Week 12 - Last Reflection

Hi Everyone,

Time has flown by this semester and it marks the last week of ADED 1P32.  With that being said, this will be my last blog post related to this course.  In this final post, I will talk about my digital footprint, what I have learned, and being a better digital citizen.

Before starting this course, my digital footprint consisted of my LinkedIn page.  My name on Google is associated with a basketball player that has turned into a journalist.  After Googling my name again after this course, I get the same results.  Despite being active and posting in the digital world during the time of this course, I get the same results because the basketball journalist is so popular.  Until I make a name for myself, it will continue to be that way.  Despite not finding a large digital footprint after this course, at least I know everything is positive.

This course has focused on digital citizenship, something that I wasn't really familiar with.  I have always tried to learn from the digital world but stayed away from posting.  The most important takeaway from this course for me is netiquette.  Again, I can't stress enough how things you post directly represents you.  I will continue to  be respectful online and promote others to give positive feedback.  Before the course, I stayed away from posting online because it would become a part of my footprint.  However, there can be many things in your digital footprint that you are unaware of which is why it's important to make intellectual posts and make it positive.

This course has also taught me new tools that I can use to communicate and collaborate with others.  Most of the tools that we learned about I had never even heard of.  Now, I know there is so much available to me online and at my disposal.  Take a look at my PLE after the course below compared to my Week 2 Post!

Overall, I feel like I have learned a lot about the digital world and have a better understanding of tools such as blogs.  I never saw the benefit but now I hope to continue posting in the future!

Thanks for a great course!

-Mark

Week 11 - Webcasting

Hi Everyone,

This week we looked at Webcasting tools.  Webcasting is used to describe the process of sharing your own voice in an audio file shared in a Podcast, Screenshot, or on Youtube.  The tool that I explored most was Podcasts because of the popularity of them in sports.  I like Podcasts because they provide knowledge with individual opinions and a more personal experience.

Retrieved from Google Images

This was the first time that I experimented with creating a Podcast despite having to listened to many over the past few years.  Please check out my first short Podcast on Copyrights in Music: Mark Titus- Music Copyrights.

            

In addition to exploring Podcasts, I tried using creative tools such as Muziboo, Soundcloud, RecordMP3, and Garageband.  The most important aspect of using creative tools is copyrights.  These tools can be used to upload files such as music and share with the digital world.  I tried to explore tools such as Muziboo and RecordMP3, however they have been shutdown due to several lawsuits for copyrights.  Take a look at the explanation and how Muziboo blamed the music industry: Muziboo Blames Music Industry.

Garageband is a great tool for creating Podcasts that convert to MP3 files that can be shared.  I found Garageband very easy to use and it is a great way to share your knowledge through a Podcast.  I have always been more interested in listening to Podcasts but creating might be something I think about moving forward.

As for my PLE, I would include all of these tools including Podcasts, Garageband, and Soundcloud in my Creating category.  All of these tools allow you to create content for learning.  I could also see Podcasts and Soundcloud being included in my Socializing category because people are allowed to comment on your content and that involves interaction.

In my Feedly this week, I found an article involving the Sweet Sixteen matchup of Gonzaga vs. UCLA in NCAA March Madness.  The best part of this article is Kevin Pangos referred to as"Baby Steve Nash" of Gonzaga.  I grew up with Kevin and he lives just down the street from me.  It's a big matchup for them tonight and I'll be watching in our small town of Holland Landing.  Check out the article: "Baby Steve Nash and Gonzaga vs UCLA".

Retrieved from ESPN

Thanks for reading!

-Mark

Week 10 - Slideshow Tools and Copyrights

Hey Everyone,

We learned about a few new things this week including Animoto and other slideshow tools.  These tools allow use to share our knowledge in a creative way.  Before this week, I was only aware of PowerPoint and Prezi as Slideshow tolls and had no idea that there were so many others available.  I still have my favourites like PowerPoint and Prezi but I have a better understanding of whats available in the digital world.

Retrieved from: www.thephotographeracademy.com

In addition this week, we learned about copyrights.  Copyrights are the exclusive legal rights given an originator or assignee to print, perform, publish, film, or record literary material or music and to authorize others to do the same.  The readings that stood out to me this week involved remixing.  Remixing is the process of extending someone else's work.  For example, all artists are remixers because something inspired them to create something new.  The Ted Talk comparing Bob Dylans music to others really got me thinking about copyrights because his songs are so similar to others.  Coming from a music background and family, I notice songs that are similar to others when they are released.  Music copyrights are very complicated and only recently have been challenged including Robin Thicke having to pay the Marvin Gaye family for stealing the same melody.  Check out this research: Similar Songs and Possible Copyright Issues.

Copyrights are also an interesting topic in schools.  The number of teachers and professors that don't source material is astonishing.  If they don't do it, how is that leading by example for students?

As for my presentation that I created on Copyrights this week, I used a tool called Animoto. Animoto is a cloud-based video creation service that produces video from photos, video clips, and music.  I enjoyed using Animoto for the first time because it is a unique way to create a slideshow and brings photos to life. It reminds me of Prezi when I explored it a few weeks earlier. This would be a great tool for presentations at school in a relaxed environment.  For more formal presentations, I would consider using another tool like PowerPoint.  The one issue I had with Animoto was inserting the images into the slideshow.  It only takes certain dimensions and photos come in all shapes and sizes.  It limited what photos I could use because it would crop part of the image.

As for my Feedly this week, I had the opportunity to see my own article!  I covered an article for the Professional Hockey Players' Association on the career of David Leggio.  Remember that goalie that pushed the net off intentionally on a 2-on-none breakaway?  Check out my article: The Underdog Story of David Leggio.

Thanks for reading!

-Mark

Week 9 - Exploring VoiceThread

Hey Everyone,

This week, we were tasked with exploring VoiceThread which allowed us to connect with other students to discuss digital rights and responsibilities.  VoiceThread was new to me and I throughouly enjoyed using it.  It's a great tool for generating discussion on topics or even something as simple as a photo.  VoiceThread adds a personal touch by allowing you to record your voice and it's a nice change from reading text.  I shared this thought with the Twitter world and got a retweet from VoiceThread!

If you haven't had a chance to check out VoiceThread, I reccomend it.  Personally, I gain the most knowledge when interacting and starting a debate.  It allows individuals to learn from one another.  VoiceThread would be a tool that I could use for learning from the opinions and evidence that others provide.  In lectures, I remember knowledge easier from when the professor talks about it rather than the slides.


Before the start of this course, I didn't have a grasp for digital rights or responsibilities.  However, I realized that they have always been around.  For example, we looked at Acceptable Use Policies or AUP's which are an agreement for acceptable behaviour on the web.  These are important for learning in schools because it limits the dangers for children including inappropriate websites or explicit images.  I remember being in elementary school and hating when game sites were blocked but it made me more productive.  At the time, I thought teachers were just being mean but I know they were being a good digital citizen.

Speaking of schools, don't forget to get involved in my blog discussion involving cameras in classrooms.  Take a look: Scenario 13: Cameras in Classrooms.

As for my Feedly this week, let's celebrate St. Patricks day and look at how the Kalamazoo Wings celebrated by playing on green ice.  It has been a tradition for the team since 1982!

Check out the video of the team making it green: Green Ice for St Patty's Day.

Hope you enjoyed my thoughts this week!

-Mark

Week 9 - Technology Use Scenario 13

Hey Everyone,

I'm using this post to generate a dicussion regarding one of the scenarios in the textbook Digital Citizenship in Schools by Mike Ribble (2011).  A major issue in schools has always been the safety of students and teachers.  This situation is interesting because it takes safety to a new level.

Scenario 13

Dr. Brown, principal at Bluebird Elementary School, is concerned with safety in his school, both for his staff and for students. During the summer, Dr. Brown had cameras installed in each of the classrooms. The video from each of these cameras is viewable on the Internet, so that parents can check on their students’ classes during the day. Some parents are concerned that because these cameras are connected to the Internet, other people could also use them to “spy” on their children.

For this scenario, let's assume that the school board would allow Dr. Brown to install the cameras in the classroom.  This takes safety to a whole new level in schools.  I don't understand why the principle would install cameras in the classrooms from a parents and teachers perspective.  Parents have a legitimate concern with the video on the internet and it seems like a "Big Brother" situation.  It seems creepy to have a live stream of video in a classroom.  As a teacher, your responsible for controlling the class and there should be trust between the principle and teachers for them to do their job.  If your concerned about the safety in the school, put the cameras in the hallways and if necessary hire security.

I think Dr. Brown's actions are inappropriate, but what are your thoughts?

-Mark

Week 8 - Exploring Wikis

Hello Everyone,

This week we got to look at Wikis which are another Web 2.0 technology like blogs.  A Wiki is a website that anyone can edit easily using a web browser.  When I think of a wiki, I think of Wikipedia which is a collaborative web-based encyclopedia compiled, edited, and updated by millions of people.

The most interesting part about learning about Wikis this week was the discussion of them in education.  Growing up, we were told never to use Wikipedia for definitions because they were unreliable.  I remember fooling around with some pages on Wikipedia when I was younger so hopefully I can be forgiven for that!  However, Wikis are a great tool for teachers and students that can help build knowledge.  Since Wikis are public, it is an incentive for the individual to do things the right way.  I've never seen the value of using Wikis but after this week, I can see that they are more useful than a blog.  Blogs are used to express opinions and comments allow for responses but Wikis have a more open structure and allow individuals to add to what has been written or change it.  Wikipedia has had a major impact on learning.  It is always looked at as an easy way for students to plagiarize but students used to copy from books before.  Wikis allow for speed and convenience.

Wikis have the ability to support learning by enabling and promoting group collaboration.  For example a student makes a page that has the information that he/she knows.  A classmate can then go to the page and add to the page with more information and add more detail.  Through the video Wikis in Plain English, it describes a way that Wikis could be used when planning a camping trip.  I could see myself using this tool for planning an event and collaborating with other people.  It simplifies the way and allows people to add to a document instead of sending numberous emails without keeping track of what needs to be done.

In addition, this week we looked at mind-mapping tools to show the important things that create digital rights and responsibilities.  As a digital user, it is important to understand the rights and responsibilities that are at play.  The ones that I think are most important are respect, properly citing sources, and reporting cyberbullying.  There are a few other aspects as seen in the mind map that I created.



As for my Feedly this week, I'm continuing with the interesting promotions by minor professional hockey teams.  The Southern Professional Hockey League's Columbus Cottonmouths held a social media night to try to engage fans and sell more tickets.  What made it so unique? The team wore selfie jerseys that had pictures of fans on them.  They took the pictures that fans submitted with the #snakeselfie from Instagram, Twitter, and Facebook and put them on the jerseys.  Take a look for yourself!

I think that this is really creative and uses the technology that every fan uses daily allows for more interaction between the team and fans.  For more pictures and the article: Columbus Cottonmouths Selfie Jersey Promotion.

Hope you enjoyed my thoughts on this weeks material!

-Mark

Week 7 - Google Docs

Hi Everyone,

This week we explored the useful tool of Google Docs.  Like most of the tools that we have learned about this semester, it is new to me once again.  After playing around with creating a document and presentaton, it is basically the same as Microsoft Word and Powerpoint.  It is very easy to use because of previous experience with other similar applications.  In the past, I have always sent documents as attachments but Google Docs has changed my way of thinking after watching the Google Docs in Plain English Video that can be found below.

I never saw email attachments as an unorganized way to send documents.  For work, instead of sending a document and waiting until the person edits it and sends it back, they can just edit it and the changes are made for all to see.  Time is wasted managing attachments and edited versions can get lost.  From previous experience, I know that I have sent the wrong edited attachment and had to go back and fix my mistake.  Since there's only one document through Google Docs, there is no confusion about which is the lastest version.  Google Docs would be perfect for sharing documents for school or work.

As for my PLE, Google Docs would be in two categories including Creating and Organizing.  I will be able to create the documents and stay organized by never losing the most updated version.

In addition, this week for our Google Docs presentation we had to use TodaysMeet.  It was a great tool to use to communicate with my partner and split work up for what needed to be done for the presentation.  It's basically a chatroom that allows you to send messages to each other.  It only allows for 140 characters which I found at times to be too short to convey the message that I wanted.

Lastly, an interesting article was in my Feedly about the 2015 NHL Entry Draft.  This years draft includes Connor McDavid and Jack Eichel.  Both players have the ability to change the future of a franchise.  As the standings sit now, the Buffalo Sabres have 20% odds of receiving the first overall pick followed by Edmonton at 13.5%.  But what would be the best for hockey?  This article examines the Most Intriguing Landing Spots for McDavid and Eichel.  As a Toronto Maple Leafs fan it would be nice to see McDavid land in Toronto and help fix the Leafs playoff woes.  But how about if Eichel was then drafted by Buffalo?  It would be a Canadian (McDavid) with a Canadian team Vs. an American (Eichel) with an American team.  It could translate to Canada Vs. America in the eyes of fans rather than just Mcdavid Vs. Eichel.


Thanks for reading!

Mark

Week 6 - Evernote

Hi Everyone,

Last week we were introduced to a new digital tool called Evernote.  I heard of Evernote a few years ago through the App Store because it was recommended for a productivity tool.  However, I didn't give it a try then so this was my first time.  Evernote is used to store documents, record audio, and capture pictures.  It helps with organization and can save time sourcing and finding articles.  The attribute that I like about Evernote is how it saves and synchronizes your digital life across all devices.  It makes it easy and convenient.

The main purpose when Evernote first came out was for note taking. After exploring Evernote, I disliked the setup of the notes and the notebook.  I found it difficult to create and put the notes into the correct folders.  This may be caused by being unfamilar with it and it consumed valuable time.  I just don't see a purpose for taking notes in this application when I can use Microsoft Word that is used by every organization in the world.

A benefit of Evernote is being shown through our assignment with partners.  It allows us to share information with each other and see what each other has done for research.  By creating a folder entitled "Digital Communication", I can save all of my research related to the topic in the folder.  It ensures that we don't overlap with our reserach and saves us from being counter productive.  Evernote is a great tool for students because of the web-clipping tool that saves articles in the application.  It is similar to bookmarking like we have talked about in previous weeks.  I think Evernote is useful for our colaborative assignment but I don't see the use for it outside of school... Maybe someone can prove me wrong.

As for where Evernote fits into my PLE, I would place it in either Organizing or Creating.  I'm leaning towards organizing because I like it more for organizing articles/sources than for creating notes.  Realistically, I only see myself using this tool for our assignment so it won't be in my PLE for long.

My Feedly this week had an interesting article that involved Washington Capitals' Alexander Ovechkin.  Remember how Ovechkin was lobbying to be picked last so he could win the car in the NHL All-Star Draft? Well it turns out that the car actually wasn't for him and it was pretty inspiring to see what his intent actually was.  He auctioned off a car that had the proceeds benefit the American Special Hockey Association.  It all started with his bond with 10-year-old Ann Schaab.  It's always nice to see professional athletes giving back.  For the whole story: Ovechkin Donates Car to Charity.

Hope you enjoyed my thoughts this week and enjoy the rest of reading week!

Mark

Week 5 - Twitter and PLN

Hello Everyone,

This week, we got to create a twitter account and explore the tool widely used by people and organizations around the world.  I haven't had a personal account in the past but have managed a few organizations twitter so I still had access to the tool.  Twitter has changed the way that we live as seen through the article: How Twitter Will Change the Way We Live by Steven Johnson.  A key point in this article is that the value of twitter is that you can engage real people with real questions in real time about your profession and interests.  It doesn't matter what part of the world that you are from.  Twitter also adds to discussion because it reaches a wider audience instead of just being a private exchange.

I am familiar with Twitter through my work experience so exploring it as an individual was different.  Twitter is the best alternative to Google for information because it is a mix of social networks, live seraching, and link sharing.  News updates can be released instantaneously and we can see them in our feeds.  The best feature of Twitter is the ability to hastag and group a topic.  This can be great for educational purposes because you can find everything new related to that topic because of the hashtag.  The #aded1p32 will allow me to find everyone that is talking about the class and I can learn from what they are sharing.

In addition  Twitter and my PLN (Personal Learning Network or Professional Learning Network) will add to my knowledge and learning.  Everyone's network is going to look different depending on their interests but I find that I am motivated when interested in the subject.  Through my connections made on Twitter and in my PLN that includes other social networking such as Linkedin, Facebook, and Blogs, I can engage and exchange information that I wouldn't have seen if I didn't have a digital footprint.  As for Twitter in my PLE from Week 2, I have Twitter as a socializing tool.  After exploring Twitter this week, it could also be categorized as Creating with all of the tweets that I send out and it could also be used as a career tool.  I can get up to date information on the sport industry and could possibly help me find future opportunities!

Lastly, I wanted to share an interesting article from my Feedly.  The NHL has undergone many rule changes over the past decade and it is always debated how the game can be improved.  This article by the Hockey Writers proposes 15 rule changes to the NHL.  Some suggestions are ridiculous such as allowing two goalies in the net at once but one makes sense.  Number 7 on the list suggests eliminating the shootout and replacing it with 3 on 3 overtime.  I agree with eliminating the shootout but I like the system that the AHL has put into place this season with three minutes of four-on-four play and a shift to three on three at the first whistle after 3 minutes.  It makes for some exciting hockey and allows the game to finish on a hockey play.

Check out the 15 Crazy Rule Changes the NHL Needs and for more info on the AHL rule change results, check out the AHL Results.

Hope you enjoyed my thoughts on this weeks material!

Mark

Week 4 - Content Curation Reflection

Hi Everyone,

This week, we were asked to explore content curation and bookmarking tools. I chose to explore Diigo, Google Alerts, and Paper.li.  First of all, Content curation sorts through information on the web and presents it in an organized way on a specific topic.  The curation tools allow for a library of related topics to be built that continues to be updated from content online.  People and organizations now create and share media on the web and a content curator is valuabe when seeking quality content.  In the past, I used to bookmark websites to keep track of sites that were important to me but now most of the sites I visit daily are on my most visited list.  I haven't needed to bookmark sites as much as I used to.  Content curation will have the ability to add to my professional development.  With so much information available online, it is easy to learn from this information and acquire knowledge.  By being an effective content curator, I will be able to stay informed about my field and learn more skills for my job.  The web has so much information that isn't always reliable but curation helps with that issue.

Diigo is a bookmarking tool used to save websites and pages.  Diigo is unique because it can be used on multiple devices including laptops, androids, iphones, and tablets.  Instead of being saved on one device, everything is saved on the cloud that is easily accessible.

The best feature that I liked about Diigo was the highlight and Sticky note options.  Being able to highlight the important aspects of a source and take notes would be great for university.  I'm used to finding resources including academic sources for papers and taking hand-written notes.  I also would have to manually find the article again and source it.  Diigo would allow keeping track of sources easier and possibly create better learning.  In addition, having bookmarks available on every device can save time by not having to search each time and also allow for more learning with devices on the go.

Also this week, we were asked to research curation tools and choose one ot two to explore.  Personally, I'm a fan of Google Alerts because it sends me alerts related to the keywords that I input.  Part of my current internship involves sharing articles on professional hockey players so by using the keywords "AHL", "ECHL", "PHPA", "NHL", and "Professional Hockey Players' Association", I am able to find content to share with our followers.  In addition, I also tried Paper.li because I thought creating a newspaper with information from the web would be exciting.  After exploring, I decided that this tool isn't for me because I like to be a user and have information delivered to me rather then search for articles, create a newspaper and share it.  It just seems like a waste of time when I could be exploring more.

These curation tools could be in my education and career tools of my PLE.  They make it easy to find reliable sources for school, and allow news to be delivered related to my field and work.  I currently use Google Alerts to tweet articles that would benefit my followers.

Lastly, checking out my Feedly reader today, I found an interesting promotion being held by the Brampton Beast of the ECHL.  The Toronto Maple Leafs have been in the news alot lately with their poor performance.  Fans haven't been happy and have shown it by throwing jerseys onto the ice which resulted in three fans getting charged.  The background to this story can be found here: Three Fans Charged After Throwing Jerseys Onto Ice.  Now back to the Brampton Beast, who are holding a "Toss Your Jersey" night that takes place on February 5th when they host the Allen Americans.  The plan is for the jerseys to be thrown onto the ice after the first goal is scored by the Beast.  Each sweater will be donated to a local minor hockey league for children aged 4-14.  The Moss Park Hockey League allows children the opportunity to play for free and they could use the jerseys to cover costs of the league.  It's interesting that the Beast are taking advantage of the Leafs problems and it is a creative promotion.  So what happens if the Beast get shutout?  I guess that's another reason to throw the jerseys...

I hope you enjoyed the curation tools that we learned about this week.

Mark

Week 3 - Report and Reflection

Hello Everyone,

This week was all about RSS Feeds and being introduced to Feedly.  This was my first experience with RSS Feeds and they are a great tool to stay up to date with news.  They are a way to keep track of your favourite websites in one feed.  It involves subscribing to online news which is then continuously updated and delievered to you.  What a time saver!

In the past, you had to manually bookmark your favourite websites for news and visit them.  After reading "What is RSS?," it doesn't make sense to waste time to find articles by searching the web.

After setting up my RSS feed using Feedly,  I have already saved time and found articles that I wouldn't have discovered.  One item on my Feedly that I found interesting has already been highlighted in my blog entitled "My Experience with RSS Feeds."

After checking my feed daily, there are many articles that have provided me with knowledge that I wouldn't have discovered so easily.  For example, the Brock News highlighted Milan Doczy, a member of the Brock University's Men's Hockey team.  I don't know him personally however I have friends on the team and my previous TA was his billet.  I heard that Doczy had cancer but I didn't know the whole story behind what was going on.  Doczy is from Czech Republic and had to leave his parents behind in order to persue his hockey dream in the OHL.  This is what many teenagers have to go through and it can be tough.  He then chose to attend Brock and unfortunately got diagnosed with cancer.  Being from Czech Republic, he doesn't get the benefits of the Canadian Health System.  He needs the support of fellow students and the hockey community in order to raise funds for his treatment!  I can't imagine being in his circumstances and the Owen Sound Attack and the Brock Community are making strides to help through the "Do it for Doczy" Campaign.

For more information on how you can help, read this article: Brock Set to Rally Behind "Do it for Doczy".

My RSS Feed provides me with reading to enhance my knowledge of current events and news.  You can never have too much information.  It was time consuming looking for articles that interest me online but now they are easily accessible.  Feedly is a great tool for up to date information.  It will help by being a career tool and enhance my socializing in my PLE.  My current internship involves researching hockey related articles and sharing them online so this tool will help find articles.  It will also provide knowledge that I could use to communicate in the community.

Hope you enjoyed my thoughts and articles this week!

Mark

Week 3 - My Experience with RSS Feeds

Hello Everyone,

This week, we learned about RSS Feeds and built our own.  In the past, I woud always go to websites to find news but now my RSS feed allows the news to get delivered to me.

Most news that I check daily is related to sports particularily hockey and baseball.  One feed that I like to follow are The Hockey Writers because they cover interesting developments in the NHL.  One post that I would like to share with everyone is by Craig Hagerman, titled "NHL to Start Using Tracking Chips in Pucks and Jerseys."  This post is interesting because it is a new innovation for the NHL that has been shown at this years NHL All-Star game in Columbus.

Copied from: www.nhl.com

The NHL has experiemented with technology in previous All-Star games including the glow puck which was a complete failure because fans hated it.  Here is what it looked like: Glow Puck Footage

This year, there has been a huge emphasis on advanced statistics so having tracking technoloy of players on the ice can have many benefits to coaches and scouts.

Will this advancement be accepted and implemented in the NHL?  Only time will tell...  In the meantime, take a look at the article and feel free to share your thoughts!

Enjoy,

Mark

Week 2 - My Personal Learning Environment

Hello Everyone,

This week we were asked to envision ourselves in 5-10 years and reflect on our PLE.  It is difficult to pinpoint exactly what I will be doing in 5-10 years but I have an idea of what I want to do based on my interests and passion for sport.  Ideally, I want to be working for a professional sports team in hockey or baseball because I excel in team environments.  As a current Sport Management student, I have a long path to achieve this vision, starting with graduating with my honours and gaining valuable experience along the way.

These experiences will provide me with the skills and connections to achieve my goal.  There is nothing more important in the sport industry than gaining experience, making connections, and learning from those connections first-hand.  My current environment for learning involves balancing school with an internship.  Overall, I think I could make more connections and get more involved in my environment.  As for my habits, I continue to work hard and give my best effort while gaining experience but I think that I could be more social in person and online to get my name out there.  It is important to get positive exposure because it can create opportunities.  In the past, I haven't had much of an online presence but I may have to change that.

Now moving on to the dicussion of PLE and PLN. After reading " What the Heck is a PLE and Why Do I want One?", it was easy to understand what a PLE is.  A PLE is a personal learning environment that is a system that learners manage and control.  PLE's are made up of Web 2.0 tools such as web based communities like this blog, along with social networks and wikis.  PLE's allow individuals to build their own preferred learning environment and after creating my own PLE, it includes creating, organizing, socializing, and career tools.

Most students need to use the tools in my creating, organizing, and socializing categories in University.  My career tools that I use are more specific to my career aspirations in sport.  After creating my PLE, I have realized that there is plenty of room to grow as a learner.

This week, I learned the importance of PLE's and PLN's.  These are two closely related terms however PLE enables the PLN.  PLN stands for Personal Learning Network and through the content being learned in your own PLE, one can make connections and learn from them.  Through your personal learning tools, you can connect to individuals with the same interests and gain knowledge that they possess. Through Connectivism shown in "Networked Student" video, you can make connections with others and strengthen your learning process.  You are able to learn from the online sharing that the Web has to offer.

Lastly, this week we learned how to use a Word Cloud which is a unique tool that can bring words to life.  Here is my Word Cloud from my blog last week:

Word Cloud has the ability to focus on the key words used in my previous blog.  These words include Positive, Digital, Footprint, Professional, and Netiquette.  It gives a visual which is a nice change from my written blog.

I hope you enjoyed reading this week's blog!

Mark

Week 1 - Digital Footprints

Hello Everyone,

This week in ADED, we have focused on digital footprints.  So what exactly does that mean?  A digital footprint is the information on the internet about you.  Everyone has a digital footprint that can create a positive or negative impression of an individual.

During my university career, I have always tried to stay away from creating a digital footprint (i.e. no twitter or blogs).  I was always afraid that it could impact my future by posting my views and opinions on certain subjects.  After watching the video "Digital Dossier" found here:

It shows how digital footprints are created without you even trying to create one.  Employers search backgrounds during hiring processes so it is important as an individual to have a positive digital footprint that makes you stand out from all the others.  I have never wanted to share my views online because as it is stated in an article by "djainslie" entitled "Maintaing a Positive Digital Footprint", everything published on the web is there forever for anyone to see.  The important takeaway is to keep posts professional so it doesn't hinder your reputation and future. 

Everyone should want to have a positive digital footprint and I will continue to have a professional presence.  Upon completing the Digital Footprint Scavenger Hunt, I conducted a Google search for my name and besides a prominent American basketball player and author, my Linkedin was a top result.  The professional attitude is also demonstrated in the article Netiquette by Virginia Shea.  The ability to have Netiquette can create a positive digital footprint by staying professional and not offending anyone.

Upon completion of the Digital Driver's License Exam found in the textbook, my knowledge for digital citizenship was reinforced and I had a greater understanding of the elements that create it.  I was able to score high on the exam and the categories of "Digital Commerce" and "Digital Law" were the most intriguing to me.  As I went through the questions for these two categories, it required a deeper thinking because they can be unpredictable with change.

Thanks for reading my thoughts on Digital Footprints!

Mark

Week 0 - Introduction

Hello Everyone,

My name is Mark Titus and this will be my first blog.  I have always been interested in blogs that have included sports and business but I have never been involved in creating one.  The purpose of my blog will be to provide weekly discussion and insights each week for ADED 1P32 - Learning in Digital Contexts.  I will be responding to questions from my instructor and hopefully create some great discussion.

Before we get started, let me tell you about myself.  I am currently a fourth year Sport Management student at Brock University.  Growing up, sports were a huge part of my life.  I played competitive hockey and baseball until I reached university, and continue to be an avid professional sports fan.  My passion for sport specifically lies within hockey and baseball.  I have been actively involved with the St. Catharines Jr. B Falcons for the past 3 years and am currently interning in Communications and Business Development with the PHPA (Professional Hockey Players' Association).  The PHPA is the players union responsible for the American Hockey League and ECHL. An interesting fact is that around 88% of current NHL players have played in the AHL.  This past summer I also had the opportunity to work for the Toronto Blue Jays as a part of the Activation Team.  It was great spending the summer in the city and I look forward to going back.

With this being my last year at Brock, I hope to gain more experience in the sports industry and hopefully land a job upon graduation.  My goal is to work in hockey operations and I could also see myself working for a team on the business side including marketing, sponsorship, public relations, or sales.

Over the course of the next 12 weeks, I hope to learn more about the digital world and develop my skills through this course.  This should be a fun class and I look forward to continuing with my first blog.

Thanks for reading!

Mark