Katie Bedke

It is amazing to think about how life has changed in the last 10-15 years.  When I was in school my digital footprint was not something I thought about and really hadn’t even heard about (granted I graduated from high school in 2002 which I don’t think is that long ago).   There are so many benefits for living in this digital age, access to information 24/7, connecting with people across the globe, acquiring knowledge, fostering creativity, etc. The advances of technology have happened relatively rapidly not allowing for much time to think about some of the consequences of our online activity.  One needs to realize that with every click we leave a trail of data and our footprints, some small and some big, of what we do online- also known as our digital footprint. Even with all the benefits of the internet, we need to be mindful of what we do and communicate online. Our digital footprint is a story of us, it can now serve as the first impression that others have...

Three main ideas were learned in this module: Connectivism, Communities of Practice, and Personal Learning Networks.  Through researching these three concepts I found that they are not only very similar and interconnected but do possess some unique qualities.  Besides researching, another goal in this module was to apply my learning and understanding of the key concepts and create a nonlinguistic representation.  In the above graphic I designed, using Microsoft Word, I depict all three concepts as individual items, but show how they are also interrelated. I begin in the center of my graphic with personal learning networks (PLNs).  A PLN is broken down and described in detail as "a group of people who you connect with to increase your knowledge of a particular subject" (Lynch, 2005).  Every individual possesses a personal learning network, which is represented by an individual thinking/learning using various platforms (Facebook, blogs, LinkedIn, etc.)...

W hat are your initial reactions about joining these social networks for use in this course? My initial reactions to joining these social networks are mixed.  I am already a member of another group within DIIGO and have found this helpful at times but also haven’t delved too far into it.  However, this semester I finally added the extension that goes along with DIIGO and I am kicking myself now for not using this last semester or prior to the EdTech program.  Like with other things, it takes some time for things to click or understand the full potential of a resource. This is my first experience with Twitter. I haven’t joined in the past mainly because I am a part of other social networks and wasn’t ready to add another one just to add it without having a purpose.  However, I am curious to see how Twitter compares to other social networks and see how it can be leveraged in the educational setting. I now teach online and am finding myself a little disconnected wi...