Category: edci338

How diverse is your existing PLN?

As an undergraduate, I created my PLN for learning EDCI course this term. In my opinion, I have never had any experience in PLN production, so it is my first time getting into PLN. Honestly, my PLN is not very diverse, because I just learning from my classmates and EDCI professors. Based on the define of PLN, “A Personal Learning Network is a way of describing the group of people that you connect with to learn their ideas, their questions, their reflections, and their references. Your PLN is not limited to online interactions, but it is that online, global interactive part that really makes it special. It is personal because you choose who’s part of that group; you choose if you want to lurk–just check out what people are saying–or if you share; because you choose when to do so, and how to do so.” Everyone in PLN could be a teacher or a student. Nowadays, PLN is becoming more and more important because of the impact of COVID-19. People have to spend more time on PLN whatever they want. For example, Zoom, Microsoft Teams, Bright Space, and Mattermost are efficient choices.

In your PLN, are you learning from a variety of voices or are you the loudest in the room?

Yes, I learned a lot from a variety of voices in my PLN. My classmates and I have different backgrounds, so the way we think about problems has its limitations. To avoid that, I learned other people’s opinions from reading other people’s blogs and comments, such as the difference between Chinese digital wallets and other countries. We may come up with different answers from different angles，then both of us learned from PLN. Secondly, I am not the loudest in the room, and I do not care who is the loudest in the room now. My skills are not proficient enough, so I will think about it when I improved my skills.

Do you participate in a silo of information sharing?

Based on the definition of information silo, “An information silo is an information management system that is unable to freely communicate with other information management systems. Communication within an information silo is always vertical, making it difficult or impossible for the system to work with unrelated systems. Information silos can exist within a variety of businesses,” I do not think I am participating in a  silo of information sharing. If I have a chance to participate in it, I would like to do it.

How can you use a diverse PLN to broaden your views of inclusion?

Although it is more efficient to analyze other people’s arguments from their background, it may lead to unfair conclusions. In my opinion, I think a diverse PLN is really helpful to broaden my views of inclusion. Compare with communication by face to face, people sharing their opinions on PLN will not let some irrelevant information (gender, age, job, or nationality) interfere with their thinking. After I broaden my views of inclusion, I can think about problems from a broader perspective.

References:

Five Moore Minutes. The Evolution of Inclusion: The past and future of education. 2 Oct 2018. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PQgXBhPh5Zo&feature=youtu.be.

Schoology. (2019, April 18). Personal Learning Network (PLN) benefits, tools, and tactics. Retrieved February 15, 2021, from https://www.schoology.com/blog/personal-learning-network-pln-benefits-tools-and-tactics#:~:text=A%20personal%20learning%20network%20(PLN,of%20your%20own%20professional%20development.

Chen, J. (2020, November 02). What is an information silo? Retrieved February 15, 2021, from https://www.investopedia.com/terms/i/information-silo.asp

1.  What is a digital identity?

In short, a digital ID is a way to protect personal information and can safely verify our online identity.

In a common situation, the digital identity is composed of the sum of digital traces related to an individual or a community, such as the online profile, social software and online shopping. To be specific, digital identity can be defined as both the collection of traces (writings, audio/video content, forum messages, sign-in details, etc.) that we leave behind us, consciously or unconsciously, as we browse the network and the reflection of this mass of traces as it appears after being “remixed” by search engines (Ertzscheid, Olivier. 2016).

2.  How do personal versus professional approaches to digital identity affect social media use?

For most people, the personal approach to social media should be communication. From my point of view,  Social media is a convenient way of communicating, but it lessens the quality of the connection. Almost two-thirds of U.S. adults admit they use social medial to connect. Its rise to prominence changes our ability to interact with others on a meaningful level (Stacey, Hanke. 2018). Based on social media software that is popular, people have a trend to post themselves online to communicate with family, friends even stranger. In addition, recording daily life is an important function of social media in personal use.

On the other hand, professional approaches to digital identity are much different from personal digital identity. In my opinion, the professional approaches to digital identity are kinds of name cards.  One professional digital identity has multiple managers to publish information and collect feedback. Meanwhile, they have to keep the interaction with their followers and be careful with their words. If you post any controversial content, your digital identity might receive a negative voice immediately.

3. Can a digital wallet provides trust in networked publics?

From my point of view, I might say no to the safety of the digital wallet now. If you are afraid of revealing any personal information, you might do not try the digital wallet.  Even though using the digital wallet might be convenient and high-efficiency, data breaches are still a serious problem for digital wallets. Data transmission across mobile networks is the least secure method, and transactions using a digital wallet will be subject to the risks inherent in any mobile transaction (Stacey, Hanke. 2018). On the other hand, some people worry about using digital wallets is personal liability in the event of fraud, I do not agree with this point. At least in China, fraud insurance will cover the loss of consumers using digital wallets, as same as credit cards. In addition, Davos gives a positive answer to the digital wallet. Based on Davos’ data, there have more than 60% of the global GDP expected to be digitized in 2022. With the increasing number of people choosing to use digital wallets, the criminals might put more attention to attack our systems. We have to take precautions to ensure our property.

References

Ertzscheid, Olivier. “Identity logics”. What is digital identity? Issues, tools, methodologies. By Ertzscheid. Marseille: OpenEdition Press, 2016. Web. <http://books.openedition.org/oep/1379>

Stacey, Hanke. “How Social Media Affects Our Ability to Communicate”. Thriveglobal, 2018. Web <https://.com/stories/how-social-media-affects-our-ability-to-communicate>

Davos.“Press Conference The Value of Digital Identity for the Global Economy and Society.” uploaded by World Economic Forum, 5 Feb. 2019, https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1-V7yxrOmw