This infographic, created by Sandra Norum, Christopher Rowe, and myself, identifies some of the potential impacts DLE can have on teachers.

Please click on ‘+’ within the image to read more about each impact.

Figure 1– My Visual Network Map

This visual network map indicates my social connections in my personal, professional, and academic networks. My network includes digital and in-person groups as well as close and distant groups.

I used MindMeister to build my network map, Figure 1. I used Dron and Anderson’s  (2016) definition of networks as unstructured, informal connections. They also define a group as a finite number of individuals defined by rules and purpose (Dron & Anderson, 2014). For this visual network, I identified groups of people through positions or titles rather than using names. I did this to protect identities as permissions were not granted. Groups are represented by the node and title. The connections within groups are represented by the black lines and the inter-group connections are represented by the green arrows. I situated myself in the center of the graph as that was the focus of the assignment and am the base of the connections represented.

There were some drawbacks to not representing individuals. Firstly, while members within a network are fluid, this is not represented in my visual network map, as individuals are grouped. Secondly, because I do not represent individuals, but groups, there is a seeming hierarchy of size and importance. Whereas, in actuality, many individuals are of far greater importance than groups. With more resources and time, it would be interesting to create a more microscopic version of this map. I would also be curious to see network maps represented over a span of time to demonstrate changes over that time.

References

Dron, J, & Anderson, T. (2014). Teaching Crowds. Athabasca University Press. 

As I am simultaneously completing my final project for the MALAT program, I have approached this task as a reflection of my digital presence and identity. I will reflect on my original goal, the approach I took, the skills I acquired (or should have acquired), and an evaluation of my success. 

At the outset of my journey in the MALAT program, I had grandiose plans of using the blog to build my digital presence in an academic sense. This goal aligns with Dron and Anderson’s (2014) idea of building a web of connections and learning from those within those connections. However, as the program persisted, my time decreased. Still today, there sits several drafts on my WordPress site waiting for me to complete and publish. Being able to share in academic, informal discussions online is still a goal, one I hope to develop once this program is complete. I find the ability to access various perspectives and experiences in the education field is not something to be squandered. 

Some skills I have developed on this journey could be described as a tougher skin. In actuality, this is more of an appreciation of critical discourse and the ability to adjust my practice according to new, academically supported ideas (Dron & Anderson, 2014). Over the past two years, I have become more comfortable and less self-critical of sharing my ideas online. I also value the opportunity to build my digital capacity in various tools (Beetham, 2015). But, as we all know, the tools change and we need to keep learning.

As part of recognizing my growth, is also the recognition of success. Firstly, my evaluation of success depends on my personal goals. I value and feel I have met goals such as “social capital” (Tsiplakides, 2018; Dron & Anderson, 2014) and building a collective (Dron & Anderson, 2014). There are also professional goals, in my role within a BC School District I need to model the capabilities and value in a positive digital presence (Lowenthal et al., 2016). Therefore, I hope to transfer my RRU blog to a professional, public blog in order to continue the professional dialogue and community. 

References

Beetham, H. (2015, Nov 10). Building capability for new digital leadership, pedagogy and efficiency [blog post].

Dron, J, & Anderson, T. (2014). Teaching Crowds. Athabasca University Press.

Lowenthal, P. R., Dunlap, J. C., & Stitson, P. (2016). Creating an intentional web presence: strategies for every educational technology professional. Techtrends : Linking Research and Practice to Improve Learninga Publication of the Association for Educational Communications & Technology, 60(4), 320–329. https://doi.org/10.1007/s11528-016-0056-1

Tsiplakides, I. (2018). Social Inclusion and Equity in Modern Information and Knowledge Societies. Journal of Sociology and Anthropology, 2(1), p.9-13. doi: 10.12691/jsa-2-1-2.