During this module we tackled different aspects of the digital world. In this review, I discuss the areas I feel I progressed most, in terms of understanding social media and its purposes.

LinkedIn and Networking

When thinking about my traits prior to this module, I would say that I am not outgoing and that I am an introvert and that meeting new people makes me anxious. Before this module, I always worried about getting a job after college. Now I feel more confident after learning about networking and LinkedIn. I understand that making a connection with other professionals can help with aspects of my future career (Mariliza, 2017). As a result, I decided to arrange one to one meetings with, one of my Irish language lecturers, a former secondary school teacher and one of my brother’s friends who is also a teacher. I wanted to gain a better understanding of the career field. I learned that it is more comfortable and more effective to meet one on one as it is not as intimidating as a gathering or an event. We arranged the meetings on zoom, however, in future It would be more effective in person.

Along with the peer feedback process, these meetings demonstrated to me, how valuable listening to different perspectives can be. This meeting certainly helped me with regards to my career planning and career goals. After speaking to my Irish lecturer, I realize that there are opportunities to translate Irish with the European Commission because of the lack of translators. We also discussed job opportunities with Irish organisations such as TG4, Conradh na Gaeilge, Foras na Gaeilge and ainm.ie which have a vital role in promoting the language.

Prior to this module, I understood that recruiters use social media to support their recruitment process. I am not very active on social media so I never believed this could hinder me. However, I was not aware that there was a platform where I could consciously show my skills and sell myself. That platform is LinkedIn. LinkedIn is a platform that I feel is essential to jobseekers. It provided me with an area to develop my professional image (Fulton, 2016). I feel that this could help me expand my network in the Irish language field. I plan to keep using LinkedIn to stay in touch with professional contacts in college and to build new connections that may help me in future.

Digital Footprint

I learned a lot regarding my digital footprint. Although they may deny it, these online records are used by employers. After reading and attempting to rewrite Facebook’s Privacy Policy and researching Facebook’s history of failing to protect user privacy (Sanders, 2019), I learned to be more wary of my data online. Trying to rewrite the policy in a simple syntax helped me understand my own privacy and gave me a wider view of Facebook’s purposes to collect our data. I did google search my name to assess my digital footprint, finding a picture of me with a bottle of beer in my hand. I understand how this may reflect on me professionally and so I will be more conscious in future. Overall, this process persuaded me to review and adjust some of my privacy settings on all social media accounts.

Online Collaboration

Prior to this module, I had little or no knowledge of online collaboration. Due to this, I approached it with an opened mind. I quickly learned that Online collaboration ‘refers to the tools and platforms people use to work together within a digital environment’(Warren, 2019). One of these tools is blogging. Before this module I knew that a blog was similar to a diary. I didn’t however, understand and appreciate the benefits that blogging can have as part of online collaboration. Blogging has improved my ability when writing, in terms of analysis and creative skill. This has and will attribute to my academic writing in future.

Reflecting

I find that the reflective process is very rewarding as well. It is a way that myself and others can assess my own learning collaboratively and reflect on it effectively. The Peer feedback process made me reflect which was rewarding. One example of assessment feedback that made me consider my learning was that I did not provide any links between new knowledge and previous knowledge. Another was that I showed no evidence of integration of prior knowledge, feelings or attitudes with new knowledge, feelings or attitudes, and therefore not arriving at new perspectives.

Blogging proves to be an effective way to connect prior knowledge and new knowledge as it uses ‘personal opinions, thoughts, connections and real life stories in order to interact with others via the web’ (Kendrick, 2007). When thinking about my learning, I need to construct new information into my existing mental framework in order to learn effectively (Lamon, n.d.). In future, I plan to assess my existing knowledge and beliefs about the subject by writing down any conception I may have, whether it be right or wrong and revisit this knowledge after studying the subject. Giving and receiving peer feedback was beneficial as it allowed me to identify areas that I could improve on. The process gave me a well-rounded viewpoint and helped me to develop as a learner.

References

Fulton, C., & McGuinness, C. M. (2016). Digital detectives: Solving information dilemmas in an online world. Kidlington, UK;Cambridge, MA, USA;: Chandos Publishing is an imprint of Elsevier. doi:10.1016/C2014-0-02094-1

Lamon, M. (n.d.) Learning Theory Constructivist Approach. education.stateuniversity/  Retrieved from: https://education.stateuniversity.com/pages/2174/Learning-Theory-CONSTRUCTIVIST-APPROACH.html

Mariliza, K. (2017, May 11). Ten important benefits of Networking. CareerAddict. Retrieved at: https://www.careeraddict.com/benefits-networking

Principle Kendrick, (2007, September 27) Connecting New Knowledge to Prior Knowledge [Blog Post] Retrieved from: https://kendrik2.wordpress.com/2007/09/27/connecting-new-knowledge-to-prior-knowledge/

Sanders, J (2019, July 24). Facebook data privacy scandal: A cheat sheet. TechRepublic. Retrieved at: https://www.techrepublic.com/article/facebook-data-privacy-scandal-a-cheat-sheet/

I understand that you cannot change your digital reach, but you can control it and make personal decisions that protect your digital footprint. Previously, I understood that people could view and share your information, before you get the chance to remove it. LinkedIn is a website that is used to connect people using an online CV. The impression your share with people on social media such as this, can either improve or damage your chances of being employed (Fulton, 2016). LinkedIn is more enhanced than a written CV and can strengthen the network of people you know and work with.

While privacy policies can be long and use complex language, rewriting the Facebook policy made me consider my privacy much more in depth than prior to this exercise. Peer feedback helped me realize what tools were available. Facebook privacy settings allows me to manage my digital footprint (Charles, 2016). I can control who can see posts on my timeline, whether it will be friends only or public to the world. We need to reflect on how posts might make you feel in future (Fulton, 2016). It was important for me to review my setting for the safety of my friends aswell, as they may be pictured in photos with me. Although the privacy policy is complex, the privacy settings prove simple to navigate and proves a useful tool to manage your digital footprint.

References

Charles, C. (2016, December 5). 5 important Facebook privacy settings you NEED to get right. Thatsnonsense.com. Retrieved at: https://www.thatsnonsense.com/5-important-facebook-privacy-settings-need-get-right/

Fulton, C., & McGuinness, C. M. (2016). Digital detectives: Solving information dilemmas in an online world. Kidlington, UK;Cambridge, MA, USA;: Chandos Publishing is an imprint of Elsevier. doi:10.1016/C2014-0-02094-1

https://www.linkedin.com/in/seosamh-cash-03001a1a7/

The first things an employer will see on my LinkedIn profile above, is that I work part-time while studying a Master’s degree, which is a effective first impression to leave. Managing both of these responsibilities proves a good skill. Time management is significant to employers. Having completed a college degree, an employer can understand that I have the dedication and follow-through needed to earn the degree. The employer can also see that I work as a waiter at banqueting which demands me to be a multitasker, team player, problem solver and good communicator, all of which are traits important to employers no matter what field of work.

This week I used the social media tool screencast-o-matic video, recording, editing and uploading a short video on how to search for google images. I am happy and pleasantly surprised with how accessible and useful the video was to record and upload. I feel that most people could use this tool without difficulty. The screencast-o-matic allows you to adjust the display to the full view of your screen, helping others visualise information and visualise my approach to searching google images. This is greater than simply sharing instructions with written words. My instructional video is a form of data visualisation and like infographics and analytics, their aim is to take complex data which is presented in text form and make it easier to understand through a more simple and attractive presentation (Fulton, 2016). This video instruction proves to be more valuable than using written words.

As well as this, I learned the importance of visual analytics to anyone or any brand who wants to be successful. I had no prior knowledge of this use and I feel it is valuable to me now. Social analytics is the gathering and interpreting of social media related data (The Detailed Guide to Understanding Your Social Analytics, 2019). These serve as a tool for us to visualise information and allow us to gain a better view of conditions. Both Infographs and visual analytics allow us to share, understand and consume a large amount of data. After utilizing these social media tools, I consider them to be a very valuable type of communication.

References

Fulton, C., & McGuinness, C. M. (2016). Digital detectives: Solving information dilemmas in an online world. Kidlington, UK;Cambridge, MA, USA;: Chandos Publishing is an imprint of Elsevier. doi:10.1016/C2014-0-02094-1

The Detailed Guide to Understanding Your Social Analytics (2019, October 30). Retrieved from https://www.lyfemarketing.com/blog/social-analytics/

Pinterest is different to other platforms in that visuals are likely to be the first thing you see; colour and images are used to focus the attention of the audience on your message. Pinterest is one platform that is being used to create and manage information using narrative appeals, such as personal stories accompanied by photos, this is influencing people to decrease their vaccination intentions (Guidry, 2015).

My Maps is a tool that I can visualize data with. Overlaying data is a powerful skill in managing online information. Managing data is a useful skill that will help in my future studies. The tool allows me to hand draw points, lines and polygons on my map with the drawing tools. As well as making your own detailed map with different layers, this social media tool allows us to collaborate with other people’s maps. Collaborating online by creating and managing this mapping information is allowing people to learn about places they may never get to see. Visualisation data such as mapping, is enhancing our understanding (Tableau, 2020). Pocket is an app that is useful for my academic studies because I can save articles and ideas in one place to develop later.

All these platforms are educational, nevertheless we do need to manage appropriately everything we create, as to not manipulate and influence people negatively.

References

Guidry, J. P. D., Carlyle, K., Messner, M., & Jin, Y. (2015). On pins and needles: How vaccines are portrayed on pinterest. Vaccine, 33(39), 5051-5056. doi:10.1016/j.vaccine.2015.08.064

Tableau. (2020). Retrieved from https://www.tableau.com/learn/articles/interactive-map-and-data-visualization-examples

This is an example post, originally published as part of Blogging University. Enroll in one of our ten programs, and start your blog right.

You’re going to publish a post today. Don’t worry about how your blog looks. Don’t worry if you haven’t given it a name yet, or you’re feeling overwhelmed. Just click the “New Post” button, and tell us why you’re here.

Why do this?

• Because it gives new readers context. What are you about? Why should they read your blog?
• Because it will help you focus you own ideas about your blog and what you’d like to do with it.

The post can be short or long, a personal intro to your life or a bloggy mission statement, a manifesto for the future or a simple outline of your the types of things you hope to publish.

To help you get started, here are a few questions:

• Why are you blogging publicly, rather than keeping a personal journal?
• What topics do you think you’ll write about?
• Who would you love to connect with via your blog?
• If you blog successfully throughout the next year, what would you hope to have accomplished?

You’re not locked into any of this; one of the wonderful things about blogs is how they constantly evolve as we learn, grow, and interact with one another — but it’s good to know where and why you started, and articulating your goals may just give you a few other post ideas.

Can’t think how to get started? Just write the first thing that pops into your head. Anne Lamott, author of a book on writing we love, says that you need to give yourself permission to write a “crappy first draft”. Anne makes a great point — just start writing, and worry about editing it later.

When you’re ready to publish, give your post three to five tags that describe your blog’s focus — writing, photography, fiction, parenting, food, cars, movies, sports, whatever. These tags will help others who care about your topics find you in the Reader. Make sure one of the tags is “zerotohero,” so other new bloggers can find you, too.