Weekly Report & Reflection Post #5

Curata (2014)

Greetings, fellow bloggers!

Wow, I learn something new every day!  One of this week's task was to create and share my Twitter account.  Although I had set one up earlier this year, I realized I was not using this tool to its fullest potential.  Two neat features I learned in this week's activity was to create a Twitter list and use the TweetDeck.

When I saw the word "list" I assumed it was just to group users by categories or areas of interest, but as I read the instructions on creating a list, the word that stood out was curated list.  It never crossed my mind that Tweets could be curated, but now that I have set my lists I can appreciate how this feature makes Twitter another content curation tool.  In addition to learning about the list feature, viewing my Tweeter account using the TweetDeck was an eye opener.  The layout of the information displayed makes it easier to browse my Tweeter feed, and customize how I view my content.  What I liked about the TweeterDeck is that I can see my lists thus making it easier to view my curated content.

I am amazed at how I often I have used an app or other technology and think I am proficient at, only to find out I have not discovered and used all the features to get the most out it.  When I first created my PLE, I included Twitter in the Connect category, as I was using it mainly to connect and follow others that were sharing content I was interested int.  However, after seen the usefulness of the Twitter lists and TweeterDeck, I will add this tool [Twitter] to my PLE in the mLearning group.

In the last few weeks, I have learned a lot more about digital tools than I have over the years, and I have gained an enormous appreciation for learning how to become a digital citizen.  Gaining digital literacy is such an important skill that everyone should master.  As Ribble (2015) states, "It's not an understatement to say that the digital world has changed how people behave and function as citizens of the "real" world.  Users live, work, and interact not only in the physical world, but in a digital, virtual world as well" (p. 19).  I have come to realize that it is not enough to create an account with the latest or "trending" tool or app, but to learn how to use that tool to get the most out of it.  There are so many tools out there to accomplish so many things, which sometimes I get overwhelmed with what is available to me.  Thus, increasing my digital literacy is learning how to discern which tools are the best fit for me.  Becoming a digital citizen is not just about jumping on the "trending technologies" bandwagon, but knowing what you can do with the technology and what kind of digital footprint you are leaving behind.

Digital Tools (online image)

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References

Curata (2014). [Online image] Retrieved February 14, 2016 http://www.curata.com/blog/wp-content/uploads/2014/03/CurationWorld.png

Digital Tools. [Online image]. Retrieved February 14, 2016 https://www.trainingjournal.com/sites/www.trainingjournal.com/files/styles/original_-_local_copy/entityshare/177%3Fitok%3DUPne_55f

Ribble, M. (2015). Digital Citizenship in Schools (3rd ed.). Arlington, VA: International Society for Technology in Education.