Visitor and Resident (V&R) Mapping

This is my visitor and resident map, which is a means of displaying platforms that are used by me. This map is meant to show that my habits and preferences dictate and influence how I decide to connect with the online world (Wikipedia, 2020). Digital platforms are an essential way for students to develop their professional networks. Nowadays, I often see students using platforms such as LinkedIn, Twitter, Zoom, blog forums, and even Facebook! I believe that students need to rely on these digital platforms to network now more than ever. The pandemic has cost many people opportunities and jobs, for example, my partner was offered a job at BC ferries just before the pandemic had hit, but they soon informed him that he would be no longer able to accept the job because of it.

Networking, in my opinion, is all about opportunity! Often times, just putting yourself “out there,” so to speak, can open up a whole world of possibilities. This class is the obvious example of networking, after all, it is about building our personal network! By displaying our work in a professional setting online such as this, it allows for other people to see the kind of work that we are capable of and that we do in fact care about what we display ourselves as. I like to think of it as how I would prepare myself for an in-person interview. I wouldn’t just show up in my sweat pants and completely unshowered. I would make sure to dress for the occasion and that I washed my hair that day. Likewise, I’m going to ensure that I’m displaying appropriate, respectful information and materials online.

As a student, I have had a few opportunities to expand my professional learning network. One of my current courses is offering the opportunity for the top three tweets of the class to be shared on the UVic Faculty of Education Twitter page. This is one thing I am aiming for to expand my professional learning network. I could also become more involved with some of the networking opportunities that I mentioned prior, such as LinkedIn, and I could be more active on certain forums.

I believe that this all ties into my digital reputation. By presenting myself appropriately and respectfully, I will not only build my reputation, but I will protect it. This will allow me to establish a good rapport with potential employers, educators, and other crucial connections.  In addition, I need to ensure that I’m posting the correct content in appropriate areas. For instance, I don’t want to be posting personal matters onto my business Twitter account, as this can ruin my portfolio for that account and cause discontent with my viewers.

My group discussed the topic of privacy and security surrounding personal learning networks. We came to the consensus that privacy and security do not hinder personal learning networks rather, users have the option to use whatever media that they please, while being warned about the risks. Some media is more private and secure than others, but most of the time, the user has some control over how much private information they wish to share. For example, people have the choice to use Google Maps with or without allowing access to their current location. Although, every single person that I know uses this application with their location on because it is convenient. I believe there’s this common notion in which people find comfort in numbers. What I mean by this is that people are more comfortable with having less privacy since so many others are doing it as well. I sure wouldn’t want to be the first person to allow my phone to know exactly where I am, but since I know that many others trust it, so do I.

Wikipedia contributors. “Digital Visitor and Resident.” Wikipedia, 31 Dec. 2020, en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Digital_Visitor_and_Resident