Personal Learning Network

Throughout our ED431 course we have been encouraged to create or expand upon our personal learning network.

Infographics or mind maps of PLNs are always interesting. I use them for ideas for new or underutilized sources. Email subscriptions come daily or weekly vying for my attention. I once wrote, “I feel somewhat overwhelmed by the daily e-mail nudges from Twitter, LinkedIn, Facebook, numerous newsletters, Diigo, and so on. It’s as if I’m hearing, ‘Look at me! No, me! Over here! now over here!’”  and that still holds true. Our attention is sought by so many, whether it be online or in person.

I was already on Twitter, but added my current classmates to my Followed list as well as some that they were following. I am more of a reader of tweets than a poster of them, but did manage to post a few this semester. I find Diigo extremely useful for keeping track of useful information as well as Pinterest. I am often seeking help for various teaching or technology issues and am very appreciative of the assistance.

As I have progressed through various courses in ONID, I find myself returning to class pages, where an instructor has provided helpful links for specific topics. An example this semester is the videos Skip shared on how to create Google Forms surveys.

My colleagues in my department and at elearning provide a wonderful exchange of ideas. Meeting faculty from other disciplines in UAF’s iteach training has given additional perspective to teaching approaches.

Although there are many, many, more, here are a few sources I read regularly and will recommend to my classmates:

• iteach.uaf.edu
• globaldigitalcitizen.org
• techlearning.com
• freetech4teachers.com

I appreciate the sharing of useful sources by my classmates. It has been inspiring to see the products of their homework assignments. My own homework assignments suffer from a lack of clarity. I read many sources, get lost on side trails, and then find that after many hours I have done little actual writing. Days or weeks will then pass, and I have to start all over. Despite the writing issues, I do feel that I have learned quite a bit from the class and will continue to modify my PLN over time.

Surveys with Google

It was fun to go through the videos at Atomic learning and watch Dr. Via’s videos to see how to create a survey using Google docs. The instruction was deceptively easy, because once I began my own survey, I soon discovered how easy it was to stumble, particularly when incorporating branching logic.

Background. Our Applied Business program at UAF’s Community and Technical College provides office skills courses in the classroom. Because of lower enrollments in the classes, they are stacked and meet once a week for three hours. The courses include keyboarding, skillbuilding, document formatting, intermediate keyboarding, alphabetic filing, 10-key calculators, office procedures, and records management. The syllabi have been fashioned so that students have a schedule of learning activities and testing, but the schedule is flexible as long as the work is completed by the end of the semester. Class meeting times are spent working one on one or in small groups with the instructor. Enrollments in the courses have been declining, and our department hopes that enrollment may rise if we offered the classes through elearning, thus reaching a wider audience.

With that in mind, I created my survey regarding the office skills classes. My survey is located at https://goo.gl/forms/iOipqaPOSC0shypk1 My classmates and instructor have completed the survey and provided feedback.

Although the current feedback isn’t terribly meaningful, it was useful to make sure the survey would work and also interesting to see the resulting graphs. I am well versed in creating graphs and charts in Excel, but wasn’t sure how to convert the graphical results in Google to my own sheets.

Analyzing Results. Although my respondents were few, the extent of the graphical results in Google Forms was impressive. Less impressive was my ability to share those results. Because I could not discover a share link for the form results, I began to recreate the charts in the googlesheets form results. I quickly found that when mulitple criteria were involved, I would need to restate the data with all options and include a COUNTIF formula. Instead, I did a quick workaround capturing the image of those charts and placing the image in the googlesheet. All of the charts are on separate sheets, but I could also have put them in one long scrolling sheet like the original results. My googlesheet of results is here (note that there are 12 sheets in the workbook):

 https://docs.google.com/a/alaska.edu/spreadsheets/d/1ET6wb433GdUmqI9u7AIrYjfXjeryPtRfjB8zTruK1iw/edit?usp=sharing

I feel this post would be more graphically interesting if I had included screenshots like my classmate, Nikki Stein. Instead, I opted to work in googlesheets. Upon reflection, I think her method was better for sharing results.

 

What is mlearning or mobile learning?

“Mobile learning (m-learning) is flexible education via the Internet or network using personal mobile devices allowing students access to education anywhere, anytime” (Webopedia, 2016).

Through two surveys—one in 2012 and one in 2014–conducted by University of Central Florida instructional designers, a large percentage of college students were found to own a mobile device of some type, with younger students owning more smartphones and older students owning more tablets and e-book e-readers (Chen, 2015).

Although ownership was high, use was far higher for social and entertainment purposes than for productivity and education. Devices are popular, but “Effective use of mobile technology is less about tools and more about students’ digital literacy skills, including the ability to access, manage, and evaluate digital resources” (Drenoyianni, 2008).

Instructors rarely had assignments requiring use of a mobile device.  A majority of instructors disallowed use of mobile devices in the classroom. It would seem that there are two issues here. One is the need for training of faculty in the use of mobile tools and second is to support students in the use of technology in their learning on more than an informal basis. Students can be adept at the use of technology in taking and posting photos, podcasts, or videos, googling for information, and tweeting items of interest. Those same skills can be brought into the classroom for a more engaging experience in sharing and collaborating with others.

Mobile devices allow students to participate at their own time and convenience. This connectivity changes learning venues and also expectations.

“People of all ages, almost from all parts of the world, are using their mobile devices to communicate, connect, and share personal experiences.  They are building their own informal learning and social communities via their mobile devices and social networking sites” (Gerstein, 2013). Mobile learning facilitates connecting with others and makes learning more engaging and relevant.

In higher education, cost of devices is less of an issue because a device can be considered a required material for a class just as access to textbook materials is required. School districts have a greater budget issue to address when incorporating mobile devices.

An interesting local development is the strategic plan presented by the Fairbanks North Star Borough School District which includes personalized learning for every student with the use of technology. (FNSBSD Strategic Plan, 2016). The proposal includes partnering with Education Elements to implement personalized learning. On their web site, Education Elements claims that school districts will see a difference in one year of the use of blended learning. Education Elements “leverages technology to differentiate learning and achieve better student outcomes as a result” (Education Elements, 2016). Emphasis is on engaging the passion of teachers and the excitement of students. It was difficult to discover specifics on the plan other than the marketing materials at the website of Education Elements. However, they did share an excerpt from their personalized learning plan (Kim, 2016).

Personalized learning involves students working at their own pace and progressing once proficiency is achieved. Technology will be used to manage the plan as well as to engage the students. Media coverage in the Fairbanks Daily News Miner has said that the role of teachers becomes more focused on guiding and answering questions. Much of the success of the proposed program may have to do with changing the mind set of current pedagogy and getting additional training for teachers. (Bohman, 2016). It will be interesting to see what happens.

Whitney Hoffman (2011) has created an inciteful infographic regarding mobile learning and digital natives that I am including here:

My takeaway is that to better engage our students, we should seek additional training if needed, and incorporate mobile learning elements to our classrooms as appropriate. All teachers want to interest and inspire their students. As online instructors, we can immediately make use of mobile learning and need to learn how to do that most effectively.

REFERENCES

Bohman, A. (2016, December 3). The future of public education: Faribanks school district to roll out personalized learning. Published by Fairbanks Daily News Miner. Retrieved from http://www.newsminer.com/news/education/the-future-of-public-education-fairbanks-school-district-to-roll/article_9437b7b0-b9fc-11e6-82d0-2762d7de7ec1.html

Chen, B., Seilhamer, R., Bennett, L., and Bauer, S. (2015, June 22). Students’ Mobile Learning Practices in Higher Education: A Multi-Year Study.  Retrieved December 14, 2016, from http://er.educause.edu/articles/2015/6/students-mobile-learning-practices-in-higher-education-a-multiyear-study  University of Central Florida

Drenoyianni, H., Stergioulas, L., and Dagiene, V. “The Pedagogical Challenge of Digital Literacy: Reconsidering the Concept—Envisioning the ‘Curriculum’—Reconstructing the School,” International Journal of Social and Humanistic Computing, Vol. 1, No. 1, 2008: 53–66.

Fairbanks North Star Borough School District, Strategic Plan. (2016).  http://www.k12northstar.org/cms/lib010/AK01901510/Centricity/Domain/1500/16-1004%20BOE%20-%20Reg%20Mtg%20-%20Report%20-%20Personalized%20Learning%20Plan%20Approval%20-%2017%20Fairbanks%20North%20Star%20Borough%20SD%20Proposal%20PPT.pdf

Education Elements, (2016 December).   https://www.edelements.com/

Gerstein, J. (2013, May 6).Chapter in handbook of mobile learning: team and community building using mobile devices.   Retrieved December 13,2016, from https://usergeneratededucation.wordpress.com/2013/05/06/chapter-in-handbook-of-mobile-learning-team-and-community-building-using-mobile-devices/

Hoffman, W.  (2011, Mar 5). Learning to communicate. Retrieved December 12, 2016, from http://differentiatedinstruction.co/2011/03/05/learning-to-communicate/

Kim, A. (2015) Excerpt from Personalized Learning Playbook. Published by Education Elements at https://www.edelements.com/hubfs/PL_Playbook/FINAL.PL.Playbook_Excerpt.pdf?submissionGuid=95eb148a-e751-4b73-aa29-b6178d4a8771

Mobile learning. (2016, December 14) in Webopedia.  Retrieved December 14, 2016 from http://www.webopedia.com/TERM/M/mobile-learning-m-learning.html

News-Miner opinion. A new approach to learning: District, parents, teachers should work together on new (2016, December 11).  Retrieved from http://www.newsminer.com/opinion/editorials/a-new-approach-to-learning-district-parents-teachers-should-work/article_e36f88ec-be86-11e6-b3ed-4bdc69a16bd7.html

Pandey, A. (2016, October 17). Why adopt mobile learning for online training – 10 questions answered.  Retrieved December 8, 2016. https://elearningindustry.com/mobile-learning-for-online-training-10-questions

Pappas, C.  (2015,December 26). How to create responsive design for mobile learning Retrieved December 8, 2016. https://elearningindustry.com/7-tips-create-responsive-design-mobile-learning

 

What is meant by “web presence?”

My web presence is how I present myself electronically in the online world. My web presence is my appearance on the web. This includes any occurrence of my name or data about me as well as my own web posts of thoughts, photos, blogs, sites, social network participation. The definition from webopedia is, “The term Web presence refers to an individual or business having an established existence on the World Wide Web, through a Web site, e-mail, Internet advertising, blog, or a collection of Web files. Web presence is also called Internet presence” (Web Presence, 2016).

When researching the definition of “web presence,” the perspective was often from that of a business marketing itself online. An individual’s web presence may be considered in the same manner. Many of the search results for web presence have to do with marketing your business. Similarly, my personal web presence concerns how I market myself, what persona I decide to share and present to the world.

Once we have participated at all online, we have a web presence. An individual can let this just happen as it will, or one can purposefully shape the presence.

If you are consciously creating your web presence, most people try to create their best version of themselves. A feeling of inadequacy or depression may result when you compare your own normal life with the glowing portrait painted by your online contacts or educational cohort.

Blogger Emma Fulu, founder of The Equality Institute, expressed this dichotomy well as she relays a less than optimal experience while on a tropical vacation. She concludes, “So next time you look at someone’s seemingly-perfect life on Facebook or Instagram, remember that it is only part of the story, and everyone is also juggling their own bag of poo. Send them some love and be grateful for your own life, challenges and all” (Fulu, 2016).

The web abounds with advice on optimizing your web presence. What if you want to establish a consistent social media presence? Blogger Jessica Slaughter advises other bloggers to create a consistent photographic image, background, and bio for all social media, thus establishing a personal brand (Slaughter, 2015).

Kristi Higa, former UAF adjunct faculty member, created a Facebook group to help others with social marketing and personal branding. She includes encouragement about maintaining a positive life outlook. In one post she says, “Day 9: Story Time! You create credibility and vulnerability through your story. Let your target audience tap into your pain, trials, triumphs so they know they are in the right place. Help people relate by building connections with your story. [Assignment: write your story]” (Social Marketing, 2016). Higa links the reader to the Quicksprout blog which provides instructions to “Stop thinking like a marketer. Stop trying to sell your product, and instead, focus on developing human interest. Answer the question of why people should care about what your company has to say” (Patel, 2016).

Because storytelling evokes connections between people, businesses are encouraged to develop relationship with consumers in a like manner. Popular tools for would-be entrepreneurs are both written and video blogs. With enough subscribers or viewers, the blogger can gain sponsors and create their own career.

The less intentional component of my web presence is my digital footprint, described as “the amount of content, whether it be words, photographs, audio, or video, that is traceable back to a given individual” (Q&A, 2010).  My digital footprint would include not only what I have opted to share with the world as my web presence, but also my tracks through the internet, making purchases, watching videos, visiting websites, signing up for any newsletters or website access. Businesses use data mining to target their ads according to my browsing, shopping, interests listed on social web sites, and groups that I join. Items browsed in Amazon may appear as ads in your Facebook feed. In addition, my footprint includes matters of public record such as real estate transactions and court proceedings.

What if we prefer that our lives not be quite so public? Is it possible to erase your footprints and presence?

You cannot entirely control your web presence, but you can manage it to some degree. Although an article and infographic published online by Time magazine claims that you can “completely scrub your identity from the internet” (Stampler, 2014), it may be nearly impossible to be completely off the grid. Public records will remain. Swearingen shares additional tools in becoming anonymous online but admits, “The reality is that while the idea of anonymity has given rise to much of internet culture, true anonymity is something we all sacrificed long ago, whether for the sake of convenience or access. Much of the web is simply shut off to you if you’re not willing to divulge at least some personal information” (Swearingen, 2016).

Privacy, intellectual property, and copyright play into an individual’s web presence in that we must be aware that someone else may then pirate anything that we share. You can request something be removed, but that may or may not be honored.

One way to give a person some measure of control is to have your own web site. “Your online presence should consist of your own website at yourfullname.com” (Schawbel, 2011). Schawbel says the site should be the core of your presence and contain your social network profiles. The site will protect you from others with your same name as well as give you control over how you are perceived online. In addition, he lists five reasons why your online presence will replace your resume:

1. Social networking use is skyrocketing while email is plummeting
2. You can’t find jobs traditionally anymore
3. People are managing their careers as entrepreneurs
4. The traditional resume is now virtual and easy to build
5. Job seeker passion has become the deciding factor in employment (Schawbel, 2011)

Educator and author Doug Belshaw is also a strong advocate of owning your domain. The reality is that most of us ‘rent’ space somewhere or are on social media sites by using a service. If we don’t pay our rent, someone else can own that even though it is your own name. Belshaw states, “Over the years, I’ve sometimes idly speculated about—and, on occasions, actively investigated—ways to create an “untakedownable” blog. This would be an outlet that other people, organizations, and ultimately, authorities, would not be able to remove from the web. Long story short: it’s extremely difficult, if not ultimately impossible” (Belshaw, 2016). More control over web identity can be gained through developing one’s digital skills and becoming less dependent upon provided spaces.

To establish a separation between personal and professional identities, one might consider use of a heteronym.

Web presence and digital footprints are a discussion topic in my teaching. The majority of my students are in the age range of 19 to 35 years, millennials. We focus largely on the online trail left which may affect employment prospects and advancement. Employers certainly do check social profiles when considering job applicants (AETV, 2012). The next step will be to create web presence as a resume builder. I still encounter many students that have not even considered the impact of their online activities and participation. I hope to help students gain awareness that web presence exists and should be managed.

References

[ATETV] (2012, January 14). The amazing impact of your online presence. [Video File]. Retrieved October 2, 2016, from https://youtu.be/sjFBpomwBCc

Belshaw, D. (2016, September 15). Digital literacy, identity and a domain of one’s own – DML Central [Blog post]. Retrieved October 02, 2016, from http://dmlcentral.net/digital-literacy-identity-domain-ones/?utm_campaign=Revue newsletter

Lulu, E. (2016, September 27). The other side of the story [Blog post]. Retrieved September 30, 2016, from http://www.iamnotsuperwoman.com.au/blog/the-other-side-of-the-story

Patel, N. (n.d.). The beginners guide to online marketing – Chapter 3. Retrieved October 01, 2016, from https://www.quicksprout.com/the-beginners-guide-to-online-marketing-chapter-3/

Q&A: Have you checked your child’s digital footprint? (2010, February 11). Retrieved October 01, 2016, from http://www.education.com/reference/article/Ref_Q_Have_You_Checked/

Schawbel, D. (2011, February 21). 5 reasons why your online presence will replace your resume in 10 years. Retrieved October 02, 2016, from http://www.forbes.com/sites/danschawbel/2011/02/21/5-reasons-why-your-online-presence-will-replace-your-resume-in-10-years/#4569e3442c65

Slaughter, J. (2015, May 27). How to establish a consistent media presence [Blog post]. Retrieved October 1, 2016, from http://jessicaslaughter.co/blog/establishing-a-consistent-social-media-presence/

Social marketing [Kristi Higa]. (September 27, 2016). Day 9: Story Time! You create credibility and vulnerability through your story. Let your target audience tap into your pain, trials, triumphs so they know they are in the right place. Help people relate by building connections with your story. [Assignment: write your story]. [Facebook group status update]. Retrieved from https://www.facebook.com/groups/987643261353846/

Stampler, L. (2014, March 05). This infographic shows how to completely erase your identity from the internet. Retrieved September 29, 2016, from http://time.com/13002/this-infographic-show-how-to-completely-erase-your-identity-from-the-internet/

Swearingen, J. (2016, October 07). Can you be online without leaving any digital fingerprints? Retrieved October 07, 2016, from http://nymag.com/selectall/2016/10/how-to-be-anonymous-on-the-internet.html

Web presence. (2016, Oct 2) In Webopedia. Retrieved from http://www.webopedia.com/TERM/P/presence.html