What digital platforms are students currently using to develop their professional network?
Students today use various social media platforms to keep in touch with classmates, peers, and professors. A common example would be LinkedIn, in which students are encouraged to have to make connections/network with other students and employers for future opportunities. Each social platform would be used for specific things by a student; Zoom can be for personal or professional/institutional use, Brightspace is used for interacting with your professors or classmates, and Twitter could also be professional and/or personal.
What can you (as a student) consider to expand your professional learning network?
There are plenty ways to expand a professional learning networks; such as, updating often to a LinkedIn profile (connecting with co-workers and supervisors), joining conversations you are interested in on Twitter, and attending seminars through Zoom on topics on interest.
In your network, how can you create a digital identity/reputation?
First thing to remember when building your digital identity is to be mindful of what you are sharing. Meaningful and attentive posts will reach more people and spark a conversation. Updating and being online consistently is a great way to build your digital identity. Keep all your accounts consistent with the same name and contact information so that your friends and acquaintances can find your profile easier, it also looks more professional and clean this way.
Consider what a local employer would do if you applied for a job with them – can they search the content, is it of benefit to the career path, does it hinder the opportunity of employment?
When employers are in the hiring process and reviewing resumes, they do google your name to get more of an idea of how you present yourself. They will see your public profiles and go through them. This can be a great thing for you, they may see some more accomplishments, awards you received, hobbies that you have, a well presented LinkedIn profile; however, this also means to be mindful of what post online any inappropriate photo can hinder your likeness of receiving the job offer.
V&R Map
I found this activity very interesting, the V&R Map allowed me to reflect on how I utilize social platforms. A lot of the applications I use to keep in contact with my classmates, coworkers, and friends but there are some that are solely just for fun.
To network using social media means to interact with a group of individuals online (Future Learn). Social media is a great tool for people to share their thoughts, lives, ideas, and to connect or meet other people online. All of our lives are connected. Friends, family, colleagues, and acquaintances keep up with each other whether it is professional or personal life. Social networks allow us to connect with each other and share information (Future Learn).
How are we motivated to participate in networked publics?
We use online public networks to share ideas and learn from others. The internet has created an easier way of finding new information and share all those ideas with many people (Future Learn). A Personal Learning Network (PLN) is created by a group of individuals with commonalities that have trusted connections and keep in connection with each other on a regular basis (Gutierrez). An individual who could be motivated to participate in public networks by their personal professional interests and immediate professional needs (Rajagopal). People create new connections to look for common ground with a random person; this could be through topics of interest, organization, or common connections (Rajagopal). A survey has indicated that a professional uses commonality on a topic to decide whether they continue connections within a PLN or not (Rajagopal). PLNs use various social media platforms to communicate and share their ideas, such as; Facebook, Instagram, Linkedin, YouTube, Snapchat, and Twitter.
What are the risks & rewards of public communications?
Social platforms and communications allow us to connect with people all over the world quickly. It is extremely helpful if you have business connections far away or family/friends. Using any of the many social media messaging apps such as; Facebook, WhatsApp, Skype, Instagram, Zoom, Microsoft Teams, Google Hangouts, etc. you can contact and connect with anyone in the world.
Social media is a great way to communicate with individuals in real-time but, it also means that your information can easily be acquired by other people. Everyone online should be careful of what they post and share with their online communities as there may be a time you apply for a job and your employer does a quick google search. Making sure your posts are appropriate for the online platforms is important and avoiding posts that involve provocative behaviour or illicit actions.
What is a digital identity?
Digital identity can be compared to your footprint on the internet (Stoller). It is an identity that can be searched (ie; your portfolio, blog, tweets, social media posts) and represents your digital identity (Stoller). It is meant to represent who you are and showcases things about yourself. Digital Identity can also be a professional ID that defines who you are. In India and Estonia, they are using digital identities for various things such as; Rx refills, online taxes, and banking (World Economic Forum).
How do personal versus professional approaches to digital identity affect social media use?
Most people have separate accounts to update on personal and professional life. A lot of my peers/instructors in my program have personal social media accounts such as; Instagram, Facebook, and Snapchat to keep up with friends and family. Most will also have a twitter account or LinkedIn to keep up with their professional lives as well. By separating the content posted you can comfortably share what you like geared towards the audience it is intended for.
How do digital identities converge in networked publics – what are the impacts and/or benefits?
Digital identities can be used to open new accounts on various social platforms and can also be used beyond just social media accounts. For example; Estonia is using digital identities for its citizens to be able to vote online and access their own health records (Metadium). This is a great concept however, it also means that the government is tracking their online presence to make sure their activity online is appropriate as it has an attachment to their real identities offline.
Resources
Future Learn. “What Is a Personal Learning Network (PLN)?” FutureLearn, www.futurelearn.com/info/courses/learning-network-age/0/steps/24644.
Gutierrez, Karla. What Are Personal Learning Networks?, 21 June 2016, www.shiftelearning.com/blog/personal-learning-networks.
Metadium. “How Estonia Is Pioneering the Digital Identity Space.” Medium, Metadium, 16 July 2019, medium.com/metadium/how-estonia-is-pioneering-the-digital-identity-space-4008c709fbb8.
Rajagopal, K. et. al. – Understanding Personal Learning Network; Their Structure, Content and the Networking Skills Needed to Optimally use them. 23 December 2011. https://firstmonday.org/ojs/index.php/fm/article/view/3559/3131
World Economic Forum. “Davos 2019 – Press Conference The Value Of Digital Identity For The Global Economy And Society”. Youtube.Com, 5 February 2019, 13:05-13:22, https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1-V7lyxrOmw. Accessed 19 May 2021.
