There's an App for that!

>>Fast forward to 2020: a 27 year old – YIKES - who has completed their Undergraduate Degree as well as received their Graduate Certificate for Public Relations. After graduating and several job interviews, she has finally found the organization that's right for her. Whose that chick?

Confused? The 27 year old is where I hope to be in 5-10 years. The main difference between where I am today and where I hope to be in the future, are the accomplishments I hope to achieve. In order for my career goals to come true I must continue to work hard and remain focused on my end results. One way to remain on track is by embracing my Personal Learning Environment, P.L.E. if you prefer.

What is a P.L.E. you ask? (aren't you forgetting the rest like *PLE...ase pass the fries). Your P.L.E. is how you take control of your learning. With access being stressed in today's society, it's amazing how much the Internet can support academic learning. Through reflection and the proper tools, the Internet has helped people accomplish their goals. After brainstorming I decided to put my P.L.E. into perspective using Popplet (flow chart below). Note: something I was able to create WHILE building upon my P.L.E. 

Borchuk, L. (CC) 2014.

I broke it down into 3 main sections; social, direct communication and scholarly. As you can see, Blogger is the sole one marked in blue. The reason being that Blogger is the only tool I created in the social aspect of the digital realm, for a scholarly purpose in order to communicate with my peers. **gasping for air- that was a mouthful** When I hear blog I do not usually think school. In fact, I usually think of Carrie Bradshaw. That being said the 'Networked Student' put the Web 2.0 into perspective. Social networking has transformed and been incorporated into the school curriculum, as well as emphasized in the workforce. I am comfortable on social media and confident with how it works. Being able to combine my ability to network with school will definitely help me with accomplishing my main goal. 

Each tool has its purpose. I use Google, and its many features, to gain a solid foundation before starting any school project. Once I establish the basics I go into the Library Search Engine to gain the Scholarly Journals for my references. Now, the social aspect. One thing I love about my Program is the involvement of social media. Most of my assignments involve contributing to the conversation on Twitter, or finding communication trends on Facebook. 

McKenzie, Jamie. (2002). “Instant Messaging” (cartoon drawing). 

Retrieved from: http://www.fno.org/apr02/aprcartoon.html

BUT: proceed with caution. It can be distracting to mix business with pleasure (school with social networks). The best way to remain on track is by creating a positive environment in which your learning can benefit. 1) Have a game plan going into it 2) Communicate with those who are there to help push you forward, not pull you back 3) Understand the tools you are using and the benefits they can bring 4) Expand- don't be afraid to experiment and find which apps or tools work best for you! Every tool has its purpose, what's in your tool belt? 

<<Rewind to last week: Remember that word, POSITIVE, from last week? Using one more social media tool, Wordle, I was able to compress my last blog post into a collage. I was happy to report that it captured my main points from last week. After a little tweaking and an adjustment to the colour scheme, I was happy to see how fun and captivating it turned out! It's a great way to keep track of your involvement online. 

II PAUSE: I have a task for you. Take a few comments from Facebook, a few tweets from Twitter, maybe even an Instagram caption. Put it together with Wordle and see what stands out. Are you embracing your P.L.E. or leaving a negative foot print behind?

Borchuk, L. (CC) 2014.

XOXO

Have you checked *insert social network of choice* today?!

This week we focused on digital footprints, and the mark we leave behind.  Need some clarification?  A digital footprint is the data trail left behind after interacting with the digital environment.  This can be done through multiple sources such as; Facebook, Twitter, Email, mobile phone etc.  It is not a good thing to have, IF you have things to hide.  Being careful and cautious of what you post on the Internet is something that tends to be forgotten.  Posts can follow you for a lifetime, even after you personally delete it.  If you're like me, and active on pretty much EVERY social network…the thought of this can cause a mini panic attack.  BREATHE.  I have some information that will calm those social network jitters! 

There is a loss of control over content, once you hit send it is out there for the world to see and anyone can get a hold of it.  How many times have you scrolled through Instagram or Facebook and seen pictures or comments that you would not want your grandma to see? Or even a future employer to see?  After this weeks readings I put aside some time to scroll through my news feeds.  This time I went through with a different mindset, one of a future employer.  I began counting the pictures that my peers (me included) are going to regret posting in a few years or heck...even a few days! With this loss of ownership, people have to be careful to leave a POSITIVE footprint.  Now I'm warning you: the link I am about to post may contain informative material.  Is there a 'get out of jail free' card for cliché posts?!  Here is a social media link; please post responsibly. 

As I admitted I have made my mistakes.  There are posts that aren't - ahem - business appropriate, if you will.  But at the same time, I'm not going to lock up my laptop, turn the Wi-Fi off my phone and live my life being scared of the 'Big Bad Web'.  In fact, the Internet has helped me make informed decisions that have benefited me in the long run.  With the Internet expanding access and knowledge the Web is there to help.  Just like most things in life there is a set of rules that users of the Internet must follow. 

In our assigned readings for this week we were asked to fill out the 'Digital Driver's License' quiz.  It stressed the importance of the Internet and how it can be used to contribute to the conversation online, to make informed consumer decisions and academic projects. There is a certain kind of 'netiquette' that must be followed when using the Internet.  We must always be courteous to our fellow posters.  Making rude derogatory comments or stealing other users content, is not necessary.   By using technology appropriately users can benefit themselves without hurting their own reputations.  As active users we need to learn to use technologies to our advantage and not let the technologies take advantage of us.  NOTE: having your phone out at school,  the dinner table, the shower AND your hockey game is once again, not necessary.  There is a time and a place for everything, so use these tools responsibly and reasonably. 

"Do you think they'll like it?"

People spend more time documenting their life than actually living it!  What is it about this day and age where EVERY move has to be documented?  Where is it written that the more scandalous the post the better?  Users are no longer thinking twice about the personal content they are releasing but rather the 'likes' they are going to get for posting it.  Last year I went ALL of second semester without my cell phone.  I was clocked out of the social scene.  I know what you must be thinking...4 months.   Phone-less.  S.O.S., MAYDAY, SEND OUT THE DOGS!  But in actuality, it had the opposite affect on me.  I enjoyed not being reachable 24/7.  It was refreshing to use the Internet as a research aid and not because I felt the simultaneous need to 'refresh' and eat.  

I'm going to end with a simple saying.  Y.O.P.O.- You Only Post Once.  It only takes one post to alter your digital footprint.  Keep it light, informative and most importantly fun! 

Until next time, happy posting!

xoxo