Exploring Wiki (Reflection # 8)

During week 8 of ADED 1P32 we were asked to explore a new collaborative tool called Wiki. Wiki is great for creating and sharing content on the web. Wiki's are easy to edit, free, and you do not have to be tech savvy to navigate through. I know it is starting to sound like Blogspot or any other blogging site but they are both very different.  Blogs are more about sharing personal information, writing and multimedia. The comment section is at the bottom and they cannot be altered by another. Wiki on the other hand allows you to see comments/alterations from others that you have shared your page with, there's even a history of all alterations made.

Wiki's are a lot like Google Docs in regards to efficient collaborative work. You are able to see alterations and who they were made by. However unlike Wiki's Google Docs, if you have a gmail account it is a lot easier to work with Google Docs/Slides because of how intertwined and connected google is with other websites. This makes learning a lot easier since Google is connected with many useful sites (YouTube, Blogspot). I personally prefer GoogleDocs, it reminds me of Microsoft Word so it is simple to use and I feel the aesthetics are more appealing to the eye. The only time I would suggest creating a Wiki is if you go not have a Google account, besides that they are similar.

My diagram of Digital Rights & Responsibilities: 

In my Feedly I found an amazing article on the importance of embracing creativeness in schools. With this being an educational class I couldn't help but recall this article as it is so appropriate for today's post. The article explains how we need to change traditional teaching methods and start teaching children how to think outside the box. I feel like GoogleDocs/Slides would be an excellent tool for teachers introduce to the class, this will allow students to be able to generate ideas and see how their creative side progresses. If you're interested: It’s Time to Unleash Creativity in our Schools

Collaborative Learning (Reflection #7)

During Week 7 of ADED 1P32 I was introduced to GoogleDocs(Drive), the ultimate online collaborating tool, whether you are working independently or more importantly in groups. I have enjoyed this weeks tasks involving GoogleDocs, especially creating sample slide presentations and this is a tool I definitely plan on using outside of this course.

What makes GoogleDoc's so great is that it allows you to share your work with others just by creating a gmail account and inviting other gmail users to your work. This is another tool I wish I had known about in the beginning of my university career, it is excellent for peer reviewing; such as adding comments and suggestions where there can be improvement. I cant think about all the times where I have been assigned to a group and it was nearly close to impossible to meet up and work together due to schedule differences, with GoogleDocs you make offline work online work making it viewable at anytime to any group member.

I cant believe the amount of online tools that are so accessible ever since taking this course. So far I would have to say, the tools that I will definitely be keeping are GoogleDocs, Evernote, and Feedly. As for the others I'm not quite sure yet, I guess I'll use this chance with the Collaborative Assignment to explore them further.

With exams just around the corner and the snow beginning to melt its important to keep a healthy balance of focusing on your school work, but also on yourself. We had a pretty harsh Winter this year, I know I had a lot of friends struggle with seasonal depression, but luckily it looks like Spring is almost here. So if you are still shaking out of hibernation mode here are Five Things Happy People Do Before Getting Out Of Bed. Here are a few little life hacks to start your day on the right foot!

Introducing Evernote! (Reflection #6)

For the longest time in Apple's app homescreen I would see the little green elephant app Evernote, and it wasnt until this week did I really understand what the app was used for and why it was so popular. Evernote is an online 'cloud' that captures multiple forms of information, organizes and shares your notes, and allows you to search your notes by keywords, titles, or tags ('Introduction to Evernote'. Buffy Hamilton, Sept 2010).  I'm in love with it, I wish I knew about it in my earlier University years.

Before exploring Evernote I created an accont and an important quality that the website wanted you to know was how portable this tool is, all you need to do is make one account and you can access all of your saved documents in any device; whether it be via Internet Explorer, downloaded software for your Mac or PC, or even through mobile devices (apps). This is a students dream, I cant tell you how many times I have had a USB key fail on me, or a file document not open in an e-mail I sent to myself. All of your information is saved in a cloud. As long as you remember your login information you're safe.

This app gets even better... If you given a group assignment Evernote would be an excellent tool for group productivity. Sometimes its difficult to set up a time and location to meet up with your group, through Evernote you could create Notebooks filled with information in regards to your given assignment. You can then send an email to your group peers and communicate via Internet/Evernote Notebook, whether it be through your mobile device, tablet, or computer. Its the best tool for group work.

Evernote falls under the category of 'Education' for my PLE. Scholarly articles, images, journal articles, and blogs can be easily saved in your cloud, and can be refered to anywhere at any time. If you are running short of time, you can go to the 'search' option and enter keywords that relate to specific notebooks. Talk about conveniency.

Since my group assignment is about Digital Health and Wellness, here is an article that I found on my Feedly: The Advancement of Technology...This App says it can help ones health/well bein, but I am still skeptical. Im going to look into this more - tell me what you think!

Constructing My PLN (Reflection #5)

Finally! PLN that I am familiar with!

During week 5 the primary focus was on contructing your own PLN (Personal Learning Network) by creating an account on Twitter. A PLN is a group of people that share or collect information through the internet. I had fun this week expanding my PLN. I've already had an account on Twitter but it was nice to create one in which I can share or learn from. My other Twitter account is specifically meant for communicating with frineds so it was exciting to create an account with a sense of purpose.

This week we also were encouraged to explore blogs/twitter accounts of other ADED students and I could not believe the diversity, no one had a wrong answer just different perspectives in  regards to which PLN's worked well, and reasons why it is important to leavea positive digital footprint. In one blog that I had read, I really admired how the student recalled information from the assigned articles, it was like a quick and fun way to refresh my memory, and even strengthened my understanding of PLN's.

This week I really had to step outside my bubble, I'm a relatively introverted/shy person so to be encouraged to comment on other students blogs and add fellow classmates on Twitter was relatively intimidating - but I'm glad I did it. It helped me overcome my shy behaviour which in turn will prepare me to create a Linked In account.

I really enjoyed this week,  it took be a little longer to do because I had to overcome a personal trait but I'm glad I did it.

Until then....
I posted this link on my Twitter account but I cant help but repost it. With this being a Digital based class, this article is a gentle reminder to balance both the Digital world and the actual world...It also made me giggle. From Feedly 11 Pictures That Compare Life Today With How It Used To Be

Curating the Web (Reflection #4)

This week was quite the challenge for me, i was introduced to Bookmarking/Clouds and Content Curation - two tools designed to assist you with your academic needs (or knowledge of personal interests). A Cloud is an online 'bookmarking' site that you must make an account for, that way you can customize, save and store important sites to an online database which allows you access to your saved pages anywhere. You can customize your marked page by adding comments or 'sticky notes' to expand on findings. With this ability to customize important information students or researchers are able to refer back to their bookmarked sites and view the comments made on the sites importance. This makes things like citation or quoting on essays much more effective.

Content Curation is an online tool which filters topics of your choosing and presents you with the most up to date content, the tool i chose in particular was Scoop It. It is similar to Diigo because of the ability of adding comments to articles however, it has more social networking aspects such as linking your content curator to your own Twitter or Facebook account. I can definitely see myself using Scoop It as a tool to contribute to my knowledge, especially in regards to my career path. I like that I am able to see professionals comment on certain topics, it expands my point of view allowing me to see a new perspective. Being the 'Philosophy Truth Seeker' that I am, I love learning about other peoples experiences, beliefs, and culture through the ability to communicate with others, Scoop It is excellent for that.

As I was exploring Scoop It I couldn't help but copy links that I had found and moved them over to my Feeder - each week I continue to learn more about the internet and how its constantly evolving. I already had accounts like Twitter, Tumblr, and Facebook but being introduced to web tools such as Feedly and Scoop It I feel like I'm on my way to creating a more career-academic digital footprint rather than with just the basic social media sites. I like that with this new digital foot-print that I am leaving will be extremely beneficial to myself as it opens up the gates to networking than the door to connections (extremely beneficial at this point in my life as by this April I need to decide whether or not I will be moving, if I do move I am going to have to start networking from scratch - not always easy, but always fun to do).

So! If you're a student and havent made an account on Diigo or Scoop It -  Check them out when you have time to kill.

PS. Just saw on my Feedly: I dont know about anybody else but i've been dying to put on my skates this winter. On Family Day St. Catharines (Seymour-Hannah) will be having a free skating for the Brock Community. For more info  CLICK HERE!

Putting the Internet to Work For You (Reflection #3)

  During week 3 of ADED 1P32 I learned about what an RSS was and created an account on Feedly! I never really understood what an RSS was until this class, I would come across its icon  but I never knew what it meant - its essentially a program that helps keep you up to date with your favourite informative websites or blogs, Feedly is one of the many RSS's out there.  I subscribed to a Brock University Student Blog site and absolutely love it. I was surprised with the creativity of most articles, and as a student at Brock the advise and humour within the articles was extremely relatable. My favourite post was about exam preparation, an excellent read for students who are looking for new ways to get ready to write those final exams. I struggle with time management and a fellow Badger's blog post gave me useful tips.

    After exploring Feedly it made me realize how important it is to leave a positive digital footprint. Feedly has access to any personal but public blogs, so its important to be mindful of what you post.  Feedly would be categorized as Academic and Communication under my PLE. My Feedly has multiple categories in which i follow various sites/blogs (e.g. Philosophy, News, Astronomy, etc...)

Im looking forward to exploring more blogs and sites in my Feedly, I love that it is iPad friendly - I can be up to date with the latest posts so easily. Im spreading the word - I even told my roommate about Feebly and she intends on making an account too!

My Experience With RSS Feeds

For this weeks assignment I learned about RSS, or Feedly. I have never heard of this method to gain information through the web and was pleasantly surprised with how easy it was to explore. An RSS is  essentially a hosting site for presenting favourite blogs and web sites. Its similar to facebook in the sense that you 'like pages' of interest and current articles from that page are posted into your facebook feed, along with posts from the people you personally follow. Feedly is a type of RSS and is the one I chose to work with.

In the process of creating an account on Feedly you are encouraged to explore topics of interest, so besides the pages I had to add for this weeks assignment, I followed a bunch of Philosophy and Spiritual sites. A post that spoke out to me in particular was from Spirit, Science, and Metaphysics (which is an excellent combination to come across since it incorporates my two main interests) titled, "Nigerian Man Turns A VW Beetle Into A Solar And Wind Powered Car"  which can be found here. I love how I was able to find sites through Feedly not just for educational purposes but for entertainment as well. Its inspiring to see society make positive progress in regards to the environment. Im looking forward to using my account on Feedly.