Report and Reflect #3

I had no idea what that little orange button was on blogs and webpages! I never knew (or bothered to find out) what RSS was. When I was learning about RSS feeds this week I felt so dumb for not bothering to find out earlier. This is actually a really useful tool.

What is an RSS?

This week we were asked to set up an RSS feed using Feedly. I was really confused about what an RSS was at first but now I think I have a pretty good understanding of the tool. An RSS feed (Really Simple Syndication) is like newsletter, but it is completely tailored to your interests. When you find a website or blog that is interesting you can subscribe to it, whenever there is new information from that subscription it gets sent to your RSS feed. So your RSS feed takes out the searching for information and provides all the new content for all your subscriptions in one place and links it back to the original page.  Darren Rowse describes it as: 

“It’s like subscribing to a magazine that is delivered to you periodically but instead of it coming in your physical mail box each month when the magazine is published it is delivered to your ‘RSS Reader’ every time your favorite website updates.”

My Journey with RSS

Copy2Contact. (CC) 2012.

So after a long night of frustration I was finally able to set up an RSS feed. This was an embarrassing task for me because I am actually quite good with technology but RSS is apparently my kryptonite; broken pages, confusion all sorts of problems. In the end though I did get a Feedly account set up and have subscribed to multiple people and sites.

I have never seen the use in using a RSS feed, I don’t mind going to each site individually to find new material. However, I read 7 Things You Should Know about RSS, #4 Why is it significant; and I have to admit I do see the convenience and benefits of having all my updates sent to one page.

The picture is a very accurate description of my bookmarks bar without an RSS feed.

Can Feedly be a learning tool?

Now that I am actively using Feedly I can now add it to my PLE. I was trying to figure out what I would categorize it under then I realized; why not under more than one category. I am using Feedly professionally; subscribing to blogs and sites that will help me connect with people in my field. I am using it for school; I did sign up because it is a part of my course. Finally entertainment; I am following a bunch of my favorite blogs and YouTube channels that I love to read.  I think that Feedly will become a very important source in my future PLE.

What has Feedly taught me about me?

In my previous post My Experience with RSS Feeds I talked about one of my favorite subscriptions JustKiddingNews and a specific post from them. In this post, on a more general note about what Feedly has done for me. I have realized that most of what I do online and how I learn best is through video. I also realized I am not the kind of person who wants the cold hard facts about a topic, I much rather listening to other peoples’ opinions and views to develop my own. This also helps me to understand the situation/ topic better. I like to hear multiple opinions and explanations because I feel it helps me really get a good grasp on the topic.

By learning this I can take this information and bring it into my academic life and hopefully professional. Academically and professionally I can arrange more collaboration with my peers, this will allow me to better understand the task at hand or to help others see a different point of view. 

I think it's interesting that something that is typically used as a "storage" device can inform me so much about myself and my learning.

My Experience with RSS Feeds

This week I set up an account with Feedly, an RSS feed. A lot of what I subscribed to is YouTube pages, I much rather watch a Vlog than read a blog post. YouTube is my main source of information. This is just my preference, I don’t actually follow a lot of blogs but my YouTube subscriptions are out of control. I was really excited to find out that Feedly could also keep me updated on my YouTube subscriptions. I am not so sure if this really counts as a blog, but to me it is informative, fun and someone spent time putting it together for me to view; which is the same way that I view blogs.

JustKiddingNews. (CC) 2012.

The channel I follow the most is JustKiddingNews (JKNews) this is a group of young adults who share their opinions and views on events and news around the world. I love this channel because I actually learn a lot about current events and I get to hear other people’s opinions and interpretations. The best part about their videos it’s updated daily, they are short (5-15 min) and they are EXTREMELY FUNNY.  If you have any interest in listening to a bunch of people argue about an issue or give the occasional insightful opinion than check out this channel!

WARNING!! - I feel that I need to warn you there is A LOT of swearing and mature content in these videos. I really did try to find one that did not include swearing…apparently that does not exist, my apologies in advance.

In this video the topic is about a 68 year old grandmother who is training with the army to fight the rebels in Ukraine. First they give some background into the current situation in the Ukraine and then watch the video of the women’s explanation to why she is doing this. After the group talks more about the problem in the country and their views on what this lady is trying to do.

I chose this video to show how informative this channel can be and how they do so in a way that keeps my interest. For someone like me who hates the news because of how it is presented I think this channel is a good alternative. Please don’t be mistaken though this groups’ main purpose is comedy, and not all their news is on serious world events; most of it is just weird stuff that people do. However, they always seem to talk about some serious issues and shed new insights to the topics.

This is my favorite subscription in my Feedly account and I am glad I can share it with other people. Enjoy

Week 2: PLE

PLE what on earth is that? 

Clint Lalonde refers to a PLE (Personal Learning Environment) as an ecosystem to the PLN (Personal Learning Network); that is to say he sees the PLE as the tools needed to create and maintain a PLN. Lalonde also defines a PLN as, "a network of people you connect with for the specific purpose of learning". 

Creating my PLE was very difficult, even after all the readings I felt so lost on what I was supposed to do. How is this supposed to help me learn? Why is this important? How can making a diagram of my PLE help me become a better learner? 

I realized that to answer my questions I needed to first just go ahead and make one and then with that visual I could analyze it. So I did, I made my PLE and then looked at it...for a long time; all I saw was a bunch of websites and apps that I use. I went back over the readings and something Wendy DG said helped me to understand what this was all for. She talked about how we spend too much time focusing on technology itself and the tools rather than the learning potential behind these tools. 

Carey, K. (CC) 2015.

Then finally it hit me. I looked at my PLE and realized what it was telling me; that I suck at using my digital environment for learning (academic) or professional purposes; but that I could easily change this without drastically altering my tools. 

I have four categories in my PLE: Professional, school, entertainment and communication. The two biggest categories are entertainment and communication. These two categories actually seem to work hand in hand. I realized a lot of my entertainment comes from a lot of my communication sources and vice versa. The part that actually got me excited about making a PLE was the ability to personalize it based on my learning style, in school I am always told exactly how to do things so it was nice to be able to do something that I knew reflected me. 

I started to think about how other people use some of the same tools, and I realized a lot of people use it in the profession to promote and connect to others. i can do that too and I don't even have to change my tools!

For me making my PLE was more for the present, how do I use technology now in general. From there I was able to see my strong and weak spots and then use them to create a future goal. My future PLE goal is to have my professional category sharing tools with my communication and entertainment categories.

Below are my goals for my future and how I plan to get there.

Personal

In 5 years I hope to be in either South Korea or Spain teaching English at a high school level. I hope to have acquired my M.A by that time from either a UK university (Oxford University) or an Australian University (University of Melbourne). I hope to have a lot of knowledge and have aided in the creation of some curriculum.

At the moment I am finishing up my final semester at Brock University to get my B.A in Applied Linguistics TESOL. I am currently applying for a teaching job with the Korean government TALK program.

The differences in these two times are my education and experience. I currently have no full time experience in my field, which I hope to change in one year.

Learning

To get to my 5 year goal I need to gain more practical classroom knowledge on TESOL. I will also need to develop intercultural skills because my goal requires a lot of travel. I will need to learn classroom management skills and how to interpret my students’ needs.

Environment

To better meet my learning needs I will need to surround myself with people within my profession or at least people in the customer service profession. These two areas have very similar traits in regards to how to deal with people. I can also surround myself with people who will constantly challenge me to improve myself and my knowledge. This is much more important than some people may realize; when you have the right motivation to do something you don’t even need to be consciously improving yourself.

Habits

To create better habits for my goals this will include introducing myself into more online communities in my profession.

I hope my PLE can reflect these goals in the near future. At the moment my use of technology does not reflect my personal goals. I believe I can change this though; communication is one of my biggest categories I am very good at communicating through technology and have always practiced good netiquette. I can use this skill to introduce myself into more online communities that can help me get to my goals, and to create some discussions about topics related to ESL.

Carey, K. (CC) 2015.

In this session we were also asked to create a Wordle based on my last post, this is a text based picture that shows the number of times a word was used based on the size of the word in the photo. I have seen these a lot but never made one, I thought it was quite interesting actually. When I looked at the photo the biggest word was "digital" and "footprint", not a big surprise considering that was the topic of the post. I also noticed a lot of words to do with reflection or professionalism, this was interesting to see because it makes me realize that I associate my digital footprint mainly with professionalism. 

A Summary

In short I found my PLE provided me with some insight on how I need to start using technology and how I may be able to do this with the technology I already use. My Wordle helped me see where I think my priorities will lie throughout this course. 

Kat.

Report and Reflect #1: Hitting home

This week the focus was on our digital footprints and its importance, a topic that is often overlooked and taken for granted. 

"Soon you will have a real job." This is something my mom is constantly nagging me about,

"Soon you will have a REAL job"

reminding me that things are just going to get harder and that harsher critiques are to come. In about four months I will be packing up all my books and school bags and saying goodbye to school; the day that every university student counts down to. Last year that was me, it sounded so great at the time especially because I have a very clear plan in mind for my future. If only things were that easy, not only do I have to start worrying about graduating and applying for jobs but what about all the details I wasn't even aware of. 

My digital footprint, something that had never occurred to me; I have always had a sense that I have a digital footprint, but that was more just a thought in the back of my mind. To be honest after going through this weeks session, it scared me! I started to question "what kind of digital footprint do I have? How does it reflect on me as a person and as a professional?". Suddenly that simple plan I had for my future got a little less simple. 

Set an example for others

In this post I am supposed to reflect on some of the questions provided for me; however, I want to tweak one of these questions a bit. After reading Djainslie's article about the importance of a digital footprint, I thought she made a good point when she said a POSITIVE footprint. This is where I want to tweak the question, in addition to asking do I want a digital footprint; I want to also ask, what kind of digital footprint do I want.

A digital footprint is inevitable, we all have one we can not control that; however, we can control how people view us using the digital footprint. As an aspiring teacher I need to keep a very positive and professional footprint because not only am I representing myself but also my school. I think there are many different types of positive digital footprints, you just need to chose the one that will help you reach your goals. I may want a very professional footprint or a very creative one; depending on my goals the things I post online and do will need to reflect this. 

The Student and Teacher Blogging article was extremely useful for me. It had plenty of tips and tricks to help me to help me improve my digital footprint. Blogging is an excellent way for us to establish ourselves and to build a positive community; and a great way to do that is by commenting on others blogs. When we can comment effectively and properly we are able to spread information and promote ourselves.

In this weeks session we looked at our digital drivers licence exam. After completing this exam I found I have a very good knowledge on being an effective digital citizen; however there is always room for improvement. Even though I know what is the proper netiquette I do not always follow this. The areas I know I need to improve include: digital law, digital health and wellness and digital security.

Digital law 

Riddle (2011) defines digital law as "the electronic responsibility for actions and deeds". 95% of music files were illegally shared in 2009 found by the International Federation of the Phonographic Industry (Riddle, 2011. pg. 31) This is not a surprising statistic but it is a bit of a guilty one. I must admit I am certainly guilty of breaking digital laws and it is unfair to the creator of this content. If I put myself in their shoes I know I would hate to have my hard work stolen with out any credit or compensation.

Digital Health
"Physical and psychological well-being in a digital technology world" (Riddle, 2011. pg. 38) This is probably my worst area I have some very severe back injuries as well as my right wrist. I can honestly say that these injuries have gotten worse because of my technology use; head down straining my neck, wrists at awkward angles, the chairs I sit in.

Digital Security
"The electronic precautions to guarantee safety" (Riddle, 2011. pg. 40) This has to do with the amount of security we use and how we share our information. My father is a computer technician so he is always on me about updating my safety software, but to be honest half the time I am just too lazy to do it. This is obviously not a good excuse nor is it smart.


In conclusion I have realized the importance and benefits that a digital footprint can have if used properly. I have also reviewed the nine elements of digital citizenship and have identified my weak areas. The important thing for me to do is to be mindful when ever I am using technology; these are also skills I can apply outside of technology.

Have a good week

The Beginning

Hi everyone!

To start let me give you a bit of information about myself and why I even started this blog.

The person behind the keyboard

So my name is Kathleen, I am a 4th year Applied Linguistics TESOL student. To clear up a common question I get asked early on I only speak ONE language (English); a degree in linguistics doesn't mean I spend my four years learning individual languages, instead I learn about language in general and how to analyze it. 

Here is how Brock's faculty of Applied Linguistics defines the program:

Brock Applied Linguistics

"Applied Linguistics is concerned with the systematic study of language structure, the acquisition of first and subsequent languages, the role of language in communication, and the status of language as the product of particular cultures and other social groups." (Brock University, Department of Applied Linguistics)

On the side I learn Korean, but that’s just because I plan to live in South Korea for work. I plan to teach English internationally after I graduate, I love to travel and I love language so I thought, hey what a perfect job!

2010 - Dominican Republic D.R.E.A.M.S (Dominican Republic Education and Medical Support)

 A big part of who I am is humanitarian trips and volunteering, I love to go interact with the locals of an area and to be able to learn from them. 

2013 - Me and my students from Taiwan 

2014 - My classmates and Teacher 친구

I put myself in my students’ shoes this summer when I went to South Korea to study the language. This was a great experience but also extremely difficult for me. I did this because the best way to enhance your knowledge in your field is to put yourself in the shoes of your client. You gain insight into what they want and how they feel in different situations. It also makes them feel like they can trust you better and connect with you because you've been there. 

Why am I blogging and what about? 

This blogs primary purpose is for an online course I am taking at Brock University. It will be used to present and organize the information I learn about in regards to learning in digital contexts. It will also be a learning tool itself; I have only made one blog before in my life and that blog was for a class as well. That blog however was very limited it just consisted of me writing an entry and post...that was it. This time around it seems that I will be learning how to EFFECTIVELY blog, how to use the tools features and how to catch peoples’ attention. To be honest I am pretty excited, I really hope I can learn a lot about the process of blogging because I wanted to start a blog for my teaching and travel experience. 

I am excited to take this class because as a prospective teacher I want to give my students’ modern and fun tools to use that can be an aid in their learning journey. With classrooms incorporating more and more digital resources, this course can provide me with a lot of useful information on how to utilize these resources to better provide for my students. I want to be a teacher that is up to date and can use any material that can benefit, instead of being scared off because I don’t know how to use it.

Basically…

I hope that my learning journey of the digital world can also help anyone reading this blog or even the other way around. These next four months of blogging are sure to be enlightening and hopefully for you entertaining.

Wish me luck!

Kat