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