that a game like this could actually contribute to our blogging skills? It’s kind of neat!

Take care,

Emily

References: 

Dickens, S. (2012, Feb.). How to Build Your PLN (Seth Dickens). Retrieved from: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=A667plNCzwA&feature=youtu.be

Weisgerber, C. (2011). Empowering students through personal learning networks. Retrieved from: http://www.slideshare.net/corinnew/empowering-students-through-learning-networks

Week 4 Report

Hello everyone,

this week I had the opportunity to learn about another useful technological tool- curating the web! Once again, this was a brand new tool for me, as I’ve never heard about it before. For those of you who are also unfamiliar with this tool I’ll provide a bit of background information. Ahuja (2012) describes the process of content curation as “finding the most relevant content about a topic online and listing all the relevant links found on that topic after a thorough research on the web.”  So why is this such a valuable tool for people today? Now more then ever people are sharing information via the web, everyone second new content is added. A content curator offers value to anyone looking for good content (Kantor, 2011). Finding accurate and reliable information requires more time and attention, as there is just so much to look at. This offers a high level of convenience to Internet users.

One of the curation tools that I explored was Google Alerts. Google alert allows you to be aware of the newest content that’s added to the web. I found this tool fairly easy to use as you simply type in what your interested in monitoring. It also allows you to make your search more specific asking how often you want it updated and how many results you want to access. It allows you the opportunity to hear about events that may not have even gone through other media outlets yet.

Retrieved from: http://websuccessteam.com/WSTblog/2011/09/content-curation-market-brand/   

Another tool I was able to explore this week was Diigo. Diigo is a bookmarking tool that allows you to store and keep track of websites you want to revisit. The thing that makes Diigo better than a regular bookmarking tool in our browser is that it allows you to access your bookmarks from any device. Users have to option to add sticky notes and highlights to pages your reading, when you re-visit the site on another device you’ll be able to pick up right where you left off.

How will Diigo be useful in my educational activities?

I’m so glad I had the opportunity to learn about Diigo. I guarantee that this is a tool I will continually use throughout the duration of my education. Today a lot of students use multiple devices to do their readings and school work. I personally use my laptop and tablet on a regular basis. However sometimes when I’m not at home and using a friend’s computer I feel as though I can’t do work because I don’t have access to my notes. Diigo allows students to work from any device and access their material. This provides a high level of convenience not only to students but people in the workforce as well. If your travelling and want to take a moment to do some work you have the option without having to bring all your devices.

Retrieved from: https://www.diigo.com/about

What type of tools are these? How would you categorize these tools as part of your PLE?

As we are continually adding to our PLE in this course it is important to consider how each of these tools would fit in. Based on my own PLE I would categorize both Google Alerts and Diigo as research tools. Google Alerts allows me to learn about new knowledge on whatever topic I wish to learn about. The fact that I can get the most recent news updates on a particular topic makes me feel confident that I can write an accurate paper. Diigo will help me improve on my educational and research skills as it will keep my resources organized.

I’m continually learning about new tools that will help me become a better digital citizen. Both these tools are new to me but I’m able to realize how they will be useful to me in my future studies and career.

Before concluding this post I’d like to share a link from my Feedly reader. I’m sure everyone is busy getting ready for the super bowl today and I’m sure many of us are trying to come up with some last minute snack ideas. I found a link to you can make 8 Awesomley Healthy Game Day Dips you can make! Super bowl food can be both healthy and delicious! Enjoy the game everyone!

Emily

Resources:

Ahuja, B. (2012, October). If you can't be a creator, then be a curator. Retrieved from http://searchenginewatch.com/article/2221068/If-You-Cant-Be-a-Creator-Then-Be-a-Curator

Kantor, B. (2011, October). Content Curation Primer. Retrieved from http://www.bethkanter.org/content-curation-101/

Week 3 Report

Hello again everyone,

This is my second blog post this week in which I’ll go in greater detail of what I learnt. Session 3 was all about RSS feeds, a tool I was completely unfamiliar with. RSS is simply the new fast way to get information from the Internet. Rowse (2010) defines RSS as a technology that is being used by millions to keep track of their favorite websites. This new technology saves users time and allows you to get the information your truly interested in. I signed up with a site called Feedly to take part in this latest trend.

After spending time familiarizing myself with RSS Feed Readers such as Feedly I realized it contributes significantly to my digital literacy, responsibility, and citizenship.  The term digital literacy is referred to as "the process of teaching and learning about technology and the use of technology" (Ribble, 2011, p. 26). As I previously mentioned I had no knowledge of what RSS Feeds were prior to this session. This has shown me another tool I can use to get the most out of the Internet. I believe this is a tool that will come in handy as I can focus on reading and learning about what truly interests me. Through having access to all this knowledge I can share what I’ve learnt while acting responsibly. I have learnt the importance of giving credit to other people when you use their work. As I continue to work through the sessions I hope to improve on each one of these skills.

If you have been following my blog you’ll know that last week I learnt all about PLEs. During Session 2 I had to opportunity to create my own PLE, which can be viewed in my Week 2 report. What’s great about the course is that as I learn new things I can continue to add onto my PLE. Feedly is a new tool that I can add. I would likely categorize Feedly as a research tool. My RSS feed will give me access to the latest articles and blog updates. I can take the material I read and use that knowledge in my everyday life. This can also be beneficial if I’m looking to do research on a particular topic such as psychology or health.

I’ll end this blog post by sharing a post that popped up recently on my Feedly.

The post is titled My Three Words for 2014. It can be viewed here. The author Stefan reports of an exercise in which you choose three words that will act somewhat as your motto for the rest of the year. Though January has quickly come and gone it’s never too late to set goals for yourself. My three words for 2014 will be relaxation, health, and positivity. It is so easy in life to stop and dwell on all of the bad things. Everyone has such busy schedules but it’s so important to stop, relax, and be thankful for all good things you have. Focus on the positive and let go of the negative.

Emily

Sources
Image retrieved from: http://www.blogmarketingbook.com/getting-people-to-sign-up-to-your-rss-feed/

http://www.problogger.net/what-is-rss/

Ribble, M. (2011). Digital citizenship in schools. (2nd ed.). International Society for Technology in Education.

My Experience with RSS Feeds

Hello everyone,

this week I was required to set up my own RSS Feed Reader which I will explain in more detail in my next blog post. In short RSS feeds bring all of the most recent website posts you subscribe too in one place, it truly offers a convenience that no other site does! I signed up for my own account at http://cloud.feedly.com

I subscribed to a number of different websites, as I was browsing through my feed one article in particular caught my attention. The article was titled "Brock University a top choice with Ontario high school students". You can access the article here. As many of you know I attend Brock University, which is why this caught my attention. The article reported that Brock received 16,000 applications from students in Ontario and that there was an increase in students selecting Brock as their first choice school.

I've spent my entire life living in the Niagara region. So many of my friends that I've grown up with always talk about how they can't wait to move out of the area. From constantly hearing these comments I was surprised, yet pleased that more students were selecting Brock as their first choice university. I personally have enjoyed my time at Brock, meeting new people yet still having the convenience of being close to my family. I often forget how much the Niagara Region has to offer as i've lived here my entire life. We have beautiful scenery surrounding us, and the Niagara Falls just 20 minutes away. I truly believe that Brock will only continue to grow, and I would not hesitate to recommend this school to future students!

Emily

Retrieved from: http://brockbadgersbaseball.com/Recruitment%20Page.html

Week 2 Report

Hello everyone,

Week 2 of my ADED 1P32 course has come to an end. I’m finding that it’s getting easier to navigate through the various sites (like blogger) that we are required to use. The major theme of session two dealt with personal learning environments and the importance of having one.  PLE is not a term I was familiar with prior to this session so I was excited to learn more about the topic.

I watched a YouTube video called "What is a PLE & Why do you need one?". From this I learnt that a PLE is a set of digital tools that we use to support our own learning. Others have defined it as a system that helps learners take control of their own learning (Wikipedia, 2012). PLE’s put an emphasis on a self-directed learning approach. This type of learning can be desirable for students today as it allows for more flexibility. We know that not everybody learns best by sitting in a classroom and listening to a professor lecture. This allows students to take control of their learning and really focus on their own personal goals.

Through developing our own PLE we in turn create a Personal Learning Network (PLN), which can be thought of as a network of people you connect with for the specific purpose of learning (Tobin, 1998). Social media tools such as Facebook and twitter allow us to interact with people from all around the world.

In this session we were asked to create a diagram of our own PLE. I learnt that there is no right or wrong way to do this, as it is unique and different for each individual. To create an effective PLE it should be personal as well as considering your learning, environment and habits.

Source: Fabiano, E. (CC) 2014.

In 5-10 years time I hope to have a successful career as some sort of counselor. In order to reach this goal I need to stay on top of my learning and schoolwork. Some of the tools that will help me be successful are the database PsycINFO as well as Google. This will help me continually learn about new research and accomplishments in the field of Psychology. Learning does not stop when you graduate; it is a life long process. Through social media tools I can shape my online environment in a way that I can interact with others who are in the same line of work. It is a great way to stay connected and share ideas. I also added a health category, as I believe fitness is a great way to relieve stress. You always need to take time out of your day to focus on yourself. It is important to develop good habits while your young as they will likely stick with you later on in life! I look forward to expanding my PLE.

Lastly we were asked to make a word cloud, which is a tool that allows you to represent text visually. My word cloud involves text from my first blog post. I made mine on a website called Wordle. It’s free to use and I thought it was a pretty neat idea! One of the most important things I learnt from session one was about digital footprints and that seems to be the biggest text in my own word cloud!

Source: Fabiano, E. (CC) 2014. 

This concludes what I’ve learnt this week. Bye for now!

Emily

Week 1 Report

Hi everyone,

I’ve officially made it through week 1 of ADED 1P32! I was initially nervous about setting up my first blog but with the information I gained from session 1 I feel more confident that I’ll be a successful blogger. In just this first week I’ve learnt new things, which I consider to be valuable.

I’ll begin by reflecting on what I’ve learnt about digital footprints. Prior to this course I’ve never even heard of this term! A person’s digital footprint can be described as the tracks someone leaves behind on the Internet.

Link: http://www.educatorstechnology.com/2013/04/a-great-guide-on-teaching-students.html

After watching a YouTube video on Digital Dossier in Week 1 I was shocked to find out that a persons digital footprint begins before they are even born. When we share a baby’s sonogram picture with family and friends via the Internet their digital footprint begins.  As we get older our tracks continue to grow. As I was learning about this topic I began to think how big my own digital footprint must be. I can’t even count how many websites I’ve signed up for growing up. These thoughts lead me to think about another thing, do you want to have a digital footprint?

Today I think it’s nearly impossible to avoid having a digital footprint so I was pleased to learn that yes you should have a digital footprint, but you should strive to make it a positive one. In order to stay on top of what’s current you need to use one of the greatest tools we have- the Internet. To keep your own digital footprint as positive as possible try only to post things you won’t regret later on. Before posting anything online ask yourself would a future employer or your parents approve of this? I became aware that you could improve and track your own social profile by using various web applications such as Socioclean. This site will scan through all your current social media accounts for things that are considered inappropriate and potentially damaging to your image.

Image retrieved from: http://drsaraheaton.wordpress.com/2010/07/

This week I was required to complete a Digital Driver’s License exam. The completion of the exam gave me an idea of how much knowledge I currently have on the nine elements of Digital Citizenship. From the results of the exam I learnt I should focus my attention on Digital Communication and Digital Commerce. Digital communication can be described as the electronic exchange of information (Ribble, 2011). This ties into another topic discussed this week; appropriate digital etiquette. Everyone communicates digitally through his or her cell phones and emails, it’s crucial to learn how to communicate with others respectfully online.

Digital Commerce can be described as the electronic buying and selling of goods (Ribble, 2011). Online shopping has become increasingly popular over the past few years, it’s an activity I engage in regularly myself. Online shopping requires you to share personal information so it is essential to know how to protect your identity.

While Week 1 comes to an end I’m eager to learn more about the digital world. I anticipate I’ll continue to learn valuable information, which will allow me to use the Internet safely and effectively.

Emily

Sources:

Ribble, M. (2011). Digital citizenship in schools. (2nd ed.). International Society for Technology in Education.

Welcome to my Blog!

Hello everyone,

welcome to my first blog!  My name is Emily and I’m currently a 3^rd year psychology student attending Brock University. My time at Brock has been nothing but a positive experience. I’ve met great people and have had the privilege to learn from excellent professors. I only have one year left before I complete my undergraduate degree. At the end of my schooling I hope to obtain a job doing some sort of counseling work. When I’m not at school or working, I love to go to the gym especially spinning classes as well as bake delicious desserts.

I have to be honest; I don’t know a lot about blogging, I do know that it’s an excellent way for people to share their experiences, opinions, and knowledge. I actually created this blog for a course that I am currently enrolled in at Brock. The course is all about learning in digital contexts. I decided to take this course, as it is a topic I don’t know a lot about. We see technology-advancing everyday and I think it’s important to be aware of how we can use technology to enhance our learning. Another main reason I chose to take this course as one of my electives is because it is an online course. Throughout my years at Brock I’ve taken a number of online courses. I’ve really come to enjoy the online learning experience as it allows for more flexibility in my schedule. Students often juggle hectic schedules; online learning is becoming more and more desirable for students today. One piece of advice I would offer to students considering online courses is to stay organized and on top of due dates. This will ensure you don’t fall behind on the weekly sessions and activities!

As the main purpose of my blog is for educational purposes, a majority of my blog posts will consist of weekly reflections outlining valuable information I have learned throughout the duration of the course. I’m looking forward to gain more knowledge that will increase my online skills as well as learning about how technology can benefit me as a student. Creating a blog is something I probably would never have done if it weren’t for this course. I hope that as I continue to write blog posts it will enhance my written communication skills. This is a skill that is not only important to be successful in school, but for future job opportunities as well. For those of you who will be following my blog, I hope you’re able to learn something you consider valuable as well!

I look forward to the next 12 weeks in this course, and am excited to finally be apart of the blogging community!

Emily 

Source:

http://www.webaholic.co.in/blog/the-ultimate-guide-to-get-more-blog-subscribers/