Visualizing your network

[LinkedIn Network Map of Tanya Heck]. Created by http://socilab.com

Using Socilab I was able to create a map of my network on LinkedIn.  After creating my digital presence plan it was helpful to look at my network and identify any gaps that I would like to fill.  After examining my network, I was not surprised to see that the majority of my contacts were professional in nature.  I view LinkedIn as a professional platform, and I have continually maintained a separation of personal and professional personas.

The largest group of contacts is related to my work in the culinary industry. This group is made up of colleagues, chefs, suppliers and other individuals related to the food and beverage industry.  I worked as a professional Pastry Chef for many years before switching to education and my current role as an instructor at a culinary school.  You can see that most of those contacts are interconnected. It may appear large, but the culinary industry all over the world is very close.  I continue to grow this network to maintain my currency in the field.

The second largest group is connected to my work in education.  This group is made up of fellow faculty and leaders in the industry whom I follow for professional development.  I have only been creating this network for the last 5 years and I continue to add to it as I meet new people and am introduced to new ideas.

The third group is a network of former students.  I really enjoy following the careers of my graduates, and as they move forward, they will become my peers in the industry.

Lastly, there are two very small groups made up of both friends and family. I very rarely combine my business and personal accounts, so it is no surprise that these two sections are very small.

As I move forward in my new roles as both a graduate student and an educator, I expect that my network in education will grow.  An important part of professional development is staying current, and increasing connections in my network will allow me to do so.

Digital Presence Plan

For an assignment in my program at Royal Roads University I was asked to develop a plan for creating a digital presence. Although I have a presence on-line, I have made a significant effort to separate my personal and professional profiles in the past.  Danah Boyd argues that privacy is simply a state of transition as we navigate the transformation of networked media. (boyd, 2010)  I am working on allowing myself to post my educational journey in a public forum.  Education is a personal experience I would not typically be open to sharing.

My goal as a graduate student is to allow myself to post what I have learned to gain feedback from others.  There is value in constructive feedback from peers and others in the industry, as it will assist me in improving.  I look at it as another avenue of learning.

To achieve my goal, I will start to expand my network into areas I have not previously been connected to.  I will work on expanding my network on LinkedIn, Twitter and my blog to include professionals in Education, Research and Technology. This increased presence will expose me to a vast array of resources and opinions, and will allow me to continue my learning outside of the classroom. I will use Feedly to access and connect me to topics of interest in my continued professional development. I will make an effort to post publicly and thoughtfully on my blog on a consistent basis to increase my voice as a graduate student.

While I work towards my goal of increasing my presence, I can use technology I am already familiar and comfortable with.  I will learn new technology, as well as develop my academic writing and critical reflection skills to improve my ability to communicate with the community and find my academic voice.  I will measure my success through an expanded professional network as well as my ability to post with confidence.

My plan will continue to evolve as I navigate this new chapter as I find my new voice as a graduate student.

boyd,  danah. (2010). Social Network Sites as Networked Publics: Affordances, Dynamics, and Implications. Networked Self: Identity, Community, and Culture on Social Network Sites, 39–58. doi.org/10.1162/dmal.9780262524834.119

Resident or Visitor?

Figure 1. My Use of Digital Technologies Map. July 25, 2018

I had an opportunity to complete an activity based on the Visitor and Resident typology by White and Cornu (2011).  This experience allowed me to take a closer look at the technology I use, and in what way.  Items closer to the resident side are things that you actively engage with and leave an imprint of your presence on the web.  Items placed closer to the visitor side are things that perhaps you use, but do not leave a personal footprint behind.

Reflecting on the image as a whole I can see that I am very active and present (resident) on the web in my professional life, but work harder at keeping my personal life a little more hidden (visitor).  I have kept my personal social media presence separate from my professional accounts.  I do not typically share personal details and prefer to have a public presence only in my professional life.

White, D. S., & Cornu, A. L. (2011). Visitors and Residents: A new typology for online engagement. First Monday, 16(9). http://dx.doi.org/10.5210/fm.v16i9.3171

Inspiration for the Future of Education

I recently attended a virtual symposium as part of my Royal Roads University, Master of Arts, Learning and Technology program.  I was thrilled to listen to a multitude of speakers from a variety of backgrounds in the learning and technology field.  Through this experience I was able to gain a better understanding of the many facets of this broad category of learning.

Many of the guest speakers shared their expertise.  I enjoyed Dr. Jaigris Hodsons presentation on “Mindful social media engagement in an age of Cambridge Analytica”.  It was an eye-opening discussion surrounding Social Media use.  The presentation focused on learning more about the analytics in social media. Dr. Jaigris Hodson also discussed her experience being a first adopter of new technology and the responsibilities that go with that.  (Hodson, 2018) I am always mindful of asking my students to sign up for something new, and she highlighted key points to consider.

One of the guest speakers spoke to my desire to improve technical education.  As I come from a skills-based learning program her study on competency-based education was intriguing.  Lori Kemps presentation on her research study “Competency-based Education for Student Development in Vocational Education and Training” spoke to me as we both work in a field of non-traditional skills-based study. I am working on how to incorporate competency-based education in my own practice.  Lori Kemp discusses the constraints to this style of learning in a traditional educational setting.  We are confined by traditional funding models and time constraints such as a semester system.  (Kemp, 2018)

In my classroom I often encounter students that need more time on a particular topic and other students can master the skill in the first 5 minutes and are left bored and de-motivated by their classmates’ inability to grasp what they think of as simple.  Those students are discouraged by their own lack of ability and this causes further stress and challenge. In an ideal world, students would be able to take the time they required to grasp each skill and then move on when they were ready, without any of the added pressure of what their peers were doing. This is compounded by the fact that most of the classes I teach are hands on in lab.  In an on-line class where students work at their own pace I can see a way forward with this method, but I have not been able to see the light in my current lab situation.  I was appreciative to see someone else in a comparable situation look at some of the challenges I am facing.

After having the chance to view many of the sessions I am left feeling inspired.  I am excited to find a way through technology to advance the learning of my students in a skills-based environment.  All of the speakers and the future of technology in education motivated me.  I am looking forward to innovating my program using technology in new ways.

 

References

Hodsons, J. (April 16, 2018) “Mindful” social media engagement in an age of Cambridge Analytica. RRU MALAT Virtual Symposium 2018. 

Kemp, L (April 19, 2018) Competency-based Education for Student Development in Vocational Education and Training. RRU MALAT Virtual Symposium 2018. 

 

 

 

The FINER Points of an Excellent Research Question

The FINER Points of an Excellent Research Question

All research starts with curiosity.  A well-defined question provides direction and focus to the research. Research questions address the how or why of something, it should not be answered with a simple yes or no.  (Hulley, Cummings, Browner, Grady, & Newman, 2011) have defined the elements of a good research question by using FINER.  It’s used to develop or review existing questions.   

F Feasible – Is the question able to be answered?  Is it affordable both in time and finances?  Is it manageable in scope?  Is there adequate technical expertise?

I Interesting – The question should interest both the researcher and the audience.  It should contribute knowledge to the community and add value to the field.

N Novel– It should build on previous research or fill a gap in existing research.  Does it have potential to confirm or refute previous findings?

E Ethical  – Is the question Ethical?

R Relevant – Is the question relevant to the community for scientific knowledge or to future research?

The process of writing a well-defined research question allows researchers to identify important concepts and highlight areas of research that need to be addressed.  It allows for narrow focus in an area of interest to both the researcher and the community.

Reference

Hulley, S. B., Cummings, S. R., Browner, W. S., Grady, D. G., & Newman, T. B. (2011). Designing clinical research. Lippincott Williams & Wilkins.