Week 12 Report & Reflection

Dear fellow classmates:

We have finally come to an end. This is officially my last post, and this wonderful course ADED 1p32 is coming to an end. I have personally learned so much as far as building a positive digital footprint and also being a positive digital citizen. Throughout this course, I was learning a new tool every week and trying to apply that tool to my life whether it would be academics or ever personal. Every single tool that I have learned throughout the duration of this course has benefitted me one way or the other and will have a positive effect in my life. This blog will not be like others, I will be talking about how this course has benefitted me as a person and how it has made me a digital citizen.

Building a digital footprint is very crucial and personally before I started this course, I didn't even know the importance of having a digital footprint. During my younger years, I personally never really understood the serious of the digital world. I would use the online world to connect with my friends and watch video and such. As I started getting older, I started to realize that there was more to the digital world then just connecting with people and playing games. As a second year University student,  and currently in the stages of building my resume and work experience, I realize how important it is to have a positive digital footprint. To illustrate, you can even be the most qualified candidate for a job, but if you have have a negative digital footprint, that could be a reason for you not getting the job that you always wanted. Having a digital footprint can be the reason to you either receiving a job or potentially even loosing that job. Expanding and contributing to your footprint in a positive way will always benefit you. Be sure to always be respectful and responsible when you're online and also think twice before posting anything online because it may reflect on you in a negative way. Creating a positive digital footprint will have a positive effect on being a digital citizen.

For anyone who still doesn't understand the importance of creating a positive digital footprint, I personally recommend exploring the digital world, because theres way more to it than just the social aspect of it. Follow blogs such as mine, that educate viewers on the online world. You can also search up what right and wrong when it comes to creating a positive digital footprint online. ADED 1P32 was a great course that taught me alot that I will personally carry on in my life and will have a positive effect on me as a person.  I hope throughout my blog, I have taught you guys and inspired you guys to be digital citizens.

Good luck to all my fellow classmates, and good luck on your exams

Thank you,
Suwattzen Nithiananthan

Week 11 Report & Reflection

Dear fellow classmates:

This week has by far been the my favourite week till date. This week I explored a webcasting tool. I explored one online platform also known as SoundCloud. SoundCloud is a global online audio distribution platform that enables the user to upload, record, promote, share and also enjoy audio created by other users for free. Im very familiar with SoundCloud but not really with the recording feature of the online tool. I personally have always used SoundCloud for listening to music. I was asked to create a podcast of one important thing I have learnt throughout the duration of this course. SoundCloud is a very simple and user friendly tool to use. By using SoundCloud, the user is able to create recordings into an mp3 by just a click of a button. There is absolutely nothing complicated about this online tool. After the recording is uploaded, the user has the option to upload a jpeg picture to go with the recording as well. I officially just created my first podcast and it was honestly a great experience. You can take a look at my first podcast right here PODCAST

This specific tool will contribute to my work in building knowledge as I can expand on a diverse way of learning and creating. With various webcasting tools such as SoundCloud, studying becomes effortless. By using SoundCloud, its a great way to study as you can record your notes and lectures and hear them later on. This makes it very convenient to take notes and study for exams.

I would personally add SoundCloud to my PLE under the sub category Creates, as this is a creative tool. I would use this online tool for various academic purposes. Due to the fact that SoundCloud is also linked to various social network platforms such as Twitter, Gmail and much more, it makes it very easy for the user to share their work.

This week I also learnt that when creating work online, it is very important that we apply a Creative Common License to all the work that you produce. I had to create a Creative Common License for the this online blog. It is very important that we always give credit for others work, but it is normal that we usually forget. We as digital citizens must know the rights and responsibilities to what is wrong and right in order to develop and produce and positive digital footprint. With the correct knowledge that we obtain from this course, we should be able to understand and make the digital world a safer place to be.

This week on Feedly, I came across a very interesting article about SoundCloud. Introducing SoundCloud Go ; SoundCloud has introduced a new feature to their online platform also know as SoundCloud Go. SoundCloud Go is essentially the same as SoundCloud with an expanded catalog of tracks that are new to the platform, new features and new functionality. Visit the link to learn more about SoundCloud Go.

Thank you,
Suwattzen Nithiananthan

Week 10 Report & Reflection

Dear fellow classmates:

This week we were asked to create a slideshow based on Copyrights and Creative Commons. We were asked to make a creative 30 sec slide video on a preferred tool of our choice. The tool I chose to make the slideshow on the next page was ANIMOTO. I started to realize how unique Animoto was as I started to explore. Essentially, Animoto is a video slideshow tool that is created by picture, videos, texts and background music. Animoto makes slideshows more fun and creative. This tool can be used for multiple purposes whether it be, educational or even personal. You can visit my second page ANIMOTO to learn more about this tool.

These creative knowledge expression tools are different from other collaborative/communications told and collective knowledge building tool I have explored. Animoto is a perfect tool for a classroom setting to teach students visually by adding video clips and collecting classroom material and get the whole class to engage and participate. IT is very convenient if you want to share your video online for others to view. Animoto is a cool tool that contributes to my work knowledge and expanding my digital footprint and I can use this tool beyond academic purposes and for personal uses. I will personally add Animoto to my PLE under the sub category Collaborate, connect and Create. This tool is not only beneficial for educational purposes but also for personal purposes as well such as video slideshows of memories from special occasions and more. 

I came across a very interesting article regarding Animoto on Feedly. 5 Reasons to Use Animoto Video In Your Classroom; This article essentially talks about the importance of using videos in a classroom. There are five reasons as to why we should use videos produced by Animoto in class rooms. Firstly independent and active learning. Secondly; differentiated instructions, thirdly; real world applications, fourthly; student engagement and lastly peer collaborations.

Thank you,

Suwattzen Nithiananthan 

Week 9 Report & Reflection

Dear fellow classmates:

Week 9 has come to a great end. Three more week to go and I will be an expert in Digital Context. This week we were introduced to a very interesting and unique tool called VoiceThread. This tool allows you to share and comment your thoughts to other users. VoiceThread is a very efficient way to work on projects and presentations in a group as you can share and get feedback from you peers instantly. This is most helpful for teacher and instructors as VoiceThread is perfect for presentation as it engages everyone within the presentation. Some students may be shy to contribute their ideas, and VoiceThread makes it easy for everyone. It is important for teachers to engage the whole classroom and get everyone to participate, VoiceThread is a great tool to make everyone participate with ease.

VoiceThread can possibly help me in becoming a positive digital citizen. This week we were asked to comment on at least three slides on the VoiceThread and our comments and ideas contributed to the importance of digital rights and responsibilities. I personally would not ad this to my PLE as this is not a tool I would use to benefit my academics. If I were to add this tool, it would be included under the sub category Collaborative as it is a collaborative tool. I prefer Google Docs over VoiceThread as it is more on a professional base and it is easier to use. Also, since I already have a gmail account, everything would be automatically synced in one place. Check out my post to learn more about Google Docs below.

As I was going through my weekly Feedly review, I came across a very interesting article regarding VoiceThread. New Direct, Private and Threaded Comments ; VoiceThread has recently released three new commenting features for VoiceThreaders to now use. Now instructors can reply directly to students, give private feedback or enable threaded conversations on their content. VoiceThreaders now have the option to send direct comments, private comments to the user and last Threaded comments so it public. Visit the link to learn more.

Thank you,
Suwattzen Nithiananthan

Technology Use Scenario #15

Max is always on the computer. Except when he is at school, Max is on his social networking sites, video sites, or just surfing websites. He communicates with many people using his social networking sites or texting, but rarely leaves the house. His mother is becoming concerned that he is not seeing his friends or going out. What should Max's mother do?

In the scenario above, it illustrates a young boy named Max who is not showing understanding the importance of digital health and wellness. In this specific situation, Max is spending all of his time on his computer, and there are many issues regarding this. Computer and related electronics are good once in a while; using the computer to talk to friends and surf the net is perfectly fine, however, you shouldn't dedicate all your time to just that. Sitting in front of a screen all day results in no physical activity, which end in a sudden increase in body weight. Furthermore, various studies prove the sitting in front of a computer for over a certain amount of time, decreases you memory and slows down your brain. Also, you may think sitting in front of a computer makes you more productive, but in reality it lowers your productivity. This is because, sitting for long periods of times causes fatigue and can trigger mood disorders such as stress and depression. It is perfectly normal for teenagers such as Max to spend time on the computer, however they should start spending their time on more important things. Max needs to take a break, and start doing activities that are physical and healthy to a growing boy like himself. It is vital to always have the perfect balance between social and physical activities. Max's mother should set a specific time every day for Max to get off the computer and go out and spend some time with friends. She should encourage him to join clubs and sport teams to interact with others and get to know the world more.

This week as I was exploring my feedly, I came across an article that ties in perfectly to this scenario: Obsessing over the perfect social media post is ruining your life. It talks about how people are more consumed about posting the perfect picture rather than enjoying the moment.


Thank you,

Suwattzen Nithiananthan

Week 8 Report & Reflection

Dear fellow classmates:

For week 8, we explored another online platform also known as Wiki. A wiki is a website that allows collaborative editing of it private content and structure by its users. One main wiki is called Wikipedia. Wikipedia is a free online platform created through collaborative effort of a community of users known as Wikipedians. Users are allowed to register and create articles for publication. Throughout my high school career, Wikipedia was a site I would always refer to when it came to school assignments, projects, papers, presentations, etc. However; I was told through various teachers, that wikipedia wasn't a liable source to collect information. The information from Wikipedia is published by random users, therefore the information that is being published isn't 100% accurate. Now you may ask, if the information of Wikipedia isn't liable, what the use of the site now? Well, the site is great to understand something quickly in a time efficient manner. But when you're doing in depth research, you cannot cite the site. You can not rely on wiki as it is not fully reliable; it is important to always cite your work and make sure the information is accurate.

Wiki's are very alike to Google Docs and Evernote. All these tools are platform of information that are published by a community of users. These online platforms have similar concepts which is working and sharing information to the public. I personally prefer Google Docs as it can be created by a simple gmail account instead of registering and making accounts for Evernote and Wiki. This makes more reliable and trustworthy when  sharing to others. Furthermore, Google Docs is great for academic purposes as it can be used to work on various assignments and presentations.

There are various rights and responsibilities that we as digital citizens must know as they are very important to a positive digital world. The three important right and responsibilities in my person opinion are: the right to privacy, reporting cyber bullying and avoiding plagiarism. Firstly, the right to privacy is very important as everything starting from personal information can be accessed online. Starting from email, phone number, email, banking information and much more. This information then can lead to possible identity theft; and even ending someones life. You must always be careful with what you share online and must always double check. Secondly, cyber bullying affects many people and this has become a huge issue within our society. This is currently a huge issue because there are many bystanders watching this happen. So it is currently up to digital users like us to stop this disrespectful act by reporting any sort of harassing and bullying online. Being another bystander will result in serious outcomes. Lastly, avoiding plagarism; with all this information that provided to us through the online web, we must be careful with what information we are using and whether or not this information is correct or false. Plagirisim is a huge no, for the one obvious reason, it is someone elses work and they should be given credit for that work accordingly. Plagiarism can also lead to serious consequences such as possibly getting kicked out of University. Always keep in mind that who ever's work you are using, make sure you always give them the credit by citing. 

In addition to our exploration in digital rights and responsibilities, I came across an article on feedly reader (Teacher's Guide to Digital Citizenship) that had more information on why digital citizenship matters. I would recommend everyone to educate themselves about their rights and responsibilities in the digital world as every one of us can make a positive difference. 

Thank you, 
Suwattzen Nithiananthan 

Week 7 Report & Reflection

Hello fellow classmates:

This week, we learnt about a very well known platform also known as "Google Docs" I was always aware of  Google Docs but I never really took the time to learn or use the platform. I must say Google Docs is by far my favourite and the most useful in my personal life when it comes to academics. Google Docs is a free Web based application where various documents and spreadsheets can be created, edited and arranged online. Various files can be accessed from any mobile device or desktop by some login information. This tool is very user friendly, not too difficult to use. I thought it would be difficult making a presentation while communicating with group member at the same time. I basically had to learn the whole tool myself, because my group wasn't really cooperative. I had a hard time getting a hold of my group, therefore I just completed the presentation myself.

Google Docs is a very beneficial tool for my educational activities in various ways! Google Docs offers many option within one platform. I can work on document, spreadsheets, forms, drawings, and presentations. I can also share whatever it is that Im working on with other Google users online. This tools saves a lot of time. This is perfect for group assignments, because you get the option to meet your group members online and work and share the assignment at the same time. This is results in getting a lot of work done in a very efficient manner. For this weeks assignment we were asked to prepare a group presentation online using Google Docs.  With having the option to set the viewing to be public, you can link your work to your personal twitter, Blogger, Facebook and various other social media platforms. Google Docs essentially offers everything in one place whether it be presentations, word documents etc.....

Google Docs is obviously being added to my PLE under the sub category Create and Collaborate. There are many changes I would make to my PLE. I haven't still updated my PLE yet, but when I do I will remove Pintrest, TagCrowd and Popplet as those application don't come in great benefit to me academically compared to the other tools.

Week 7 has been a great week! Learning new tools that can help you work and communicate together while saving time both make it easy and expands your digital literacy as it did for myself.

This week on my daily Feedly review, I came across an article related to Google Docs. Through Google Docs Blog I learned that you can type, edit and format with the command of you voice on Google Docs. This is a new feature Google just implemented. Through the voice command technology making changes to documents, have never been any more easier. There is now no need for a keyboard and its a quick and easy way to get ideas out of your heard and onto an online platform.



Group Google Docs Collaborative Presentation:
https://docs.google.com/presentation/d/1tU-CwhaCN3RQ9ladbWeh8unoBzbhGTXax4FT6eTl790/edit#slide=id.g742e3e7cd_1_16

Thank you,
Suwattzen Nithiananthan