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When I first created my resident–visitor map earlier in the course, I mostly viewed digital presence as a way of organizing and understanding how I used different technologies. At the time, I focused mainly on identifying which platforms felt more “visitor” or “resident” based on how often I used them and whether I maintained an ongoing identity within those spaces.

Looking back on that map now, I realize my understanding of digital presence has become much more nuanced over the duration of LRNT521. I also realize how interconnected many parts of my digital life really are. Initially, I thought of my academic, professional, technical, and personal spaces as mostly separate. However, throughout the course I began noticing how much overlap exists between these areas. Platforms like LinkedIn, ChatGPT, GitHub, and my WordPress blog all connect to multiple aspects of my identity at the same time.

I also became more aware of how strongly institutional systems shape my digital presence. As both an instructor and graduate student, much of my online participation takes place through platforms such as Teams, Moodle, Zoom, Outlook, and Azure DevOps. Earlier in the course, I mostly viewed these as practical tools that supported communication and workflow. By Week 9, I had started thinking more critically about how these environments influence participation, visibility, and even professional identity. The readings and discussions around surveillance, privacy, and digital footprints made me realize that participation in digital learning environments often involves ongoing data collection and visibility that can easily become normalized.

Another area where my thinking evolved was around generative AI. At the beginning of the course, I approached AI cautiously and mainly used it for brainstorming, organization, and proofreading. As the course progressed, I became more comfortable using AI to help organize ideas and challenge my thinking while also becoming more aware of tensions surrounding authenticity, authorship, and academic integrity. I still felt it was important that my reflections and conclusions remained grounded in my own experiences and thinking, but I also began to see AI as part of a broader shift in how people participate, create knowledge, and develop digital identities online. One of the biggest things I learned throughout this course is that digital identity is not something fixed or fully controlled. Instead, it feels more like an ongoing negotiation between personal choices, professional expectations, institutional systems, and the technologies we interact with daily. My understanding of digital presence shifted from simply thinking about the tools I use toward thinking more critically about how participation in digital environments shapes identity, visibility, collaboration, and learning over time.