Final Blog Post
The Exploring Your Digital Portfolio course has taught me the importance of creating a good digital footprint and using new platforms to gain knowledge. Through our use of websites such as Blogger and LinkedIn, we have already started establishing a professional portfolio online. After exploring many different tools, websites, and apps, I have had access to a wider variety of options to help me throughout the rest of college and into my professional career. Having knowledge of so many different tools has made me aware of better and easier ways to conduct work. Another highlight from this semester was the knowledge I have gained through The Connected Educator text. Reading multiple different chapters from the textbook has taught me the importance of using connections on social media and other sites to both teach and learn. By communicating with people who have similar interests, it can expose an individual to much more knowledge. Having connections with people around the country and the world can only better your education and bring more chances of success. This course has ultimately brought me to many different tools and suggestions for success in the future.
Through our different assignments in this course, I have been exposed to new tools and ways of using them, that can only enhance my knowledge further. The first tool that stood out to me was apps such as LinkedIn and Indeed to help my future job search. Before this course I was unaware of all the different features accessible on these apps. Not only can they help look for jobs, but they allow users to upload and build resumes directly on the site, so that potential employers could come to you. I found this tool very relevant as a college student, because I would like to start building the best resume possible, as well as looking for opportunities to come. Another tool that I found especially useful throughout this course is the use of social media platforms within the professional world. Not everyone thinks of social media and directly thinks of the benefits it can have on an individual in the professional world. It not only acts as a second identity for a person but can help establish connections with people all over the world. By establishing a professional account that shows off a person’s best assets, it can help to bring opportunities. It also can help to connect people of similar interests that normally would not communicate. Through the use of hashtags and sharing, individuals can find people and knowledge they would have never had access to before. Learning to use this tool in new ways allows for another benefit to social media sites and apps.
For next semester students I would not change much. My only suggestion would be that at times smackdown assignments seemed very time consuming. Having to further educate yourself and become an expert on a specific tool or website can take a decent amount of time. Then having to make a PowerPoint with many slides, explaining the unique features of your tool, while also writing a two to three paragraph summary and screen recording, seemed like a lot. I also suggest that when creating assignments that involve commenting, that the requirement be under five comments for all of them. Having to watch and read everyone’s smackdown and articulate a useful comment opened my eyes to many new tools but was very time consuming. I do think that the topics covered throughout this course were very useful to each of our current lives. As we enter the professional world, having knowledge of so many different tools and already having an established portfolio will be very useful. Overall, this course has been very useful and we are all sure to take with us some benefits after taking this course.
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