Personal VS Professional Digital Identity Map
How has your thinking about inclusion and PLN evolved?
In the podcast with Simpson, he talks about his personal PLN and how it led him down a path to pursue his passions. He talked about how through his twitter account he got noticed. The reason he got noticed was through using appropriate hashtags and standing out about certain debatable topics. He was a strong advocate for Black Culture and Anti-Racism Campaigns. Through his exposure he was able to lead around 50 school districts to use his ideas in anti-racism training for teachers. He talked about how anyone should follow their passions and allow their voices to be heard. It may lead you down a path you didn’t know you wanted. Simpson was able to engage with the right people through social media, he stated that he made sure to keep it strictly about his passions but avoided adding in his personal life.
How does social media challenge communications?
Social media has challenged communications in many ways. For one people can be misinterpreted on platforms like twitter that don’t show a person speaking and the meaning or intentions behind it. Therefore what they are saying can be misinterpreted. Shelly Moore talked about how some people would read her twitter posts in the wrong context which would sometimes lead to out of context comments. Other things that made challenge communications are fake news can be shared and cause anger and confusion, just like the angry Trump fans on the Whitehouse a few years ago. It can also cause communication overload. It can be hard to focus on meaningful conversations with so many possible paths online. Another thing is people who use it as a way to bully people online. It can be a challenge because people mostly are not accountable for what they say online.
Is it inclusive?
Are public learning networks inclusive? Well that is a yes and no answer. Online platforms are very accessible to most people. It doesn’t matter what their backgrounds are they can join a platform and explore based on what they would like. However, as we talked about before a big amount of people still don’t have access to the technology allowing them to even have the opportunity to do so. On the one hand my friend I grew up with was born blind. Through technology advances she has somewhat equal access to technology and engages with people online as much as I do. However, some people don’t have the same sort of lifestyle where their lives would even allow for the time to explore the same type of information to follow their passions. Therefore I feel like everything in this area is not black and white but it depends on each persons situations.
Does your PLN amplify the views of others?
I would think every persons PLN can amplify the views of others. If they are following you they have the opportunity to see your opinions, perspectives, lifestyles and ideas. Through this they may become motivated or excited about something. I think that everything we see online influences us in a positive or negative way whether it happens consciously or subconsciously.
The policies of employer social media communication expectations.
I think that employers need to be cautious about what their employees post online. For one, what their employees post may be a positive or negative representation of their company. Also, if something bad is going on in the workplace they need to plan ahead to make sure employees know their boundaries. This will protect their company from bad press. This will also allow employees to know their boundaries beforehand. I know someone who posted about a bad tip online once and they got fired over it because it was inappropriate. I feel like these boundaries are important to be in place to avoid people ranting when the have big emotions.
What are the benefits of a diverse and inclusive PLN in social media sharing that understands where you are coming from with messaging that influences the community?
The benefits of diversity and inclusion allows the sharing of ideas and the connections. Shelley Moore talked about how during covid she felt lost in her day to day and created an online community with strangers that helped her thrive at a completely different angle. Sharing ideas and prospective is a wonderful way to expand our experiences and discover new things. I feel like the world has changed so much in my lifetime. I have grown up before social media became an everyday thing. Moving to today where so many people are connected people share so much information everyday from so many different places. I feel like it can be a little unhealthy but also healthy depending on what passions you follow. My daughter is fifteen and does a skin care routine, I never have. This is 100 percent due to following people who have taught her about the importance of keeping her skin safe. Someone I know follows people who believe in conspiracy theories. This has taken a toll on the people close to this person and feel constantly annoyed and bad for the person who is so angry at the government. I personally feel the access the world has is so diverse so we must be careful.
Group Discussion Reflection:
In our group we chatted about the topics for the week. First we talked about “How does Social Media engage in communications?” Together we talked about how people engage through connecting employers, job seekers, and exposing users to other people. Secondly, we discussed “How does social media challenge communications?” The information can be overwhelming and can be biased through the algorithms. Before doing the group chat I didn’t think about how it was biased before that. Now I see another way that not everyone is exposed to the same things. It is more controlled than I imagined. We don’t really have exposure to what is out there, it can be misinterpreted.
As a whole we discussed if PLN is inclusive or not. Overall, we agreed that it depends. Last week we learned how it is not accessible to everyone, but it is catered mainly to people who use those technologies because their home lives allow it (more free time, has technology). Lastly, does your PLN amplify the views of others? We talked about how PLN can diversify who your role models are, influence yourself and others because your collaborating things. We talked about how it increases the size of accessibility and it could create a larger network. When looking at “The policies of employer”, social media communication expectations we talked about how it was similar to our discussion last week. We talked about the utmost important to keep your social media respectful, because employees represent the company and pre-set expectations can support employees and employers during emotional moments. The final question regarding the influences in the community. We talked about it depends on what roads you take online. It could be down a dark dangerous path or a health conscious happy route. Beware and be careful.
What digital platforms are students currently using to develop their professional network?
Professional networks are presented in different ways online. Something that is specifically utilized for developing their network is Linkedin. On this platform, people can show a profile of the highlights they specifically want to share. This is also a place recruiters can go to look for people specifically and connect with them. Recently, I have noticed people using Instagram as a professional network. My friend shows off her activities she does with her class in a way that inspires and collaborates with others. Personally, I have also been using Instagram as a way to share with my personal group of people (some parents) exciting things going on in my classroom. For example, I had salmon in my classroom this year. I was able to document and comment the progress and the feelings about each stage. Otherwise, I am using Google Classroom to connect professionally with a families on a safe platform that limits viewers and allows for photo-sharing and personal and group comments. Now that I am in my long-term career I have not had a lot of need or personal inquiry about other platforms but I do see the benefits of using them to develop a profile. Just recently a friend of mine was offered a really cool job because of her professional network. It is like an advertisement for oneself as a professional.
What could the student consider in expanding their professional learning network?
When expanding a learning network it allows for the person to explore what else is available and out there. They are also able to build meaningful connections with others who are also sharing their professional networks. People have the opportunity to connect online or find in person places to connect and sharing in greater depth. The big thing is collaboration. People always have examples to look at, understand and connect about what works They also can reflect on ways to improve and support one another. Connecting online gives people unlimited ideas. For example, I joined a teacher Facebook group page last year. On this platforms teachers can connect and get ideas from other educators. This is a private place for conversations (anonymous posting is available) where you can discuss tricky and exciting things happening whenever and get ideas from people all over the world. It is a great way to connect educators.
In your network, how can you create a digital identity/ reputation?
Creating a digital identity is a very important part of life today. First of all, everyone who uses technology (especially computers and smart phones) has one. Making sure what you are sharing, your purpose for sharing and where you are sharing it makes a big difference. For instance, if you are a person who is trying to advertise their social skills perhaps showing themselves as an extremely social person would be most beneficial. However, if the route your life is taking you brings you down a path of professionalism where you need to be extremely appropriate like a teacher you wouldn’t be sharing photos of yourself constantly partying. Educators are judged for their personal and private lives online all of the time. They are held to a higher accountability and need to be cautious all of the time. With a persons digital identity you should advertise yourself on all social media with specific highlights about yourself. This can create a persona for others direct or indirect. Monitoring a persons online presence is also something that is really important especially if you have others that post or share your life. It can allow you to know what other people are seeing when they look you up online. There are hackers on the internet and that is a good way to stay safer online. Talking to your family and friends is also a very important way to present yourself online safely. (Here’s A thought: Maybe people chapter I – worldcat.(n.d.).http://experimental.worldcat.org/vandrmapping/assets/documents/VRAMappingInstructions.pdf)
What is a Visitor/ Resident?
Consider how an employer would respond if you applied for a job with them and they assessed your social media presence via your digital identity.
When considering my social media presence I have always kept my very safe and family friendly. I have been a mom since I was 17 and showing the world that I am a responsible mom has always been really important to me. I have always in life and online been cautious about what I share with other people. The sort of posts I put online and generally family friendly or fun stuff in education that I am excited to share with others. However, when I look at my profiles back when I was fifteen I was presenting myself as something else. My MSN and Nexopia profiles are no longer active with my information, but if they were I would probably be concerned with what other people would see and possibly judge my values. Not terribly just me trying to be cute at 15. But as an employer it may be seen as someone without strong values.
Reference:
Here’s A thought: Maybe people chapter I – worldcat. (n.d.). http://experimental.worldcat.org/vandrmapping/assets/documents/VRAMappingInstructions.pdf
Social Identity and Networking Pros and Cons
What does it mean to network using social media?
This week I watched some videos and read some articles about social media and networking. I originally felt that social media was solely based on sharing information with family, friends and selling items. However, I now understand that it has a wide variety of purposes depending on your intentions. It can also mean something different to different people. Social Media has the opportunity to reach out the family and friends based on privacy settings and abilities on different programs, but it also allows people to reach a wide variety of people across the globe. It can be for the purpose of connecting socially or as a business it could also be to share your story with the world. Social media seems to have no limits depending on what your looking for. It can also be a way to target audience based on algorithms nowadays. I feel like the purpose can change and can be the same depending on individual situations.
How are we motivated to participate in networked publics?
Motivation depends on needs and wants. Some people have made public networks a job, while other use it as a form of connection with the world. Social media users people use it as a way to reach out to the world for love, travel ideas or a form of sharing their lives. If people are selling a product they may participate in a way that a company would like opposed to their individual taste, but the viewers may not know that and get tricked or lured into wanting to be like that person sharing a product. Hopefully, people become aware of the truths and the false information online to critically think about what they are viewing even if it appeals to them.
What are the risks & rewards of public communications?
Risks:
The internet is a great place and a scary place for users. Everyday in peoples lives they could do, say or feel something that is meant to be private however you never know if you are being filmed or recorded. Perhaps you have become intoxicated and something films you doing something and it affects the rest of your life. A future career, love connection, friendship or application for just about anything. Some people may be followed based on a simple mistake or become infamous for something they wouldn’t want to share. A digital risk is that it can be found on the internet and you can’t permanently delete something. You are not in control of the entire internet.
Rewards:
In regards to public rewards is that you can connect with anyone and learn about almost anything. For instant medical issues that may have been harder to solve before now has millions of people who can share similar experiences. Opposed to a small group of people sharing information many ideas can be shared and you can find ways to support or help others.
Digital Identity
What is a digital identity?
A persons digital identity is who they are online. Before I thought it was limited to what people post but after learning about it I have discovered that it is an opportunity to connect the world. Many people have access to the digital world providing jobs, id, connections whereas over 1.7 billion people are still out of the loop. They don’t have an equitable opportunity in the world. It is something that will hopefully help, educate, and share good ways with everyone to travel for help, safety and opportunities. Digital identities for people sound great but they can also be scary. The internet is still really unregulated and the world is still coming up with ways to make it safe and private for people. I feel like there is still a long way to go to govern the internet to the point of being fully safe and usable without problems. Hopefully a plan can be created for a safe place for all users.
How do personal versus professional approaches to digital identity affect social media use?
Professional approaches are wonderful for the sellers because they can reach a wide variety of audiences. They are also a wonderful way for people to share information and grow as learners. When people share ideas and collaborate and connect they can create even better ideas to use in the future. Personal approaches can differ for users as well. People can use it as a way to connect to people and share images of families, friends and events with family who may live far away or would like to document parts of their life. However person identities can be fake and share only one side of pieces of information. They can show glamour for people making other people feel inadequate or guilty. Therefore people need to look at other peoples social pages from all sides and understand that what is shown on someone’s social media is not always accurate.
How do digital identities converge in networked publics – what are the impacts and/or benefits?
When people have a variety of public profiles they can create an image and view of their lives from many perspectives. It can be beneficial for people who would like to connect to multiple people and groups. It can also be a bad thing if you are not careful because people may see something on an unmonitored platform that may affect your future in a non-ideal way. Public networks can be used for wonderful reasons such as jobs, popularity and connections but they can be dangerous if not monitored or shared professionally.
Thanks for listening and think before you post.
© 2024 shalangervais
Theme by Anders Noren — Up ↑
Recent Comments