Digital Badge Assignment 4a: Critical Review of my Learning
By completing this badge, I discovered the severe issue of the privacy policy of Social Media platforms. At first, I was disturbed to learn that others had access to users content which has become a severe problem on the internet according to (“Importance of a Privacy Policy | The Importance of having a Privacy Policy on your website | Making Your own Website”, 2020). Before, I didn’t read privacy policies, assuming it was safe since everyone posted online, this task highlighted to me how wrong and ignorant I had been. However, from creating my own policy, I feel much more reliable that I now know how to manage my digital reach better by educating myself of privacy policies and will seriously reconsider what I post online as it is there forever.
PDF of Privacy Policy and Rationale: https://learningofsuzannaquinnphotography.photo.blog/wp-content/uploads/2020/04/digital-badge-4-pp-2.pdf
I also learned how to present myself digitally to potential employers and colleagues by creating a ‘LinkedIn’ profile and CV. I applied what I previously learned in this assignment by editing the privacy setting and reading their policy to control and manage my digital reach. Before, I didn’t know where to begin to present myself to employers, but now I feel a lot more confident in creating and introducing my profile to future opportunities.
LinkedIn CV: https://learningofsuzannaquinnphotography.photo.blog/wp-content/uploads/2020/04/resume-suzanna-quinn.pdf
In this exercise, we also uncovered an alternative and creative method to present information visually using the platform ‘Infographics’. I am thrilled with the discovery as I am a visual learner and believe this tool will make taking in data easier. This exercise has helped me to improve my technical and editing skills which is a great achievement as these are skills expected of by employers in the workplace, according to (Coffelt, Grauman & Smith, 2019).
Infographic: https://create.piktochart.com/output/45676798-untitled-infographic
From giving and receiving feedback for each badge, I am less nervous about presenting in front of a camera which I think is a valuable skill to learn. I also struggled to offer constructive feedback in week one, however now I’ve developed the expertise to word things correctly. Thus, I have developed my critical evaluation and communication skills which I plan to improve on further and will facilitate my efforts in managing digital footprints.
LinkedIn Paragraph
The CV I have created on LinkedIn informs employers I have experience in a wide variety of industries from food and beverage, retail to property. An asset to the company as possesses the ability to speak Spanish and wide cultural awareness from travelling and attending Boarding School in Madrid for Transition Year. Volunteer work highlights my personal commitment to improving the world, while my certification in CPR, AED & First Aid conveys I am responsible and willing to take part in non-mandatory training. The resume illustrates a student who has developed skills in communication, time management, and problem-solving with the ability to work well in a fast-paced environment from previous roles.
LinkedIn profile: https://www.linkedin.com/in/suzanna-quinn-b9445b1a6/
References
Coffelt, T. A., Grauman, D., & Smith, F. L. M. (2019). Employers’ Perspectives on Workplace Communication Skills: The Meaning of Communication Skills. Business and Professional Communication Quarterly, 82(4), 418–439. https://doi.org/10.1177/2329490619851119
Importance of a Privacy Policy | The Importance of having a Privacy Policy on your website | Making Your own Website. (2020). Retrieved 12 April 2020, from http://www.dom4j.org/legal/importance-of-privacy-policy.php
Digital Badge Assignment 4b: Cumulative Critical Review of My Learning
Introduction
From completing all four badge in the module DigiLife, I have uncovered the significant role of Social Media tools on our lives. All of the exercises have opened a world of opportunity to make my digital experience much more comfortable. It has conveyed the importance to continue learning in this area. The module has helped me to develop essential skills which I hope to improve on further for my studies and future career opportunities.
Information Management
From the very beginning, each digital badge assignment has had a vital role in my digital development i.e., creating a website and blog is something I always planned to do but was too intimidated by the complexity of it. However, I discovered I couldn’t have been more wrong as uncovering the tool WordPress showed me the enjoyment and simplicity of the experience which I look forward to mastering in the future.
Another skill I am relieved the module DigiLife has launched into my life is information management. I have always been an organised individual and firm believer in the condition of my surroundings is a reflection of my headspace agreed by (Morgan, 2020). Surprisingly, I never made this connection with my digital environment. From completing digital badge 2, I discovered various methods using social media tools to categorise data and design an online space of my preference which would make life a lot clearer and more comfortable. Pocket, Pinterest and Google Maps are all applications I’d previous knowledge of but was not aware of their capabilities. Discovering you can design and download your map on Google is a tool that has left an impression. I have created many maps for my Dad to use as he travels a lot with work and does not have internet access sometimes. I believe it is a handy feature which makes planning and arranging data a lot easier and time-efficient for future journeys. Another system which I have learned from this exercise and now benefit from every other day is Pocket. I used to scroll past interesting articles and forget to read them at a later stage. However, with the aid of Pocket, I now have those written pieces stored and categorised to read. I find I am learning a lot more relevant information these days as my free time is spent looking at those articles. It has also made collecting journals for assignments a lot easier. This agrees with Coffelt, Grauman & Smith’s suggestion who note this is a result of creating an information system since better data is effortless to retrieve (Coffelt, Grauman & Smith, 2019). Therefore, by exploring the tools of these platforms, I have found the significance of a coordinated digital system, with the ability to store and retrieve data quickly. I am a lot more efficient in my tasks and have more time to create and find further content.
Alternative Learning Methods
Before I was not confident in my technical skills and planned to work on this matter as it is a significant part of my studies. However, the assignment in badge three has helped me develop this skill. By completing exercises using YouTube and Screencastomatic, introduced me to a new field of creating, editing and posting content smoothly. I had witnessed screen recording previously for tutorials but did not know how to. However, after completing this assignment, I have been sharing video content daily using this tool. I am delighted to have found out how to use these platforms as they are great alternative methods to learn. I have a learning disability-dyslexia and struggle to take in information; nevertheless, uncovering both these tools has made learning a lot easier by sharing videos. According to Mace, these methods help students to regain their self-esteem and their interest in learning by appealing to their individual needs (Mace, 2020).
Another application, I found out about in digital badge 4 is Infographics, which is a great tool to present information simply using images and graphs. As a visual learner, I am delighted to have found another software to gather intelligence using pictures. Learning of these social media tools has relieved my anxiety with regards to assignments, exams, and not being able to see my module co-coordinators or tutors for the rest of the semester due to the pandemic.
Skills
Presenting information is one of the most valuable skills I have developed in all exercises of this module. In the past, I have felt enormous pressure while creating a CV. By creating a LinkedIn profile and resume in digital badge 4, gave me a direction of how to advertise myself to potential employers. Although I still hope to improve on generating my profile, this exercise has given me confidence and guidance of where to start.
Feedback Process
From giving and receiving feedback for each assignment, I have noticed a significant improvement in my communication and critical evaluation skills, determining my capacity to drive innovation, according to Van Laar et al. (2017). The first badge took me a long time to record a video as I felt intimidated and self-conscious. Now, I am much more comfortable in front of the camera, which will be a valuable achievement for presentations in my future studies or career. Before I also struggled to give constructive criticism to my peers, however now I understand its important impact on helping an individual to develop and learn from their mistakes. By practising this process for each badge, I now find it much easier to phrase and construct the criticism in a pleasant yet effective manner, which I believe is an important skill and hope to excel in for future career opportunities.
Conclusion
Overall, I am delighted with my decision to complete the virtual module DigiLife. By attending the online lectures and following the clear instructions for the assignments has conveyed the accessibility and efficiency to a digital class and given me confidence for the rest of my modules which will have to be completed virtually this semester. DigiLife has opened the significance of social media tools on an individual’s life. Throughout completing the digital badges, I have discovered applications I could not imagine life without. It has conveyed the importance of researching to find social media tools and continuing to learn in this area as it can make time spent more efficiently. I am also extremely grateful for the skills I have developed in this module and hope to improve on which will be valuable for the rest of my studies and future opportunities.
References
Mace, J. (2020). The Importance of Alternative Education Programs | PPEP Tec High Schools. Retrieved 13 April 2020, from https://ppeptechs.org/575
Morgan, J. (2020). How The Physical Workspace Impacts The Employee Experience. Retrieved 13 April 2020, from https://www.forbes.com/sites/jacobmorgan/2015/12/03/how-the-physical-workspace-impacts-the-employee-experience/#2e408406779e
Susana Sánchez Vignau, B., & Lourdes Presno Quesada, I. (2006). Collection development in a digital environment: An imperative for information organizations in the twenty-first century. Collection Building, 25(4), 139-144. doi:10.1108/01604950610706005
Van Laar, E., van Deursen, A. J. A. M., van Dijk, J. A. G. M., & de Haan, J. (2017). The relation between 21st-century skills and digital skills: A systematic literature review. Computers in human behavior, 72, 577-588. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.chb.2017.03.010
Suzanna Quinn - 18742525 