After reading about communities, groups and networks in Unit 3, it provided me with more strategic insight into my plan to create a digital presence. Though a variety of definitions exist, there are general characteristics that signify what a community is within the digital sphere. A community has shared goals, history, culture and practices. As well, the role of members within a community grows and changes, as does the community itself  (Veletsianos, 2016, as cited in Barab & Duffy, 2000). Within communities there are networks and groups that “connect distributed individuals and groups of individuals” (Dron & Andreson, 2014, p. 76).

Gaining this new understanding into how my friends, family and colleagues intersect across my network and how they can be potentially categorized, has allowed me to see patterns in my network. Furthermore, as I start to expand my network, increase my digital engagement, and become part of these various collectives, I am able to better understand where my digital identity fits. “Individuals who have contributed the most to the community see their contributions giving them authority and prestige within that community and across their networks (Dron & Andreson, 2014, p. 19), thus, as I gain more knowledge, I hope to come closer to my goal of creating a digital presence across my network.

 

Reference

Dron, J, & Andreson, T. (2014). Teaching Crowds. Athabasca University Press. doi:10.15215/aupress/9781927356807.01

Veletsianos, G. (2016). Digital learning environments. In N. Rushby & D. Surry (Eds), Handbook of Learning Technologies (pp. 242-260). UK: John Wiley & Sons. Retrieved from: http://www.veletsianos.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/07/digital_learninig_environments.pdf