Weekly Report and Reflection #5

Hey everyone,

So week 5 has already come to an end.  This week I got to explore Twitter.  Twitter was the one piece of social media that I had never used before, taking this course. The reason I never created an account before was because I found no use in telling people what I was doing during every moment of my day. It has definitely been a learning experience to see the different aspects of the online tool.  The one thing I found most difficult was keeping my tweets within the allotted character limit.  I know the more time I spend exploring twitter I will come to enjoy using it on a daily basis.

I will definitely be adding twitter to my PLE. I feel that it as technology continues to move forward it is important for me to have an understanding of every aspect on how to instantly connect with people all over the world. 

I can honestly say that over the past five weeks I have learned soo much about how to become an active digital citizen that it is becoming hard for me to keep track of all of the new things I am learning, and how little I knew before.  I used to think that I was technological savvy but I barely scratched the surface of how much the internet influences us on a daily basis. 

This week in my feedly I found a few articles that really resonated with me.  The one that had the most interesting information was from collegeblender.com it was titled Textbooks, Computers, and a Tea Pot: Essential Gear of the Successful College Student. (http://www.collegeblender.com/textbooks-computers-and-a-tea-pot-essential-gear-of-the-successful-college-student/)  Even though I am going into my final year of university I can still use some of the tips they give their readers.  The one tip I found especially useful was the one about FREE word processing tools.  I wish I had known about this when I was entering university instead of paying for the entire Microsoft Office Suite.  I will definitely be looking into these for when my student version of Microsoft Office is over. 

I am looking forward to what the coming weeks have in store for me to continue to learn and grow as a digital citizen.

Have a great day

Aarti

Weekly Report & Reflection Blog Post #4

Hey everyone,

So week 4 has come to an end.  This week I got to learn about the importance of bookmarking on the cloud.  I have plenty of book marks on my browser, and they are all separated into a corresponding folder.  However, by learning about DIIGO, and that I could save those bookmarks in a separate place was really interesting.  Tagging is a concept that I had a brief idea about, yet there was so much more for me to learn.  Tags are key words that are found online, in articles, blog posts, and many more platforms.  When a person is looking for information and conducts a search all of the results will contain those words. Tags are also a great way to help find more information that is related to a specific topic.

It is the responsibility of the user to know which information is reliable and which is completely made up by someone.  When it comes to knowing which sources are reliable it takes time to sift through all of the information in front of you.  I can say from experience, I have done a few research papers where I used Google to help me gather information.  Google will give you millions of possible resources for the topic you are searching for.  Though, there may be some useful information it will take time to go through each link trying to figure out what is relevant to the topic. 

After completing the Internet Detective tutorial I learned that doing research is a skill that I need to fine tune for the rest of my educational career.  I knew the basics that there are certain things that anyone can post anything they want online and someone if someone doesn’t know better they could believe it to be true.  What I didn’t know was that the URL of the website will give away the user information on whether it is a reliable source or not.  I had no idea that a web address composed of so many little parts.  The chart under the title What can a URL tell us? on the internet detective tutorial was really informative in breaking down a URL.  (http://www.vtstutorials.ac.uk/detective/urlclues.html)

As the weeks progress I am learning so much more on being an active digital citizen.  I had no idea that there were soo many different resources for people to collaborate and categorize information.  I am looking forward to continuing my journey on gaining digital literacy as the weeks progress. 

Have a great day!

Aarti 

Week 3 Reflection Activity

Hey everyone,

So another week has come to an end.  This week I learned about the usefulness of RSS readers.  They are definitely convenient for all of the blogs that we read.  In this post I will specifically be talking about a post I came across through the blog College Bender.  The post was titled Why a Graduate Certificate Might Be a Better Be Than a Master’s Degree. (link to the post http://www.collegeblender.com/graduate-certificate/)  I read this article because as my undergrad years come to an end I have to start thinking about my future and I was definitely considering going to get my MBA after I completed my BBA. After reading this I am now wondering if getting a Masters would be beneficial for me or if I should just go into the work force and get my CPA. I know that there are many one year certificate programs available and I can always complete them later in life.  This article has opened my eyes to the different paths that I can take. 

While reading news articles on how the entering the work field has become more competitive many places have said that having a masters is considered the new undergrad degree. Whereas before it was undergrad degrees were more valued than high school diplomas.  People these days are continuing to educate themselves for a better future as times are changing. 

As the article mentions completing a certificate is less costly than a master’s degree, and that to me is going to be a major deciding point.  School is expensive and deciding to continue on with higher education and adding more debt to get a chance of a higher paying job versus getting an introductory job and working your way up the company ladder are decisions that need to be made. 

I feel that technology has opened many more doors for everyone on helping make decisions.  This post has given me more information to take into consideration and when it’s time for me to make my choice of furthering my education or getting a job I can make an informed one. 

Have a great day!

Aarti 

My Experience with RSS Feeds

Hey everyone,

So it’s onto week 3 of activities. This post will be about the infamous RSS Feeds.  Over the past years as blogs were becoming more popular and I started readings various ones, going back to them on a weekly basis was getting a bit tedious.  There were times when I would forget to check a certain blog for new material, then when I finally remembered it there were many new posts that I had to read.  So I started subscribing to them with my email.  I have a folder set up where all blog post related emails go directly into it and can then spend a night going through them, which is soo much simpler.  Little did I know that I could set up an entirely different reader just for all of the blogs that I follow.  So I just signed up for feedly.  I’m excited to see how this works out for me, and especially if I remember to check the site on a regular basis for new posts. 

So currently I have a variety of items on my reader.  I love reading beauty, and style/fashion blogs.  So I have taken the ones where I don’t miss a single post and added them to my reader.  One of my favourite blogs to read is www.lisaeldrige.com/blog.  The author of the blog is a professional makeup artist in London, England.  I originally came across her through Youtube videos. She has been working in the industry for many years, and is now the creative director of Lancome Paris.  One of my favourite posts of hers that I have read is http://www.lisaeldridge.com/blog/25880/the-beauty-pioneers-helena-rubinstein/#.VVUJpflViko This post goes over how one lady (Helena Rubinstein) knew the power of intelligent marketing and beautiful packaging to get women to purchase various items. 

I will continue to read blogs it’s just a matter of how I read them, whether its going to the various blogs, in my email or on the reader. 

Have a great day!

Aarti 

Week 2 Reflection Activity

Hey Everyone!

So its onto week 2 of activities for my online course. Wow time is flying by. So this week we went over the various PLE's (Personal Learning Equipment)  that we use in our daily lives and as students. After watching various presentations on PLE I didn't realize that it consists of every form of technology and websites that I use on a daily basis even if it is just to pass time.

Going through the various resources we were given I have come to learn that everything I do online has an impact on my PLE. Below I have posted my current PLE, Yes, I know that right now it is small and basic, however over the coming weeks I am excited to have it grow as I learn about more tools that are available online.

Kapoor, A. (CC) 2015

After completing this I was surprised that I only use a handful of the tools that are available online. Over the coming days I will definitely be going over some of the tools to see just how well I know them and will be adding to my PLE.  

After the PLE I went on to look at word clouds.  This was a fun activity, since I took my previous post and it took the words and made them various sizes.  Every time I changed the type of font it would give a new arrangement of words.  Then onto changing the colours that were available.  I personally didn't like any of the predetermined combinations so I created my own.  So playing with different number combinations to see what colour they gave was where I spent a majority of my time.  I was happy with a combination of teals and greens. I have the word cloud posted below.  

Kapoor, A (CC) 2015

  So this completes week 2. I can't wait to see what the coming weeks have in store for me to learn.  

Have a great day!

Aarti

Week 1 Reflection Activity

Hey everyone!

So this is post is going to be a reflection on what I have learned over the past week.  When it comes to having a digital footprint I think that now days it is really important to have one, not only for personal reasons but for professional ones as well.  There are two types of footprints that can be left in the digital world, one being passive and the other being active.  At the end of the day I would like to leave an active positive footprint online.  A positive footprint is one that is an extension of yourself and allows your strengths to be shown. 

Netiquette is defined as the correct or acceptable way of communicating online.  There is a definite relationship between netiquette and a positive footprint.  If you know how to conduct yourself online it becomes easier to leave a positive legacy behind.  We spend so much time online, interacting with friends and family and conducting business.  It is soo important that we know how to interact with others properly and in a professional manner. 

With the internet becoming such an important part of your lives these days, I think that it is important to educate everyone on how to properly conduct themselves online, and when using the internet is appropriate, since it at our fingertips all the time.

After taking the Secondary Digital Driver’s License Exam, there were only two areas where I need to improve.  The first area being digital commerce and the other being digital security. 

When it comes to digital commerce I need educate myself on how to conduct various transactions online.  I personally don’t like to buy things online, that’s because I like to see the product before I spend my money on it.  I will however go online to see product reviews and comparisons between different brands.  When it comes to online shopping I’m weary about the security of the transaction going through.  It’s so easy for people’s identities to be stolen and compromised with just their credit card number being taken.

The second area that I need to gain more information on is digital security.  There are many ways that to protect yourself when leaving your digital footprint behind.  Like I mentioned earlier it is easy for your identity to be taken.  Also technology can be hacked and compromised.  We conduct everything online from online banking to connecting with friends and family.  I can say from my own experience that I tend to have the worst luck with technology and that no matter what I do to protect myself my computers always catch some sort of virus and I lose all of my documents.  I think that knowing how to protect yourself online is important and will come in handy. 

Overall I think that education on how to conduct yourself online is very important.  I am hoping that over the coming weeks I will learn ways to keep a positive digital footprint, and gain knowledge on digital commerce and security. 

Have a great day

Aarti 

Introduction to Blogging

Hello Everyone,

My name is Aarti and this blog will be my documentation through an online course.  During the coming weeks I am hoping to learn proper ways of online communication.  With technology constantly changing taking this class will definitely help me in finding ways to keep up with the changes.  As well as staying professional in all of my communications moving forward.

With technology we have everything at our fingertips.  On whether that is looking up information or seeing what friends are up to. Technology and the internet have become such a major aspect of our lives these days and I feel that it is important to know how to conduct oneself on this medium of interactions.  I am constantly sending emails to friends and colleagues and knowing how to get the proper emotions through in those emails can be difficult, since text is so neutral and it all depends on how the person at the other end perceives your message. 

Another major thing that has changed over the years is ones online presence.  Now days people are constantly posting their thoughts on various social media platforms (Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram), not realizing that what they post is going to be online forever. So any future employer, and or co-worker can look them up and see their various messages.  For me I feel as though posting every little thing about how your day is going, and if you are upset over something can become very unprofessional in the aspect that it could harm their career.  When I make any post I always take a minute to think if this is something that I want to be public and if I am okay with it being online for the rest of my life.  I am working towards my CPA designation and I feel that employers can go and do a google search of your name to see how you represent yourself on a daily basis and if you do get hired by that company will have a good representation of them in your personal interactions. 

Being present online is also a great way to network with other individuals in the same field of work as you.  Since I am a student and am going into my final year of university I am using LinkedIn to network with individuals who have graduated from Brock University in my program and are currently in the position that I hope to be in.  It also shows other positions in companies that they have held to help me see various career paths can help me reach my career goals. 

Another reason having an online presence is so important today is that it can connect people from all over the world in one common place, whether that be for personal or professional reasons.

So over the next few weeks I am hoping to learn how to create an online presence and have it be an extension of me while still being professional so it does not hinder my future career. 

Have a great day

Aarti