Weekly Report & Reflection blog post #12

THE END…….
It’s hard to believe how fast this course has flown by, and that this is officially my last blog post for ADED 1P32. In today’s weekly activity, I was asked to Google myself, and what I found was pretty surprising. It amazed me to see many links that had my information on it such as my blog posts, Twitter, and Pinterest accounts. I was also surprised at how much of a footprint I left behind in just a matter of a few months! I am truly grateful to have been part of this amazing learning experience and for the ability to leave a positive mark based on my (weekly) understanding of digital citizenship.

What have you learned about building a positive digital footprint? Are there connections that you have made between having a positive digital footprint and living and learning online as a digital citizen?

I have learned many things about building a positive digital footprint. One being that it is very easy to build, once you have gained access to the internet or any digital device, is where it all starts. Therefore, we need to be aware of our digital rights and responsibilities and make sure that we act in accordance to. This course has drilled the fact that the internet is a powerful tool that is made available to any and everyone and that can sometimes be a good thing whilst on the other hand, be dangerous. However, when you apply the rules of digital citizenship, such as being respectful to others in the “digital space” you begin to build positivity, a connection that provides individuals a better understanding of living and learning online.

What have you learned about digital citizenship that could be used to promote quality online interactions with others?

I have learned that digital citizenship is about setting a good example for others to follow. I believe that our citizenship is given to us when we experience nothing but positivity between ourselves and the interactions we hold with other digital users. Due to the fact that we do not know who is watching us online or tracking our every move, as a digital citizen, you want to remain a good example and only that. The information you choose to share with others could possibly harm you or benefit you, therefore, to promote quality online interactions we must be careful. Also, use digital netiquette and be responsible! These promote a safe working network for processes such as blogging, e-mailing, sharing video/images, etc. Proper grammar and punctuation are also benefits to quality interactions online.

As a digital citizen, what will you do to promote appropriate behaviors in others? Are you finding valuable websites that support your idea of appropriate use of the Internet?

As a digital citizen, there are a number of ways to promote good behaviour. To help others, I plan to be the example at all times. I will use and inform of the many web tools I learned in this course such as Diigo, Feedly, mind mapping tools, to help them in their academic learning and everyday online use. These tools are a great way to demonstrate digital netiquette and will be very helpful in the long run.

Weekly Report & Reflection blog post #11

SoundCloud Logo [AyOH - Music]. (2016).
Retrieved from http://ayohmusic.com/?page_id=543

Week 11 focused on using webcasting tools and how they influence our knowledge of digital citizenship. We also learned how webcasting tools develop our knowledge of creative expression and the importance of adding Creative Commons licenses to our work. Exploring tools such as Soundcloud, Record MP3, Jing, etc. and using them to create podcasts, I noticed that it is not a file to stream only audio, but are also documents, video files, and audio files. I chose to use Soundcloud; Soundcloud is a good webcasting tool to use because you have the option to upload an already recorded audio file or record one on the spot. It’s really fast and does not take up to much of your time, like I explained in my reflection for my podcast, with SoundCloud it only took me 2 minutes to finish everything and when I would mess up I simply clicked the reset button and was able to finish just like that!

Although Soundcloud is quick and easy to use, I do not see it as an advantage or better yet an asset to my academics. This is only because I do not see how a tool that is mainly used for music or even podcasts would help me build my academic learning. However, in terms of discussing topics such as daily news and insights, podcasts are definitely beneficial as listeners can hear the similar or contrasting views from professionals. Other than that, there is no other benefit in the use of podcasts towards my learning.

To continue, whether podcasts are beneficial or not, this class has exposed me to many online tools to use to make my digital learning not only easier but fun as well. Too much knowledge is never a bad thing, being able to take this course has allowed me to learn the many different tools that all work to serve their own specific purpose is what I find that to be extremely beneficial! Whether I am working collaboratively on the internet or sharing any type of enlightenment or just trying to be more organized, these tools are most definitely advantageous for me.

This week’s activities, as a whole, strengthen my digital literacy and provided me with new digitally available tools for broadcasting and sharing. However, the difference between these tools and other communication tools is the ability to be creative with each of them in a different way. For example, with podcasts you choose how the production goes, with Animoto you can have different themes, background music, colors, etc such tools are all so versatile and is not the normal basic academic

SoundCloud [Global Listener]. (2014). 

Retrieved from http://www.global-listener.com/sites/

downloading/soundcloud/

structure most students are used to doing.

My Feedly recommendation for this week is titled Comparing College Students to Toddlers from none other than my favorite blog site, College Blender. I chose this article because as the term is nearing its end, a lot of us have our last papers or assignments to write and submit. Therefore, I thought this blog post from College Blender would help ease off the somewhat stress and enjoy this article. Although some points they list I disagree with, it is still pretty funny to see what people think of college students. Enjoy!

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

Weekly Report & Reflection blog post #10

Porter, M. (2013, October 03). How to Find Creative Commons Video Assets [Digital image]. Retrieved March 17, 2016, from http://mashable.com/2013/10/03/video-assets-creative-commons/#fdz3oczEh8qd

Week 10 focused on exploring tools associated with, what I now know as, creative commons. According to the website, "creative commons is a non-profit organization that devotes itself to expanding the range of creative works available for others that allow them to build upon their work legally and share" (Boyle, 2001). To continue, these creative commons were used to create slideshows that demonstrate our understanding of copyright as digital citizens. The tool grants public access to resources that do not contain copyright laws. As stated, the tool grants access to the public, therefore, the free resource is available for anyone to use on account of due credit given.


As I find most digital tools, in my exploration of slideshow tools, I found it to be very easy to use. The slideshow tool I chose to explore was Animoto. It is a great tool for my educational activities because it is a very fun and interactive approach to learning and presenting topics to others. It is a great way to gain useful information that will most certainly benefit us students in our everyday work. I especially like the fact that with Animoto, it is not strict. The ability to be creative with specific information will definitely help me to remember it more and enjoy learning.


In all honesty, being able to see the different uses for images and media in a digital society, I see that it kind of creates a layer of a challenge to our digital responsibilities. One thing that is really stressed in school, from secondary school especially is that after copying or pasting a photo or any type of work created by another person must be given credit where credit is due. The use of media and images without any reference is considered stealing, therefore, we must practice referencing our work properly to avoid situations such as plagiarism. However, in the case of plagiarism, students must take their time and carefully reference their work, be sure that images and media chosen for whatever reason is chosen appropriately and finally, make sure to be very specific and clear about the information being shared to  viewers/ readers.


Although this tool is a good way to be creative, I would not add it to my PLE because it is not collaborative and users are limited to 40 and 50 characters and words which is hard to minimize when you have a lot more to explain on a topic. However, the tool still is fairly cool.


This week I read an article titled Collaboration, Tools, and Add-Ons. Oh My. Using G-Docs to Improve Student Writing by Lisa Nielson. The article demonstrates how collaboration tools such as Google Docs are good tools for students in their writing. For me, writing, grammar, etc. Are very important and Google Docs, I believe, is a good tool to help with that. It is also important that as students we take it serious in our independent learning. I already use Google Docs and it really does help me with my writing, whether it be spelling mistakes, referencing, using voice text, etc. Google Docs is there to help.

Schallhorn, K. (2014, August 19). Professors plagiarize definition of plagiarism [Digital image]. Retrieved March 17, 2016, from http://campusreform.org/?ID=5841

Weekly Report & Reflection blog post #9

Digital Citizenship [Digital image]. (n.d.).
Retrieved from http://scharmbergwilmu.weebly.com/

This week focused on the application of digital responsibility whilst using collaborative tools to build our knowledge around this topic. Additionally, I explored with a new digital tool called, VoiceThread. VoiceThread is an online tool that grants individuals/ users the ability to participate in discussions by commenting their opinions on slides created by students from all over. Before this class, I knew nothing about this tool and most likely would not have been aware of it if it were not required of us to do so. VoiceThread is a good tool because I was able to gain a deeper understanding of digital rights and responsibilities and it was very intriguing to see other students’ views/ opinions on the topic.

After using VoiceThread, I found that it is an exceedingly healthy way to construct a communication medium for collaborative discussions. Having the options to features such as type, audio, or video recording allows users to submit their opinions any way they’d like. These features form a significant method for learning in view of the fact that users can read what other users are thinking. In so doing, it greatly develops the reader’s recognition of the topic and will make it easier to further their learning. VoiceThread will most especially be advantageous when working in groups. Moreover, I plan on showing this tool to my other classmates as I feel it will be helpful for them in regards to their learning. This tool can also be used as a means to encourage participation in students by interaction with other students just as we do in our seminars.

Moving on, VoiceThread assists in the enhancement of my knowledge by giving me the opportunity to read others thoughts and information. In my exploration of VoiceThread, I noticed how when reading multiple posts made by students, it is in a sense expanding the knowledge of the readers on the subject. At times, it is a challenge to understand or accept another users perspective if you do not agree with it. I did also find that there were a lot of opposing views as to what classified as a digital right and responsibility, however, this is what makes learning fun. The multiple opposing perspectives made me look at the information in a different manner and it brought somewhat of a clear side of thinking that way. This type of information gives readers, such as myself, more options to learn rather than sticking to one way of thinking.

My Feedly reading this week goes with this week's activities. Using VoiceThread to Build Student Engagement. As you can probably tell by the title although it is pretty dated, it discusses the many benefits to using VoiceThread. Author John, Orlando lists the following reasons:

• Student driven discussion
• A growing lecture
• Improved social presence
• Better understanding of nuance
• Student projects

He also says that most of the time students don’t stop the instructor in the middle of a lecture so by the time a lecture is done they have already forgotten their question. Or if you’re like me, you’re too nervous to ask in front of the class so you wait and when you wait for too long the question has left your mind. So, this article is a really good one that shows and explains the many ways to use VoiceThread and how it may help you.

VOICETHREAD [Logo]. (2016). Retrieved from http://ruonlinecon.rutgers.edu/sponsors

Technology Use: Scenario #7

Scenario: Mrs. Peters enjoys working with technology. She has been working with computers for several years now and has her own website to allow friends to keep up with what her family is doing. Every year she posts her family’s holiday photo on the website. A friend who lives overseas contacts her and says that she saw her family’s photo being used as an advertisement. Neither Mrs. Peters nor her husband know anything about it. How do you protect your identity?

In this scenario, Mrs. Peters is in no way using technology inappropriately. She is simply updating her friends on the things that have been going on in her life being that she does not see them on a regular basis.

The only thing inappropriate about this scenario is the fact that a marketing company has taken Mrs. Peters’ photos off of her website without her permission or, as stated in the scenario, has let her or her husband know that her pictures were used for their advertisement. According to Accenture.com, “As people share their personal data with their service providers, digital trust becomes extremely critical, especially for communications, media and technology companies.” This example falls into element 6 of digital citizenship; digital trust. The issue of digital law is the common mistake that everyone makes, which is keeping themselves knowledgeable of the intellectual property rights and copyright protection and the violations that can, at times, be very severe.

However, in the company’s defence, Mrs. Peters did not copyright her photos and the scenario says nothing about her having any sort of protection over her photos. The internet has made it so easy for people to post, locate, and download, and although this is a strength of modern technology, it is sometimes not good, such as Mrs. Peters’ situation.

For someone that spends majority of her time on the internet and works with computers, Mrs. Peters’ must educate herself on issues such as this otherwise it will continue. To avoid future problems, Mrs. Peters must:

• Protect her information against theft or unauthorized use
• Control who gains legal access to information/ photos, and what they can do with them
• Offer reciprocal benefits. This means that the company’s action to taking the images was necessary and Mrs. Peters should collect whatever what she deserves from her photos
• Take responsibility for misuse and ensure corrective action

Following these steps will surely have Mrs. Peters established in digital trust (law).

References

Key Points to Digital Trust - Accenture. (2016). Retrieved March 11, 2016, from       https://www.accenture.com/ca-en/insight-accenture-four-keys-digital-trust.aspx

Weekly Report & Reflection blog post #8

Image - http://uwstoutinnovations.wikispaces.com/file/view/wiki.gif/81914965/484x335/wiki.gif

Session number eight focused on exploring wikis and creating diagrams related to digital rights and responsibilities using brainstorming web tools with the option of  Bubbl.us or Popplet. Through my exploration, I learned that a wiki is a website that allows for collaborative editing or modifications of its content and structure amongst users, essentially, wikis are anything individuals and groups would like for it to be. These tools fit into the collaborative section of my PLE and aid in my learning because it supports my PLE by allowing me to learn not just on my own but with others, to learn to work together, and to help each other by practicing the number one rule for collaborative work, communication. I think next to Google Docs, wikis are the next best because it is a website that promotes meaningful topic connections, it seeks to involve all visitors in the ongoing process of creation by making its page(s) easy to use and understand.

Additionally, as stated from the K12 Learning 2.0 discovery activity, wikis encourage shared knowledge construction and growth over time, as they are often built and edited by many users at once. I can use a wiki for publishing, organizing, and sharing virtually any kind of information - professional, creative or academic. Implemented effectively, wikis can enable students to take responsibility for learning outcomes, plan and make decisions, work together, publish to an audience beyond the classroom and, perhaps most importantly, teach others.

Image - http://internet.savannah.chatham.k12.ga.us/district/ddi/media/Digital%20Citizenship/PublishingImages/digital-rights.gif

Furthermore, following the exploration of wikis, week 8 continued with using wikis to identify issues of digital rights and responsibilities. Through this activity, what I learned about becoming a digital citizen and the rights and responsibilities of living in a digital society, was that both appropriate and acceptable use of the internet is something that applies to students and teachers. We as active users must evaluate the resources we use the internet for and use them appropriately. Educators should also model appropriate use for students and monitor the activities that take place whilst students learn online. I also learned that most schools have Acceptable Use Policy (AUP) - "a document stipulating constraints and practices that a user must agree to for access to a corporate network or the Internet."
This weeks session on digital rights and responsibilities outlines the safe practices, expectations and etiquette for using digital media/ technology within personal and academic environments.

This week on my Feedly reader I came across an article on the InnovativeEducator blog site titled Technology: Powerful Weapon or Greatest Foe? since this weeks focus was on becoming digital citizens and using technology appropriately, I thought this blog post was suitable for this weeks topic. In the article, author Lisa Nielson aims to educate teachers on technology and it's ability to be beneficial for students but also harmful if not directing/ promoting safe and appropriate use. Additionally, Nielson includes another blog of hers that outlines the 10 best ways to improve online learning. Check it out and become positive digital citizens!

Weekly Report & Reflection blog post #7

Link - http://www.gdocsdrive.com/image/index/gdocsdrive.png

Week #7 concentrated on collaborating with class members via chat. The idea was for us to understand how to work together and communicate being we cannot see each other face-to-face. This week was a lot more hands on while some of us were being introduced to Google Docs, I was already familiar with it. I like Google Docs, but I wouldn't say more than Microsoft Word. However, Google Docs is a very convenient yet free web-based application that allows you to create a document, spreadsheet, presentation, notes and so much more! The best thing about it is that, with access to an internet connected device, Google Docs can be used. if you couldn't tell by the name, this online application is offered and associated by Google.

Along with its ability to be accessed anywhere, Google Docs lends itself to collaborative projects where groups can work together in real-time even from different geographic locations! In my experience using Google Docs collaboratively, I noticed that we can see what each other is doing, make adjustments and comment. I also noticed that because the documents are stored online and the option to save it onto a computer, there is no worry about having lost work. Authors are also given the option to share publicly or privately which another good thing about it. Additionally, I should have said this first, but when I was first introduced to Google Docs, the first thing I realised was how easy it was (and still is) to use. My ability to navigate and explore the application was like second nature to me. After this week, I am reminded of how much I really like using Google Docs.

This tool will be useful for my educational activities as a way to collaborate and save time. usually, when I can't make a class I get the notes from my friend by taking a picture, however, now that I am reminded of this tool, we can connect on GoogleDocs and the notes will be there for me and vice versa. It is an efficient yet functional tool that will help be manage my learning content and activities. With groups, we can add our contributions on our own time to make collaborative goals flow easily. This is useful because Google Docs allows us to keep track of any changes made to the document/presentation; it is an exceptional tool that excels in output and productivity.

Recently, I was searching collaboration articles on google and came across this new site that I subscribed to on my Feedly titled The Creative Blog, the article, The 20 Best Tools for Collaboration, discusses the different online applications that help groups to communicate and collaborate easily. For example, the article describes a tool called ConceptBoard. This tool mimics a whiteboard where group members can craft concepts, manage projects, and provide feedback. These tools, are essentially useful for collaborative learning and I will definitely add them to my PLE. Please take the time to look at this article, the lists provided are fantastic and in-depth!

Weekly Report & Reflection blog post #6

Image - https://evernote.com/media/img/products/hero_evernote.png

This week focused on the exploration of Evernote. Evernote is a tool that allows users to archive, organize, and manage information, including documents, images, bookmarks, etc., on any device that has/ uses the internet. During my exploration with Evernote, I learned that it has many aspects that allows you to not only write your notes, but to also share it between yourself and other individuals you choose to share your notes with. Evernote also includes quick and easy features such as the web clipping tool that makes not taking that much simple. What I really like about this tool is that I can access my notes either on my laptop, phone, and even my iPad. This, I find to be very convenient especially because as a student I am always rushing to pack my things and get ready for class, so it's good that I can just shut my laptop and open it later and my notes are still there. Another advantage/ benefit I found is that your notes are set to save automatically. I really like this because my computer likes to do weird things sometimes, like shut off randomly, however, because my notes are already saved, I don't have to worry about losing anything! Lastly, it is a good way to be organized and stay organized, to have accumulated pieces of information/ research in one convenient place.

Evernote will be useful in my educational activities because all my notes and links I have in my notebook are altogether and labelled with 'tags' so nothing gets lost. Additionally, Evernote's alerts feature will be very useful in my educational activities because it reminds users of certain notes to be to be mindful of in order to meet any academic need. The reminder feature will, more specifically, help me because with so much going on with my academic and personal life, I tend to loose sight of what needs o get done. Therefore, this feature will help me to stay on track by sending me reminder emails, being that I'm always checking my emails, it will really help. Generally speaking, alerts could be sent to phones, which we all have, so it will be helpful for everyone!

Evernote could be added to my PLE by having it placed in the collaborate or aggregate sections of my PLE. Because I can send my work in Evernote to Google Docs, Twitter, etc., it would best fit in any of these two sections.

An article I read this week was from College Blender titled 95 Inspiring Websites of Web Design Agencies. This article expresses ways to make a web design that inspires the maker and viewers of the maker. The article provides a list of the top 95 websites that inspire individuals to make web designs similar to what inspires them but made to relate to them more. This article will help you to get thinking about your goals and

to get creative with them. There are many sites made available to help you with that, so get started people!

Image - http://cdn2.business2community.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/05/Evernote-India-600x222.jpg

Weekly Report & Reflection blog post #5

https://img1.etsystatic.com/015/0/7318132/il_570xN.424636173_6spw.jpg

This week, we explored Personal Learning Networks (PLN) and how the internet has so many useful tools - social media pages such as Twitter, Facebook, LinkedIn etc. - available to us. The availability of these connection sites are beneficial for us because we can connect with people who are useful in guiding our learning experiences. Additionally, having access like this allows us to read/ gain knowledge of what they are thinking as they research. Before this week's activities, I wasn't clear on what a PLN was until now; I learned that a "PLN is a tool that uses social media and technology to collect, communicate, collaborate and create with connected colleagues, students, friends, family, etc. anywhere at any time. Participating educators, worldwide, make requests and share resources. According to a blog post on eduTopia, Tom Whitby explains that, each individual educator becomes a potential source of information. Collecting these sources in a location to access them is the PLN. There are no two PLNs that are the same" (Whitby, 2013, November). I believe that because traditional routes have provided many opportunities, establishing your own PLN is an essential step toward deepening your abilities as a collaborator. It is important to have a PLN because it is an empowering, transformational process, which fundamentally transforms your professional learning and communicating/ collaborating approach; this is essential because it is useful in lifelong learning.

http://i2.wp.com/www.ritzi.us/sandbox2/wp-content

/uploads/2012/11/Ubdchat.png?resize=300%2C300

Aside from learning about what a PLN is, we created Twitter accounts and began collaborating. "Twitter, the social media application, is the backbone for most PLNs. Each 140-character post allows quick and easy transmissions of information to links yielding websites, videos, podcasts, blog posts, articles, interviews and excerpts -- dream resources for classroom professionals. By simply asking, teachers receive content and strategies from sources around the globe" (Whitby, 2013, November).This is my first encounter with Twitter and I found it to go very well, it was not hard to navigate around. Being that I'm not too big on social media, nonetheless, Twitter is fun to use.

This tool will be useful in my educational activities because it provides a way to share learning opportunities with others not just in this class, but also outside of the class, anyone in the class can tweet out questions requesting resources or share the learning that is taking place in the class. We can also do this by connecting beyond the class and looking at professional and educational accounts. I will definitely add Twitter to the collaborative portion of my PLE being that, that is the focus of the weeks to come and also because it's organizational structure makes it an effective tool for connecting with students and others online.

Lastly, I read an article titled 7 Reasons Why Students Need Technology posted by College Blender of course, and I highly suggest people take the time to read it. Although it is a tad dated it is very informative and hopefully it brings a new perspective on technological importance for learning as it did for myself.

References

Whitby, T. (2013, November). How do I get a pln. Retrieved from ttp://www.edutopia.org/blog/how-do-i-get-a-pln-tom-whitby

Weekly Report & Reflection blog post #4

Image: http://www.shoutmeloud.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/12/Content-Curation-Monetization.jpg

This week I learned an effective way on how to use bookmarking tools and tagging more consistently and easily. I usually bookmark my websites through my google chrome browser and although it is good to have, Diigo is a much better bookmarking tool, especially for students. The fact that I have complete access to my bookmarks from one electronic device to the next holds value. This bookmarking tool is particularly useful when I am completing a group assignment, no longer will I have to lug around my laptop because it's in the 'cloud', where it can be accessed anywhere and anytime. The use of tagging according to the website, works as a filter to have all of one's knowledge organized. Additionally, they make the process easier by categorizing content, sharing resources, and helping others to find information more quickly. Tags are best for diverse and disparate information, in my learning I will definitely use it for categorizing and searching for particular information.

Valid and reliable online bookmarks contribute to my work in building knowledge by 

1. allowing my work to be stored 
2. knowing the differences between valid and unreliable sources

With that being said, all work that is worth being bookmarked is considered to be reliable and valid. The bookmark plug-in I used in Chrome did not allow me to access my saved bookmarks, however, the use of Diigo has lead me into keeping my information organized and to improve my search rather than using the first thing that pops up on the screen. Using the Evaluating Websites Using the T.R.A.S.H. test listed useful points I plan to incorporate in my search for sources. At the same time, according to Bharati Ahuja's blog, If You Can’t Be a Creator, Then Be a Curator, "content curation is about 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" (Ahuja, 2012, October). Its uses are to collect 'curated' resources that suit the particular needs of the user, researching for reliable sources, and keeping content organized. It's primary goal is to make information more useful to its audience in terms of context and convenience. I envision using the tool to contribute to my work in building knowledge for class assignments. The reason being that all the information that I would need to complete the assignments would be in one place.  

Moving on, this week I read a lot of interesting articles, book reviews, blogs, etc. and came across a particular one titled 10 Simple Hacks To Land Better Grades Possible in College. I'm almost 100% sure that collegeblender.com has become one of my favorite blog sites. Every blog they've posted since I started following them on my Feedly has been VERY useful and relatable! To return, this weeks blog post of choice gives readers 10 ways to land better grades. These include: 

1. Keep a positive outlook 
2. Attend all classes 
3. Get a planner today 
4. Keep your test papers, homework, and class papers 
5. Don't forget to use the textbook 
6. Be better in taking tests 
7. Form study groups 
8. Read in your spare time 
9. Bye, procrastination! 
10. Study and study and study 

For me, number 3 sticks out the most because I feel like this is where it all starts. One key way to success is organization, a term that I always stress because it is honestly the best practice to build and have. Without organizational skill it'd be difficult for the remaining tips on the list to occur. After reading this blog, organization was the only thing I could think of. When you are organized it will be easier and everything will fall into place one after the other. University, or even school in general, does not have to be a pain, but rather the way you organize and prioritize yourself will make it all better, trust me, you'll see when you try.

References

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

"Thing 15"

Using Diigo for this weeks activity is a pretty cool new thing I've been introduced to. First, I learned that Diigo is an online tool that keeps websites of choice in the "cloud", also known as the social bookmarking site. Diigo provides many advantages for anyone who wish' to take their online note taking to the next level. Using Diigo, I found that the feature of building your own library makes it easy to have an organized "folder". I also like the fact that when you highlight or attach a sticky note to a paragraph or a sentence, when you leave the site and come back (even on a different device) the notes remain and you can present your findings with whom you choose to share it with. Also, when you loose your page you can search it up using "tags", which are used when users initially bookmark their sites.
Another bookmarking website, Delicious, operates the same way Diigo does, however, I would include Delicious in it's benefit where it gives users the ability to share their favorite bookmarks with colleagues and/or staff. I would share more academic related topics than I would on my Diigo account.

https://www.diigo.com/user/addo0001

Include any ideas you have for using delicious in your professional practice (for yourself, with colleagues, and/or with students).

Weekly Report & Reflection blog post #3

This weeks activities with feedly readers have been great! in just a few steps I've learned so much and have gotten acquainted with the tool very quickly. Many of my subscriptions deal with education, specifically for college students. One that I have been paying most attention to is the 'Living a Successful College Life' blog. In this blog it discussed how it is very easy for us students to feel overwhelmed and stressed but t in order to overcome such behaviors, we should help our minds by simply doing the tasks we have to do. The author expresses that "brain-dumping" is probably the best way to keep students from feeling overwhelmed. At the same time, students should "relax & START", do the work little by little and before you know it majority of the tasks are done and your stress free. As a student I know this is one thing that I struggle with at times that is why I strongly encourage students of this class to follow this blog, it will be beneficial in your studies.

Permalink: http://studysuccessful.com/start/

RSS Feed Readers contribute to my work in building knowledge about digital literacy, responsibility, and citizenship. This is because in today's media rich environments we must expand our knowledge, values and most importantly critical thinking which is central to both digital and media literacy. There are tons of available resources online and the RSS Feeds are a great way to get these resources on just one website. This not only allows learners to collect and organize their feeds, but to also discover much about the world and others thoughts on certain topics.

Additionally, in terms of digital citizenship RSS Feeds conveniently and consistently displays many news articles and blog posts making it easy for me to see what popular topics are being discussed daily. Through these posts I am able to grab a sense of what the authors are like and if I click on relating topics of that author I am able to see even more things they have written. All this to say, it that it is important to keep a positive digital citizenship in order for bloggers to have returning readers and followers. RSS Feeds have helped me to personalize my own educational needs. It helps me to organize my thoughts and interests that best matches my learning style.

Moving on, RSS Feeds are aggregate tools that help you to be organized with the way you learn. It is a tool meant to bring you educational convenience by providing users with the option to categorize specific tools otherwise known as "subscription tools". On my PLE diagram I have categories such as collaborate, organize, and aggregate, on my PLE I would place RSS Feeds in the organization category being that I have categories on my RSS Feed that correspond with those on my PLE.

As I continue using my RSS Feed reader, I hope to learn a lot of new things that I can apply to my personal experiences and share them with other readers!

My Experience with RSS Feeds

My first time using RSS feeds and it's really interesting. One thing I found enjoying to read was an article I subscrubed to from THESTAR. The article just talks about how father's gain 'baby-weight' without even realizing it at times and ways to not forget about their physicality when caught up in 'daddy' stuff. I like how it shows a preview of each article to help you decide which ones are worth reading. Additionally, I really like how simple it is to use, when I look at it, it reminds me of the widgets I have on my phone. Really cool tool!
http://www.thestar.com/life/parent/2016/01/07/dads-have-post-baby-weight-anxiety-too.html

Weekly Report & Reflection blog post #2

Hello again!

To jump right into it, I'm first going to discuss my thoughts on PLE/PLN.

At first, I thought PLE was an acronym for (P)precise (L)learning (E)evaluation. I don't know why but I just thought it made sense being that this is an online learning course. Anyway, after figuring out that I was all the way off, I learned a few valuable things; the first obvious one being that PLE actually stands for (P)personal (L)learning (E)environment. Upon learning this, I did some more readings and understood that it is a system that we learners use to aid, control and manage the way we learn. I also learned that according to digital study skills article, a PLE can pretty much be anything, that there is no specific way to have it but to your own liking. I think PLE's are a great way to get organized and stay organized especially for post secondary students because it is a brilliant way to help them

1) Set their OWN goals

2) Manage their learning, and

3) Communicate with others while in the process of learning

Addo, J. (CC) 2016.

Addo, J. (CC) 2016.

This week we were asked to create our own PLE diagrams and compare them to the other resources that was provided. My PLE (shown below) is based on the learning tools that I am currently, and majority of the time am always, using when on my laptop or phone. I used five different categories, similar to the one in MALAN'S Prezi, to explain my tools. However, when I looked at MALAN'S Prezi and my own and compared it to Drexler's 2010 diagram I noticed that she included A LOT! more detail. As Scott Leslie described in his analysis, Drexler incorporated all the orientations that strengthened her diagram. I realized that in order for my diagram to be just as compelling I have to incorporate categories that "show how information and connections can flow between tools and people in their networks" and also have a hybrid orientation - according to Leslie "For me these are typically the richest diagrams in that they depict PLE as dynamic processes in which tools and resources have uses and flow into and out of systems and conversations."

Moving forward, I made a word cloud using the 'Wordle' word cloud tool. This was a fun activity where I learned that it counts the number of times a word was used and makes it larger with respect to the frequency of use. For example the word 'digital' was most frequently used in my blog post last week, hence, it's the biggest word in my word cloud. Also, other words like 'footprint', 'online', 'readers' etc. were frequently used. Wordle is a good website and very user friendly!

Personal: In 5-10 years from now I hope to see myself graduated from Brock and completed my MBA. I hope to be working in a hospital or bank as an HR assistant whilst working my way to becoming an HR manager. I have a lot of hope in myself and know that I can get to that point. Everyday I stop and think about my future because it's exciting and makes me want to work harder to be able to get where I want to be.

Learning: In order for me to reach that point of my life, I need to learn. I believe that my communication skills will definitely help with that. The more I practice my writing and giving formal presentations the better I become. Not only that, but the courses I am taking here at Brock University are also factors that play into my success for the future. Tools such as networking, collaborating, and resources will also help.

Environment: To better meet my learning needs I must change my environment to a strictly learning environment only. This way I can become a stronger independent learner and my focus will be placed on the positive aspects of learning.

Habits: By now I know that in order to have effective learning I need to disengage in bad habits. For instance, I know I get easily distracted and persuaded into doing other things besides school work when I know if I get it done earlier I'll have enough time to do the other things I want to do. Instead, I do the unnecessary things and my work is left to the last minute. I've tried balancing the two but that approach doesn't work, However, recently I have found that if I just do the work first then reward myself after, I have enough time to relax or go out with friends, which is a better way to help me stay on top of my work.

Week 1 - Introduction

Introduction

Hello!
My name is Jacqueline Addo. I am currently in my second year of post-secondary education and so far, I am loving it! On my spare time, which is hardly ever ;), I enjoy watching my recent favorite t.v. show called “Power” and I also like to try new cooking recipes. This is my first online digital learning course, therefore, I hope to broaden my technological skills. As a digital citizen, I am ready to learn all I need to know about digital contexts. I am very excited to have created this blog and hope to not only share my thoughts on specific topics but to also inspire my readers that visit my page to think about certain issues/ topics differently. 

The main purpose of this blog is to have a number of reader’s engaging in my content; to me, if I can get a number of readers engaged it gives me the opportunity to satisfy other objectives due to the attention being given. Additionally, I would like for my blogs to be of useful information for readers and to bring in more readers and even other bloggers (in this class), and finally for them to revisit my page. Through blogging, I hope to connect with each reader on various topics, giving information, as previously stated, and share tips.

Reflection

So it's 11:11 p.m. meaning that the day's pretty much done and I've just about completed all assignments that I have due for next week. At first the week started off pretty slow but after Wednesday it came to an end so quickly. I've learned a lot this week, but the one thing that really struck me was the video of the "Digital Dossier.” To begin with, I had no clue of what it was but after watching the video, I not only gained knowledge on something important, but I now have it in the back of my mind whenever I’m using technology. To resume, the video explains how our digital dossier is the accumulation of our digital tracks we leave behind. I was surprised to learn that it stems from the time we are in our mother’s womb and continues as we enter certain stages of life. This video had me thinking of the amount of “tracks” I’ve used and not even being made aware of them. What is even more incredible is that even when we die our digital dossier is still alive and ongoing do to the interactions family members have with the internet. When children, friends, parents, extended family members, etc. share photos online, it is this activity that keeps the digital dossier alive. This was a very eye-opening topic. Link: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=79IYZVYIVLA

Report

Link - https://jessiehmann.files.wordpress.com/2011/09/df2.jpg

Furthermore, our digital footprint was also looked at this week. A digital footprint is the trail, traces or “footprint” people leave online. It is the transmission of emails, videos, photos, attachments, etc. all of which are traces of personal information of ourselves we make available to others. In my opinion, we all need a digital footprint, it is the picture that paints who we are. Of course there are precautions we must make in order to be safe and avoid unfortunate events such as the use of others information. One way I try to avoid such problems is by limiting my use of online activity in regards to social media as it relates to my privacy and safety. I find this to be one of the strongest ways to manage my digital footprint while being able to have fun and feel safe online.

Link: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ro_LlRg8rGg