{"id":246,"date":"2019-05-15T06:45:13","date_gmt":"2019-05-15T13:45:13","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/malat-webspace.royalroads.ca\/rru0115\/?p=246"},"modified":"2019-06-05T12:08:05","modified_gmt":"2019-06-05T19:08:05","slug":"visual-network-mapping-exercise","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/malat-webspace.royalroads.ca\/rru0115\/visual-network-mapping-exercise\/","title":{"rendered":"Visual Network Mapping Exercise"},"content":{"rendered":"

[Photo by\u00a0Max Felner<\/a>\u00a0on\u00a0Unsplash]<\/a><\/em><\/span><\/p>\n

Networks are essential elements of our digital persona as well as our identity in general.<\/p>\n

When reflecting on my own digital network, I have realized that while some of my network connections are very strong, some of them are quite weak and possibly undeveloped or unnurtured.<\/p>\n

I have initially tried to create a structural map of my network to reflect on its different roles and contexts\u00a0 (professional, personal, educational) as well as possibly the interconnection of my past and present networks, however,\u00a0 as I worked on my visualization, I have realized that networks are extremely complex and interconnected, and thus don’t always fit into the hierarchical or structural models.\u00a0As Veletsianos (2016) mentions, the networks “are comprised of many different individual networks, each consisting of individuals\u2019 relationships with other members of the network”. This complexity, even though not necessarily well represented in my map, is definitely an important aspect when we think about digital networks.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Also, reflecting on different profiles, presented by\u00a0Beetham (2015), I have realized that my profiles of a learner, researcher, and educator all intersect, and as a result, it is reflected on how I approach and manage my digital network, both as a participant and a contributor.<\/p>\n

I have used Kumu<\/a>\u00a0as my visualization tool, which is an excellent resource for both simple maps and complex data sets.<\/p>\n

Here is the map of my networks.\u00a0It demonstrates the social networking tools, where my personal, educational, and professional networks intersect, as well as how they are interconnected.<\/p>\n