Week 6: Working in the Cloud

Being a Google user, I had already been introduced to the wonderful world of online collaboration through Google Drive - a service provided by Google, which allows users to store and share files within the cloud, with the option of collaborative editing. A great tool for group projects since Google Drive features a word processor, a spreadsheet program, a presentation program, and a vector graphics editor. It also gives you the option to create files within the cloud or upload files from your computer and edit them directly online. Additionally, you can view your files offline, which is useful if you're on the go and nowhere near Internet connection. But the best thing about it is that it's FREE!

barrymieny. (2011, September 10). Evernote Icon [Online Image]. Retrieved from http://www.softicons.com/

This week I discovered another great tool for online collaborating: Evernote - an information management tool that allows you to archieve, organize, and manage information, including documents, images, bookmarks, etc., from any Internet-capable device. I find it to be a mash between Diigo (a great online bookmarking tool that I talked about on one of my previous posts) and Google Docs. The only drawback with Evernote is that unless you have a 'Premium' account (which you need to pay $$$ in order to have), online collaboration is out of the picture - you can still share 'notes' with others but they're not allowed to edit them. Evernote, however, does allow a 3 month trial period when you sign up for the 'Free' account, which I'm definitely taking advantage of (never turn anything down when it's FREE).

Krahn, A. (CC) 2014

Discovering all these awesome online tools is great, but as my PLE grows, monitoring and curating those tools is beginning to become fairly time-consuming. Thankfully there are online services such as Zapier and IFTTT that integrate webapps to easily move your data and automate tedious tasks. They're based on a conditional statement that includes a 'trigger' and an 'action': "If [this happens on one service], then [do that on another service]."As expected, though, there are pros and cons with everything. Zapier provided a greater number of apps that you can integrate as well as A LOT more 'triggers', but you need to pay in order to integrate some webapps. IFFT, although it has less webapps that you can integrate and less 'triggers', it is completely FREE.
I used Zapier to integrate Evernote and Twitter since I liked the triggers on Zapier better, but I used IFTTT to integrate Evernote and Feedly since that specific integration in Zapier required $$$.

I've now added 3 new tools to my PLE: one to my 'creating' section (Evernote), and two to my 'organizing' section (Zapier and IFTTT). Hooray!

Krahn, A. (CC) 2014

Since I explored Twitter last week, I thought this post that came across on my Feedly would be relevant for sharing: It's a post from readwrite.com titled It's Twitter vs. Free Speech, And Free Speech Is Losing. Twitter had long distinguished itself as a strong supporter of free speech and an advocate for its users' privacy, but recently it's succumbed to various requests from countries (Pakistan, Turkey, and Russia) to block accounts and remove tweets. Users are suffering the consequences of yet another tech company putting profit before people. Thoughts?

Week 5: Microblogging and Building my PLN

As I've been exploring various types of tools that can be used to 'curate' the web and collect information, my PLE keeps expanding (and I love it). But the Internet also allows us to connect with people who are useful in guiding our learning experiences and, according to Light (2001), social learning is key for success. That is why I'm developing a Personal Learning Network (PLN) of individuals who can be useful in supporting my learning through the use of Twitter.

ebooksinternational. (2014, April 10). "Twitter Logo" [Online Image]. Retrieved from http://savvybookwriters.wordpress.com/

Yes, I'm 22 years old and up until now I was never interested in joining Twitter (Even my 18 year old sister has had a Twitter account for a few years now... awkward). As I've said before multiple times already, I've always felt like Facebook was enough of a distraction in my life and I thought that the more involved I got with social media, the less productive I would be. However, after setting up a Twitter account (as per the requirements for my online class and not so  much by choice) I saw the potential for it to become a useful tool that could be included in my PLE - it allows me to be updated on trending topics around the world and obtain useful information, while also being able to share my own knowledge. I began following journals related to my field, such as Scientific American Mind (@sciammind) and quickly had a list of 50+ people and sites that I follow (all within less than an hour). My worst nightmare came true: I am now addicted to Twitter (thanks ADED 1P32). I can't stop. I start by following someone with similar interests as me and then quickly follow people they're following - it's the never ending circle of Twitter following.

Krahn, A. (2014, May 26). "Twitter Account" [Screenshot]

As with anything on the Internet, too much information can be overwhelming. That's where TweetDeck comes in handy - it organizes your Twitter account through a customizable layout that allows you to create searches to track topics, events and hashtags.
I previously mentioned how I was surprised that Google Reader had been discontinued due to declining use. I first blamed 'information overload' but I believe now that Twitter is to blame. Twitter keeps you updated on what's happening around the world with the most trending tags. More conveniently, Twitter allows me to follow most of the RSS subscriptions on my Feedly (such as news sites and bloggers). For that reason, I think I'll be spending more time on Twitter than on Feedly.
I had trouble deciding which section of my PLE to add Twitter on since it is handy for sharing resources, socializing, and obtaining information. I decided, however, that Twitter fit more into the socializing section since it's all about 'connecting' with other people.

Krahn, A. (CC) 2014

Because I've been spending so much time on the Internet lately and feel the need to still be productive I thought I'd share a blog from Edudemic on How To Be More Productive. If you wanna read more, you can subscribe to an RSS feed from the Edudemic website OR follow Edudemic on Twitter @Edudemic - your choice ;)

Week 4: Curating the Web

The bookmarking tool in your browser is handy for "saving" sites you want to revisit. However, bookmarking can get complicated when you are trying to track many websites at once. Although RSS readers, such as Feedly, are a handy online tool for acquiring and reading information that is updated frequently (blogs, news) some of the sites on your browser's bookmarking tool are static and remain as bookmarks on my computer. But because bookmarks collected through browsers remain on the computer where they are collected, you can't access those bookmarks on a different computer!  Fortunately, there are some cloud resources that allow us to collect bookmarks that can be accessed through any device that has Internet capability. 

 jPodcaster. (2011, July 3). Diigo Icon [Online Image]. Retrieved from http://elifelonglearning.wordpress.com/

Honestly, my MIND was BLOWN when I discovered Diigo - a social bookmarking website which allows users to, not only bookmark and tag webpages, but also highlight and attach sticky notes. I cannot believe I cruised through four years of undergraduate studies not knowing about this tool! Diigo takes research to a whole new level. As a science student preparing for a research paper, I would always save the PDF of a journal directly onto my computer so that I could use Adobe Reader to highlight and add sticky notes onto the file - kind of how Diigo does it, except that doing it this way takes up a lot of memory on my laptop and it's hard to remember which journals were on what topic looking solely at the title. Diigo keeps ALL of my journal articles categorized based on tags that I add, saving memory space on my laptop. It also allows me to read sites I've bookmarked even if I'm offline and revisit pages that no longer exist!  
I further explored Google Alerts, which sends me email updates of the latest relevant Google results (web, news, etc.) based on my queries, unlike Feedly, which updates you on ALL content on a specific site you subscribe to. The one problem with Google, however, is that it chooses which sites are near the top of the search results based on their Panda ranking algorithm. Bharati Ahuja describes this on her blog as a Darwinian fitness of quality content for websites. With so much content out on the Internet and so little time to digest, one can get 'content fried' as Beth Canter explains content curation on her blog. Whatis.com defines content curation as 'the gathering, organizing and online presentation of content related to a particular theme or topic' - which is handy if you want to learn about a topic in a quick and concise manner. 
Diigo and Google Alerts are GREAT tools to add onto the 'collecting information' section of my PLE. 

Krahn, A. (CC) 2014

 This week I came across a news article from my Feedly titled 'The Plan To Kill The Internet Uncovered: 10 Ways Web Freedom Is Being Butchered Worldwide'. I found it relevant to my learning as I further explore the World Wide Web and all that it has to offer, since there are numerous threats to the freedom of the Internet. Now that I've become a more engaged digital citizen, I sure hope the Internet does not cease to exist as we know it because I'm not done exploring just yet!

“content fried” or so much good content and so little time to digest it. - See more at: http://www.bethkanter.org/content-curation-101/#sthash.YJbxqK3A.dpufWhatis.com defines content curation as 'the gathering, organizing and online presentation of content related to a particular theme or topic'.

My Experience With RSS Feeds

This week, I explored yet another new tool online: an RSS reader called Feedly. I subscribed to about 20+ websites while exploring it but I had trouble subscribing to feeds using the icon on my browser toolbar so I decided to try a different RSS reader. Being a Google user, my first choice was Google Reader, but to my surprise it was discontinued last year due to declining use (which made me wonder why less people were using RSS readers- Information overload maybe?). Anyway, I decided to just leave it at that and keep using Feedly since I've been pretty busy with work lately. Other than the minor problem I had using the RSS icon, Feedly is a simple site to use. It also suggests new sites to follow based on my existing subscriptions, which has been fun so far but I am afraid that I might soon get overwhelmed with all the information available for me to read. Feedly does, however, have a 'read it later' option so I don't have to worry about information overload for now. I subscribed to the New York Times for news updates, but I haven't been really following those feeds since I already have a news app on my phone that provides me with constant updates on current news all over the world. I've been mostly enjoying reading feeds on blogs, which aren't necessarily enriching my learning. A while back someone had shared a link to a blog called Fashion by Mayhem in which a mother posts pictures of dresses her daughter makes out of paper.

Angie. (2013). "Mayhem" [Screenshot]. Retrieved from http://www.fashionbymayhem.com/

She usually writes a paragraph or two explaining the inspiration behind the design and updates on how famous her daughter is getting. This child is honestly a prodigy. The designs and patterns she creates for her dresses look like the ones a professional designer would come up with and sell for millions of dollars. I was following the blog for a while, back when I had just found out about them, but soon forgot about it and stopped visiting their blog. Then I learned about RSS feeds and decided to subscribe to their blog, along with many others I had once visited but stopped following because I forgot about them. Now instead of aimlessly surfing the Internet on my free time I can just read the updates on my Feedly. My favourite post on Fashion by Mayhem was the one in which Mayhem (that's the child's nickname for anonymity purposes) designs a dress inspired by an image she found on Google while searching for 'Project Runway dresses'. Here's the link to the post: Anatomy of a Paper Project Runway Dress.

Angie. (2014, January 23). "Project Runway Dress" [Online Image]. Retrieved from http://www.fashionbymayhem.com/

Week 3: RSS Feeds

I've been guilty of surfing the Internet a few times with no real purpose - mostly scrolling down my Facebook news feed to see if anyone has done anything interesting or has posted any cool pictures. Sometimes I go on random websites and bookmark them if they catch my eye so I can come back to them later. To be honest though, I don't usually check my bookmarks that often so most of those sites are eventually forgotten. Not to mention that keeping up with all the information that is out on the Internet can sometimes be overwhelming. 

OCAL. (2008, March 26). RSS Logo [Online Image]. Retrieved from http://www.clker.com/

But what if I told you there's a way to sort out the information that you need and keep up with the headlines, policies, trends, and tools you want to know about? Putting the Internet to work ... for ME (Now that's a thought). RSS stands for ‘Really Simple Syndication’ and many people describe it as a 'news feed' that you subscribe to. Feedly is an RSS reader that provides you with a method of getting relevant and up to date information sent to you for you to read in your own time. It saves you time and helps you to get the information you want quickly after it was published. RSS feeds solve the problems with bookmarking, such as seeing the same information over and over again on sites that don’t update very often or missing information when you forget to check your bookmarks, which is the case for me. 

Hansel. (2013, July 3). "Feedly Logo" [Online Image]. Retrieved from http://hansel.co.in/

One thing I liked about using Feedly was that you can personalize the layout of your feeds and you can add or delete as many subscriptions as you like, depending on how often your needs or interest change. The one problem I had with Feedly, however, was that it wouldn’t let me subscribe to feeds using the icon on my browser toolbar, which is not a big deal since I can always manually input the URL onto the search box on Feedly. Perhaps when I have more time I will explore other readers such as Bloglines, and see which one I’m more comfortable using. RSS readers are a great tool to add to my PLE since they conveniently bring several pieces of information from all over the Internet to one place. Below is an updated diagram of my PLE. I changed the layout of my last PLE and added and ‘organizing’ section to it for Feedly. As I continue to explore new tools, I am sure that my PLE will be constantly updated and forever changing. 

Krahn, A. (CC) 2014

Learning about RSS feeds reminded me of several blogs I used to visit often but forgot about, as I got busier with school and work. I had a great laugh reading Texts from Bennett (which might not be the most appropriate at times, but still hilarious) and looking through the cutest pictures of paper dresses made by a little girl on Fashion by Mayhem. Now that I’ve founds such a great tool to keep me updated on my favourite blogs, I might have to organize my time more wisely so that I can read posts while still be somewhat productive.

Week 2: Defining my personal learning environment

As a university student in this technological era I have been engaged in a learning management system (LMS) throughout the past four years. An LMS such as the one Brock University uses (Sakai) is a software that controls how students learn, while a personal learning environment (PLE) gives you control over how you learn by integrating a number of Web 2.0 technologies like blogs, Wikis, RRS feeds, and Facebook.

Krahn, A. (CC) 2014

To the left is a diagram made using Gliffy that maps out the sites I use, as of today, in my PLE . It is not concrete, however, since my learning environment is always changing as my goals change and as I come across new sites. Envisioning myself in 5 years I see myself in research, having obtained a PhD in Neuroscience. Because technology is rapidly advancing, it is important to keep myself up to date in order to be confident with my skills if I want to evolve as well. As a researcher, it would be beneficial to collaborate with other fellow researchers through tools such as Google Drive and Wikis to expand my knowledge on current topics. A social PLE empowers learners to obtain information through peer-to-peer learning. After creating a diagram of my PLE I realize I haven't allowed myself to explore new tools and have limited my learning to basic tools such as Microsoft Office Suite. As a science student, most of my time on the Internet is spent on research, relying heavily on Google and the Brock Library database to find scientific journals. As I have mentioned before (and I'm sure I will mention it multiple times again), I have not been very social on the Internet for fear of damaging my digital footprint. I would like, however, to engage myself in online activities that will allow me to become more social, such as following people on Twitter who have similar interests as me, or subscribing to RRS feeds for journals of professors and researchers in my field of study. I believe it would be beneficial to get into the habit of keeping up to date with such feeds, perhaps starting by checking them once a week and hopefully checking them more often as I assign more time of my day to Internet activities.  I would also like to explore new tools that could expand my PLE, as well as find tools redundant to the ones I have, since at some point in the future some of the sites and tools I use for my PLE will cease to exist. This week I explored Dropbox, a site similar to Google Drive. Although I highly doubt Google will cease to exist (or could it?), not everyone I know uses Google Drive and prefers to use Dropbox. 

Krahn, A. (CC) 2014

I have also explored a REALLY cool site called Wordle. It generates "word clouds" from text that you provide. To the right is a word cloud I created using text from my last blog about digital footprints. As I dive deeper into the World Wide Web and explore potential resources to expand my PLE, I still hope to have a balance between the time I spend staring at a computer and the time I spend interacting with people in the real world.

Week 1: What it means to live in this technological era

Retrieved from http://www.greading.org/

Almost everyone you know has a digital footprint by now. It is nearly impossible for anyone that owns a computer or a cell phone, not to have one. That is why following proper netiquette is important in order to maintain a positive digital footprint. "Adhere to the same standards of behavior online that you follow in real life". Everything you do online leaves ongoing traces that can be monitored through resources such as Google Alerts or Social Mention. These websites alert you every time your name is used online by sending you an RSS document. 

Retrieved from http://4.bp.blogspot.com/

Managing your digital footprint provides you with an opportunity to create a positive, on-going public presence about yourself as a digital citizen since anything that goes online is basically addressed to the entire world. Although digital citizenship potentially begins when a person participates in any electronic function, such as signing up for an email address or posting pictures online, the process of becoming a digital citizen goes beyond simple Internet activity. A digital citizen generally has access to the Internet through electronic devices, as well as extensive skills and knowledge on technological information to engage in society by using the Internet regularly and effectively. You are NOT the center of cyberspace and should therefore exchange information in a short and concise manner.

Obtaining a perfect score on the Digital Driver's License Exam by Riddle (2011) was not too much of a surprise since I consider myself an avid digital user. Having a computer growing up was extremely beneficial in allowing me to become the digital citizen that I am now since it is easier to learn new things at a young age. As I had mentioned on my previous post, however, I was never really interested in being involved in social media sites such as Twitter and Pinterest. Reflecting back on how little or how much I choose to involve myself online, I believe my reasoning behind it was that I wanted to maintain a positive digital footprint and was afraid that the more engaged I was in the digital world, the greater the risk was of damaging my digital footprint. Now that I have involved myself further into the World Wide Web and my digital footprint is expanding through my pins on Pinterest and weekly blogs, I must be conscious about EVERYTHING I post - because once it's out there, it will ALWAYS be out there. Knowing that anyone can gain access to your digital presence (including potential employers), as well as the potential risk of someone stealing your identity (Heartbleed Virus), is especially scary. That being said, I have created a Google Alert about myself so that I'm aware of how my digital footprint is being portrayed online. Additionally, I have increased the security settings on my Facebook and have gotten into the habit of changing passwords often for my multiple accounts online. I still believe I have a lot more to learn about how to protect my information online, so Digital Security is an area I would like to spend more time learning about.