Digital identity is our digital footprint; depending on what we share, the results of your digital identity would have different impacts. It could be a great platform to attract; for example, new employers if you are being mindful about what you share;  you may land with a great job offer. On the other hand, you may sometimes face bad consequences if you made the choice of sharing content that you are not necessarily proud of.

As Spracklen states in his article, “the net is a positive space for constructing and maintaining social net[1]works, identity and belonging”; I also believe that social media can help some individuals in feeling a sense of belonging; especially for individuals who find it difficult to communicate in person (Spackle; p. 112).

Personal linking network (PLN) helps to keep individuals and society connected. It gives us the flexibility; we can stay connected at different times, location and in the way that we wish to be connected; we can decide how much information we would like to share. With the increasing economic and social changes, it has become even more important for us to develop our network skills and digital literacies. However we have to be cautious as Boyd states in his article “Our data—and with it, our privacy—is increasingly networked.” We should be careful what data and how we are sharing our data. (Boyd, p.1)

I use social media predominantly for professional purposes. I find that it can sometimes be helpful as I learn new strategies to assist me in my workplace. I always check the sources for their reliability and relevancy. On the other hand, I also have the opportunity to share certain topics or strategies that I have found helpful to other members of my Personal linking network.  I believe it is a great way as it allows us to be life long learners who can share their passion. I always make sure that I respect the privacy of others and I take great care to review any information before posting them.

Spracklen K. “Identity-Making and Social Media.” Digital Leisure, the Internet and Popular Culture, 2015, https://link-springer-com.ezproxy.library.uvic.ca/content/pdf/10.1057/9781137405876_6.pdf. Accessed 4 Jun. 2023.

Networking using social media involves the use of internet-based social media sites to maintain contact with family, colleagues, friends or clients. The purposes can vary, it could be business or social. Examples of such sites may include Instagram, Twitter and Facebook…

The Personal professional networking model figured in the an  article shows that individuals are motivated to participate in networked publics as they see it as an opportunity to build new contacts and when those are maintained, it can potentially activate great results. (Ragagopal, Joosten–ten Brinke, Bruggen and Sloep, 2012)

As well as rewards, there are also risks of public communications. I believe that in his article Social and Surveillance, Boyd highlights a very important point that “what we share about ourselves tells heaps about other people”. Often, we unconsciously include information about other people and this is a breach of their privacy. (Boyd)

Information that we share on the different networks can easily be subject to a variety of interpretations. For example, sometimes only part of an information is extracted and this section is then reused to give a different interpretation.

Personal linking network is becoming increasingly prevalent especially after the pandemic.

 Hello,

Thank you for sharing your different learning experiences. I can relate to the sentence you wrote whereby the teacher made ” a point to involve their students in instigating discussions that really made us think and analyze before we digested or integrated any learning”. It is really valuable when you get the opportunity to reflect upon how you are learning, these are transferable skills that helps us in life in general as well.

ESL Technician (opened.ca)

Thanks for sharing,

Languageteacher

Share a story about your best learning experience (could be a formal course or something more personal). Why did you enjoy it?

During a previous course that I completed, I had the opportunity to be exposed to the cognitivism method. As a result, I learnt so much during that course, I was so impressed with the progress that I made in my learning journey.

Learning was more relatable because I was reflecting on what I already knew and then I was able to link those to the new learning situation. This gave me a lot of confidence because it reminded me of the things that I already knew and then I was able to use my existing knowledge as building blocks to learn something new. This did not only enhanced my knowledge but gave me a better understanding of my capacity to reflect deeply on knowledge and skills that I had previously acquired.

As mentioned by Ertmer and Newby in their article, I also believe that “instruction must be based on a student’s existing mental structures, or schema, to be effective” (Ertmer and Newby; 7).

I recall the use of analogies in the lessons, it was very helpful to use comparison between things to help with explanation and this is stated by Ertmer and and Newby “designers use techniques such as advance organizers, analogies, hierarchical relationships, and matrices to help learners relate new information to prior knowledge”(Ertmer and Newby; 8).

Regarding motivation, I believe some learners are motivated to learn when they receive rewards, it could be tangible by receiving good grades or prizes or intangible; when they know they understood what they were trying to learn, the light bulb moment! I agree with the second video “The Backwards Brain Bicycle” which states that knowledge is not equal to understanding. I find the BC concept-based curriculum and instruction and its effects on learning very impactful; the link between Know, Understand and Do.

I believe that in teaching, a cognitivism approach gets students more engaged and it is a great skill that we develop in students to better equip them not only in their future studies but in their life experiences too.

Ertmer, Peggy A., and Timothy Newby. “Behaviorism, Cognitivism, Constructivism.” Foundations of Learning and Instructional Design Technology, 2018, https://edtechbooks.org/lidtfoundations/behaviorism_cognitivism_constructivism. Accessed 2 Jun. 2023.

BC Curriculum . “Curriculum Redesign.”, 1 Jan. 2023, curriculum.gov.bc.ca/rethinking-curriculum. Accessed 2 Jun. 2023.