After the entire term of learning and engaging in PLN, I think I have learnt more about the concept of digital identity and how it can create an influence my future career. I realize the impact I create on online interaction like commenting and sharing, and how that might lead to a positive/negative influence. Like Oliveira and Morgado mentioned in the article, “(digital identity is) an important element because it is the reflection of the personal, academic and professional life of the individual” (Oliveira & Morgado). As well as the potential risk of oversharing personal information and internet security issues. I realize a sense of responsibility for my digital identity, which I was previously unaware of it.
On the other hand, I have also learnt how to effectively use my PLN in class and engage in the course. I learnt so much from our classmates’ weekly blog posts and comments. And I really like the conversation flow in the class group chat on Mattermost, which is a great platform for a lot of PLN interaction to happen. I feel like we should have a platform like the Mattermost for every university course. Even though we do have a discussion section in Brightspace, but I think it is less engaging than Mattermost group. I read and share thoughts on the group chat with my classmates, which not only expand my PLN but also increased a sense of belonging in this course with these awesome classmates. In the future, my knowledge of PLN will also help me to gain more information through the network, and find the right people to expand my professional career.
My current PLN can be quite helpful for my future career, but it definitely needs to be expanded by learning from more people! Education is one of my ideal future career choices, and I would like to know more teach worldwide and learning/sharing experience with them! Education is a career that continuously evolving through time, there are always new teaching strategies that can nurtures students in a better way. Therefore, it is vital to actively engage in PLN for careers in education.
I believe my PLN can be used to open professional opportunities as I progress through my career because there are abundant experience, knowledge and information that other professional educationists share online that can be learnt to build a valid foundation for my future careers. At the same time I will also share my own experience, therefore create new connections with other people. Putting myself in PLN can lead me to more opportunities and know more professionals. My PLN will be a window to build connections with the world.
Reference
Oliveira, N. R., & Morgado, L. (2014). “Digital Identity of Researchers and Their Personal Learning Network.” Learning and Collaboration Technologies. Technology-Rich Environments for Learning and Collaboration, 467–477. doi: 10.1007/978-3-319-07485-6_46
heyhey March 30, 2021
Hi Alison,
Great post! You have mentioned several points that resonate with me to a great extent. For example, having learned how PLN could have such a strong impact on our learning throughout this course, I feel the same about wanting to expand my current PLN by learning from more people. What you said about wanting to pursue a career in education reminds of our guest speaker from last week. I was truly impressed by how her PLN has such a positive influence on her life – she is able to not only learn from other educators, but also to seek support and understanding from educators worldwide. I think as we progress in our own professions, building such a strong and reliable connection with other people would truly help with our development, both professionally and personally.