Jaclyn Alvarado

Throughout the semester we have focused on how a personal learning environment is a set of tools we use to learn and communicate. In the center of my personal learning environment is my phone and laptop, which are the resources I use to access my specific learning tools. I separated my learning tools into four different categories: social networks, information, education, and entertainment. I continue to use both my computer and phone on a daily basis and my PLE focuses on technology and how I am able to communicate, collaborate, and learn through all these technological resources. Throughout the semester, my four categories have different levels of importance depending on the situation. Especially because I have been abroad this semester, I have used my PLE differently than I would in the United States. For example, I use my tools to stay connected with my family, friends, and my university back at home since this has been the longest I have been away from home ever in my life. As I continue to reflect on my PLE and how I can continue to use it in the future, I think about how useful all my tools have been in my communication and studies this semester.

I am going to be a senior next semester, which puts a lot of pressure on figuring out what I want to do with my life after college. To ensure success and access to job opportunities I need to have summer internships to gain important experience and to get a better idea of what I want to do as a career. As of right now I am not sure of what I want to do but I am very interested in marketing or data analytics and how companies can use that information for strategic improvement. As I continue to think about my future career and opportunities I think about ways I can use the tools in my PLE to stay connected to the resources of the business world. My future plans to improve my learning methods are to focus on 3 out of the 4 of my categories. This semester I have applied for many summer internships and have not had much luck getting company responses back. I have put so much time and effort into my search and not seeing the results I wanted so I decided to take a step back from the situation and try to figure out what to do next.

Looking at my social category, I use my social media channels to stay connected and communicate with others. A way I can improve this tool is to start using LinkedIn more to network with people from my school such as alumni or people that are working at a company I am interested in. Networking is a great tool for me to get to help my confidence in talking to people as well as meet prospective mentors or colleagues. Networking will also give me a better chance of getting a job because people will know me personally and trust me for a potential position. Also I will improve my social networks tool by getting more involved in the news and downloading more news applications. It is important to learn about our economy and how events in out world can affect the ways companies are run or what goods or services are produced. Besides my social tool I want to improve my information category and use Google, Indeed.com, LinkedIn and other job search websites to find job opportunities and learn about specific companies or industries. I also plan on improving my education methods because after college I won’t be using my school email so I need to make sure I constantly check my personal email to stay connected. Also within my education category I want to continue using Microsoft office and Google Drive because many companies use these programs, so I want to make sure I am proficient in all of them. 

I will continue to use my PLE to stay organized and focused for the years to come. I am fortunate to have complete access to all of these technological resources. For me, technology is all about building connection between people and a shared collaboration. I have access to an array of resources that allow me to interact and learn from my peers, as well as online resources. I am eager to see what happens in the next year and to see how I grow and start my career path. 

Technology is rapidly changing the way our world runs and it has changed all aspects of life such as society, businesses, the way people communicate, health, and so much more. People have the ability to have access to the world in the palm of their hands. Phones and computers have changed the way people access information and we can use technology to spread knowledge and to pose questions about the world. According to Wikipedia, digital transformation is “theuse of digital technology to solve traditional problems. These digital solutions enable new types of innovation and creativity, rather than simply enhance and support traditional methods…” Digital transformation greatly impacts both businesses and societies. Within digital transformation I chose to focus on education in the digital era. Education in the digital society promotes a new progressive thinking approach that promotes learning about digital skills and how they can apply in schools and in careers. According to the Digital Marketing Institute, this kind of education “can help narrow the digital skills gap and give tomorrow’s workforce the resilience to capitalize on new opportunities.” 

Education in the digital society focuses on skills, values, principles, projects, and resources for lifelong learning. The principles of education in the digital area are cooperation, openness, public, and experimental. A study done by CoSN (Consortium of School Networking) discovered different key trends that accelerated technology adaptation in schools. An example of a short-term trend given was implementing coding as literacy. “Many educators believe that coding helps children to understand how computers work, to communicate their thoughts through structure and logic, to think critically, and to be successful in the increasingly digital workplace.” Also the CoSN states that computing occupations are growing rapidly and are the best paying jobs in the US. This shows how with the continually advancing technology educators can promote real life applications of their teachings. Another example of a key trend was the growing focus on measuring learning. Educators now have the skills to have the ability to measure data more accurately and use technology to analyze this data for strategic improvement. 

Education in a digital society is very important because educators need to know how to adapt to the evolving world, and in school children need to have the ability to reach their full potential, and in this current society everyone needs to take advantage of the abundance of technological resources available. Another study on education in the digital society was from a report from NMC Horizon- Museum Edition. They focused on trends, challenges, and developments in technology for museums and solved ways to develop effective digital strategies. Creating and promoting digital strategies can help businesses advance as well as help people utilize technological resources. 

While learning about digital transformation, and focusing on education in the digital society I thought a lot about when I was a social media intern last summer for an influencer marketing company. My company works to develop new effective ways to work with consumers and brands, specifically working with family friendly YouTube influencers to advertise products and services. This relates to the digital era because people want to take advantage of technological resources. I think of education in this era more than just teaching styles in school but for everyone in society to be educated about the world around them as well as have the knowledge about all the technological resources they can use to learn about products and services.

As mentioned before, the principles of education in the digital area are cooperation, openness, public, and experimental. These principles relate to my internship because for example, cooperation relates to the ability to establish good relationships with brands and influencers and trust with customers. Then openness can relate to how the company I worked for was always open to new ideas and strategies and encouraged me to take leads on projects and give my input. Another example of a principle of education is experimental, and during my internship I was the leader to create consumer insight surveys, and I used technology to measure and collect sets of data and am able to easily analyze it.  

Also influencer marketing and YouTube promotes education because there’s a large increase of how many parents go on to YouTube for parenting advice or reviews on products before they buy it because they want to get the best for their family and children.“58% percent of YouTube-watching moms we surveyed agree they’re likely to search for videos about a certain product before making a purchase. And when it comes to watching a video to learn more about a product or service, 69% go to YouTube first, over other online video platforms.” Any type of education whether it is coding or new developed types of teaching information, it is all knowledge that helps people and businesses work more efficiently and know how to use technological resources to get the best out of it.

Strategic technology trends focus on how technology is continually evolving and how systems, businesses, and economies advance in the global technological sphere. In today’s world most of society is data driven, with the economy rapidly expanding, and constant technological advancements being created to make products and services more efficient, data is constantly collected and analyzed to benefit businesses and consumers. One of the strategic technology trends focused on big data and how collection of data can range and how it can provide tremendous amounts of helpful and also potentially harmful information. I chose to look at data on a smaller scale and focus on the theme of the quantified self, which is a theme within strategic technology trends. I decided to focus on the quantified self to explore ways new technology helps develop techniques to measure and analyze different sets of numbers and data that relate to an individual. 

According to Wikipedia, the quantified self is “a movement to incorporate technology into data acquisition on aspects of a person’s daily life, with the goal of improving physical, mental, and/or emotional performance.” This idea of quantitative measurements and self-tracking has become very popular and this data can be collected by sensors and by applications on phones or computers that can be measured. Applications such as diet or exercising tracking or tracking of how much money someone is spending and making is very useful for personal learning and growth. Another example of this movement would be the popular “Fitbit” which is used for health tracking. I am very interested in this topic because I think it is crucial to understand the importance of data collecting and how computers or people can use specific data to improve the quality of something, or for the user to be able break down and analyze the data in order to learn something that is clear and comprehensible. 

On the Quantified Self Institute website one of the pages discusses how there are many things a person can measure about themselves, such as heart rate, respiration, and hours slept.  The purpose is to find meaning in personal data, and this site encourages people to create projects that to begin their own self-tracking projects and also encourages research and collaboration. Gary Wolf and Kevin Kelly created this quantified self-movement in 2007 and created a community where data can be analyzed as well as where people can work on improving themselves in any aspects of their lives. The article states how projects are driven by individual questions “but since 2012, leaders in the Quantified Self community have also been working closely with public health experts, policymakers, and research scientists to advance discovery through increasing access to data.” This is crucial in understanding ways technology can bring people with common goals together because this data is not only for one person, but this joint collaboration and communication allow people from different professions to research potential advancements in data collecting. There are quantified self-groups that meet up all across the world to work on projects together.

In 2010 Gary Wolf, the co-founder of the Quantified Self, gave a TED Talk in which he highlighted the importance of numbers and how they can be useful in many aspects of society and business, such as in advertising, management, and governing. People analyze numbers in order to learn and improve and gain a new awareness about personal goals as well as community goals. These quantified self-tools are giving people tremendous amounts of information and Wolf says this systematic date leads to self-improvement and self-knowledge. Gary Wolf also talked about the quantified self and how it has drastically helped create a new wave of consciousness between yourself and the world around you. He stated how to act better in the world you need to get to know yourself better. This was very interesting to me because with this new consciousness of yourself and people’s power to have access to other’s personal data, people can stay connected on a whole new level. 

Technology has helped people stay connected and now its more than just giving information and doing activities but it’s about tracking this information and seeing ways you can improve oneself with this data. Working together with others while collecting data creates a sense of community and eagerness to participate. A video provided on the Quantified Self website is an advertisement about how when tracking data with friends it encourages a person to compete with their own data. In the case of the video, people are comparing health-tracking scores and each person wants to make sure they are doing the best in each category. These numbers and data points encourage healthy practices and friendly competition and collaboration. 

This topic reminds me of when I was a social media intern for an influencer marketing company last summer where I created and conducted a consumer insight survey. I was provided with the desired outcome, and given the responsibility for designing the solution. The company wanted me to research trends in influencer marketing and family consumer behavior, and build surveys that we could then send out to the database of clients and influencers. I was the leader of the project from the research stage, to creating and formatting the surveys, and to the distribution. This project reminds me of the projects that are taken on within the Quantified Self movement. Even though the consumer insight survey was not from a personal perspective, it was still very crucial for me to analyze data and numbers and be able to explain what the information meant and how my company as well as other brands we were working with can use the data to improve their products or services. Together both quantitative and qualitative measurements are important to connect together to see accurate results.

Someone I admire professionally is Kamala Harris, who is a United States Senator from California and candidate for president. Her mother is from India and her father is from Jamaica and they were both active in the civil rights movement so all throughout her life, Kamala was inspired to follow in the fight for justice. In 2016, she was the second African American woman in history to be elected to the United States Senate. She was also the first African American and first woman to serve as Attorney General of the state of California. She is an extremely inspirational woman who has worked tirelessly to help have citizens voices heard in the government. 

Her website focuses on her political career and what she believes is the right path for the US government. The content highlights her political achievements and what she has focused on over the last years, such as sponsoring legislation to provide tax cuts for the middle class, leading studies on transnational criminal organizations and human trafficking, and continuing to defend the rights of consumers. The website is very easy to navigate and the pages are focused on her presidential campaign. 

Kamal Harris also uses Instagram, and she uses it as a platform to advocate for political change and promoting her 2020 presidential candidacy. She discusses political issues that the country is facing and explains it in a clear and concise way, while maintaining engagement with all users. She combines personal posts as well as connecting posts back to her political views. Her Instagram highlights all of the activities she is involved in and what she is currently working on to stay involved within smaller communities as well as the country as a whole. Kamala Harris’ Twitter is very similar to her Instagram, and has similar posts. She shares videos from various news networks, and videos of herself participating in interviews or from conferences. 

Continuing researching about Kamala Harris, I am inspired to learn about more ways I can help my community or people who are struggling, especially in the Bay Area, where I live. I am excited to participate in the 2020 election and learn more about what Kamala wants to do for the people of the United States and why she believes she is best fit to be the president. 

Her social media accounts are easy to navigate and a way that I could improve my digital identity using her social media practices, would be to continue to work on my website I started for this class, and make sure my website is accessible and set up in a way that keeps the reader engaged and can easily find information about me or the blogs I have written.

In class it was explained that a personal learning environment is a set of tools we use to learn and communicate. In the center of my personal learning environment is my phone and laptop, which are the resources I use to access my specific learning tools. I separated my learning tools into four different categories: social networks, information, education, and entertainment. I have grown up in the age of technology and have been fortunate enough to have always had the technological resources to easily connect with others. I use both my computer and phone on a daily basis, and I can easily access and use any of my learning tools, and without either of these two devices I wouldn’t be able to stay connected to the important resources. My personal learning environment focuses on technology and how I am able to communicate, collaborate, and learn through all these technological resources. 

The question that is proposed for a personal learning environment, is how do we learn? Every person is different and has different styles of learning, and it is important for me to stay organized and up to date with all of my information. My four categories have different levels of importance depending on the situation. During the semester I need to make sure I am constantly in touch with both the IES program, as well as my university in California. Another way I like to learn is to use specific tools on my computer rather then on my phone and vise versa. I am fortunate to have the options of using all my tools on each of my devices, but I prefer to look at emails and work on documents on my computer, while on my phone I connect to my social networks. 

In the social network category, I focus on the key applications I use to communicate with my friends and family. While I am studying abroad in Spain I constantly want to check in with people in the United States, as well as communicate with my peers in Spain. I had never used WhatsApp until last semester, when many of my friends studied abroad, and now I continue to use it while I am in Spain, and it is a great, easy way to stay connected. I also use Facebook, Instagram, and Snapchat to post photos and videos of myself doing activities that I enjoy. In an article published by the Department of Computer Education and Instructional Technology, studies showed that “social network tools support educational activities by making interaction, collaboration, active participation, information and resource sharing, and critical thinking possible.” I apply this to all of my social networking resources, and it is true that these resources allow me to share information and encourage people to participate in responding to my posts, or messaging me about related information or topics. 

The next category I have in my personal learning environment is information where I focus on Google, Wikipedia, and Yelp. I use Google and Wikipedia for all of my online questions. Google gives anyone access to information all across the web, and Wikipedia encourages user collaboration and sharing of information. I use these sites for both daily and educational use. Yelp also encourages online collaboration, where people post reviews and pictures about restaurants and other suggested food options. I constantly use Yelp in Spain because my friends and I always want to try new food places in the new city we live in. 

The third category in my diagram is education, and the resources I use are Moodle, Outlook, Microsoft Office, and Google Drive. Even though I am abroad, I am in constant contact with my University in the United States, by using Outlook I am able to stay connected with my professors and advisors, and make sure I am up to date on any relevant news shared at the University of Redlands. Something I have been working on this semester is communicating with the director of the career center at my school to help me find an internship for this upcoming summer. With the tools within my personal learning environment, I have contacted her through Outlook email, and we have set up a phone call to discuss ways I can improve my resume and give myself the best opportunities to get an internship. This connects with other tools from my other three categories because other ways I connect with people for educational purposes is using Google to research internship opportunities, as well as using LinkedIn to connect with alumni from my university. During the semester in the United States I would use my resources to connect with my professors or other administration but then also set up times to meet in person and have that personal connection, which can also help communication, especially when I am applying for jobs.

The last category is entertainment where I use Netflix and YouTube. I watch Netflix at night to relax after my long busy days at school or after activities with my friends and family. Although I usually watch Netflix alone, it can be a social tool because with my peers we discuss the latest movies out on Netflix, or shows we enjoy watching. YouTube is also important to me, because I can use it for entertainment and educational purposes, as well as for viewing other information. I can use it for educational purposes to watch tutorials on topics I am learning in school, as well as uploading content I have created for various classes. YouTube is also critical for my interest in marketing. I was a social media intern for an influencer marketing company last summer and the company specifically focused on influencers on YouTube, so I learned about the process of video creation and working with brands and agencies to create videos for viewers and consumers.

My personal learning environment is an essential piece of my daily life, and I constantly use all tools within each category. For me, technology is all about building connection between people and a shared collaboration. I have access to an array of resources that allow me to interact and learn from my peers, as well as online resources. I am eager to study how my personal learning environment changes throughout the rest of the semester.  

“What is Web 2.0” by Tim O’Reilly analyzes the changes between the Web 1.0 and the Web 2.0 and how there is still an ongoing discussion about what Web 2.0 really means. O’Reilly explains that one of the main advances of this new era of the web is the growth of blogging and new communication between users. This new built relationship and continuous improvement of the online experience draws users in to participate across platforms. With the Web 2.0, Google was introduced as the dominant database and was able to be the “middle man between the user and his or her online experience.” This is important to understand because with the Web 2.0, the online experience was drastically changing which brought forward new services and a new perspective on how consumers and companies can work together to continue to develop online resources. The article breaks down the Web 2.0 into seven core principles and the two I found most interesting was harnessing collective intelligence and trusting users as co-developers. I learned about these two topics during my 2018 summer internship. 

Last summer I was a social media intern for Trending Family Inc., an influencer marketing company, where I learned about the competitive digital marketing landscape and how companies develop marketing strategies to execute on social media platforms, specifically targeting consumers through YouTube. Influencer marketing is a form of marketing where a business is working through an influencer on a specific platform, such as YouTube so that the influencer can better connect with their established subscribers and those viewers can trust them more and want to try these products. Trending Family partners with brands and connects brands and agencies with specific influencers to help create digital content for influencers to post on their social media channels. Influencer marketing relates to the concepts of harnessing collective intelligence and trusting users as co-developers, discussed in the article.

In the article it explains how collective intelligence first involved the creation of hyperlinking and the ability to access different information quickly and easily. With new services growing during the Web 2.0 era, the ability to connect with others is very important. Online companies took this very seriously and produced ways to build this connection. An example from the article is where Google and Amazon both provide users with an array of information about sites and products, as well as Wikipedia allowing access to information as well as continuous collaboration by users who can edit the public information. These are all examples of collective intelligence and how this concept heightens the experience of the web by creating a huge community of people interested in the market. 

In some ways, Trending Family acts similar to the ways Google behaves as stated in the article, as being the middleman between users and their experience. As an intern I learned how Trending Family connects brands with influencers and worked together with the two to create a great experience for the consumer. With influencer marketing, brands and influencers want to make the best user experience because they want the user or subscriber to purchase the product or service provided in the influencer videos. Influencer marketing is more than just advertising a product; it is a way for users to engage with a trusted individual the user has been following on a certain social media platform. This trust allows the influencer to give advice and relay information about current products. This relates to the articles discussion on how important trust is between users and companies who provide services across the web. Building trust requires time and effort, but the Web 2.0 is a perfect environment for those relationships to be built. 

Thanks for joining me!

Good company in a journey makes the way seem shorter. — Izaak Walton