After the completion of unit 3 readings, I have learned that the opportunities to learn and socialize in continuously growing digital learning environments are ubiquitous (Veletsianos, 2016). This reassured my overall goal of cultivating my digital identity and digital presence (DIDP) plan in which I desire to learn together and establish life-long learning relationships with other stakeholders in the community.
When I created my DIDP plan two weeks ago, I perceived my own digital learning environment as one big network which consist of a few small communities. Understanding the differences in learning context between the structures such as groups, nets, sets, communities, and collectives causes me to realize my digital presence is profoundly residing in the group-net structure like the Program and Project Management Community of Practice at my workplace. I also feel the most comfortable allocating my digital identity in these environments because I can “share a purpose, practice…without the explicit hierarchies, exclusions, and roles of a more defined group” (Dron and Anderson, 2014, p. 80).
As a curious and adventurous learner, I appreciate the flexibility and freedom that networks provide. Networks are informal and great for browsing ideas, connecting different ideas and skills, and “following paths wherever they may lead” (Dron and Anderson, 2014, p. 141). One of the strategies to address the knowledge and gaps in my DIDP plan was to create a personal learning environment using different digital tools and services. Dron and Anderson (2014) support that “learners are also often able to “mashup” their own network tools to create personal learning environments”. Although “networks are uneven” and “networks are uncertain” (Dron and Anderson, 2014, p. 134), networks provide opportunities for creativity, innovations and life-long learning relationships development which are all critical influences for achieving the goals and objectives in my DIDP plan. I anticipate to follow-up on two considerations from this reflection exercise during the rest of the course: 1) Discover network toolsets for establishing my own personal learning environment and 2) Does group transition to network or vice versa?
Dron, J, & Anderson, T. (2014). Teaching Crowds: Learning and social media. Athabasca University Press. https://doi.org/10.15215/aupress/9781927356807.01
Veletsianos, G. (2016). Digital Learning Environments. In The Wiley Handbook of Learning Technology (pp. 242–260). John Wiley & Sons, Inc. https://doi.org/10.1002/9781118736494.ch14
Featured image by Megan Li