Lachlan Scott – Assessment Item 2 – Personal reflective Post.
Digital Online Learner Skills Framework Quiz Results:
What:
The profile outcome showed me that whilst I already have a solid network through Linkedin and Facebook of friends and industry members, and that folding these into my Personal Learning Environment is not a difficult task, there is still some work left to do in connecting online. My personal learning environment necessitated downloading and creating accounts on several apps and also learning how to use them more efficiently. Currently I use Zoom for work meetings however all of those are taken on the mobile app to allow usage whilst driving or completing other tasks. Screen sharing and using a webcam were not a part of this and so learning to do this and also be comfortable in doing it were a step that I needed to take.
In terms of managing synchronous and asynchonous learning this is also an area that I have been struggling to get a handle on. Working full time means not being able to participate in some of the weekly meet ups for my subjects and having to watch/listen to the recordings of these. This combined with family commitments after work have also meant reduced time for study asynchronously. I think I believed it would be a lot easier than it currently is to manage these prior to commencing the pathway course. I have however found recently that since creating my Personal Learning Network that a lot of the delays I have been having were due to perhaps not knowing where to find information or not comprehending certain segments and that this is generally overcome with the knowledge of this network. Its also been very helpful to bounce ideas off to determine if i’m heading in the right direction with the work i’m currently completing.
So What:
Connecting online at this point is very important for myself because of the degree I am planning on doing and the career it focuses on. A Sports Media degree and sports journalist/commentator career would include a large amount of networking and community building and participation. Mastering it now is probably one of the more important tasks I have before beginning.
In terms of new significant knowledge to help me understand how to connect better, I would say that the usage of the forums on Interact and feeling comfortable using them along with completing the set up of my Linkin profile and how to find and connect with groups would be the two most important parts. Learning how to use Interact itself was a slightly daunting task but then communicating on forums also caused me to worry. Being able to do this without trepidation will be essential later on so getting over the anxiety of doing it now is key. Updating and completing my Linkedin profile and joining several groups also has been key. It has already resulted in several messages from industry fellows and discussions about possible career paths with them. This will be very helpful with finding work placement later in my degree and employment once completed.
Now What:
One moment of realization that I had during the completion of my professional profile was the usage and usefulness of groups on Linkedin. I previously did worry about being able to make connections in the sporting industry, somewhat due to the celebrity nature of the athletes themselves and the ‘who you know’ nature of it. With the groups I have recently joined already being so fruitful with industry connections this has put my mind more at ease about being able to break into the industry when that time comes. The other realization I had was that at some point I would like to be able to create a sports based podcast or Youtube channel and creating the scripts and recording for that through Thinkspace would allow me an easy place to show this to my professional learning community and get feedback before putting it out to the world to listen to or read.
My main plan moving forward in regards to connecting is once I begin my Sports Media degree, to build a solid study support network of other students in the course and to be confident enough to communicate with them regularly about the subjects being undertaken. I would also want to build a network through Linkedin and Facebook of sports and journalist industry fellows to give me ample employment opportunity once the degree is complete. This will support me as a digital learner and professional by providing many avenues for support on topics and tasks that I am unfamiliar or not confident with and sounding boards to discuss complex topics with.
https://www.linkedin.com/in/lachlan-scott-71baab71/