Personally, i have to admit that i am not very familiar with the online tools. I believe that i still have to improve my digital skills. I am able to find information online but not so much to create material online. I think i can present myself appropriately online and manage my digital identity too. I should mention that i am not fully aware of the online tools and I still have to be informed about online safety services. The website Being Digital gave me the chance to verify the level of my digital literacy skills and what i am capable of doing online. 

What also attracted my attention was pathway 2   which is about finding information since i place much value in finding online information. I have to mention that i have experience in searching for information and i am able to find the kind of information i am looking for. Due to the fact that i had to search for my assignments for material in an online library. So i can find the appropriate information in an online library. What is more, using keywords to find the relevant information is known to me since i use keywords quite frequently in my everyday life for many reasons and purposes. Scanning and skimming are also known techniques and i also do it very often when i have to deal with long texts. Moreover, i know how to use social-networking sites in order to keep up- to- date for my study.  However, i have not used the advanced search options and i have not tried to filter large amounts of result of information, thus, i am not very familiar with this. Furthermore, i have a difficulty in thinking of alternative search strategies when i do not find the information i desire. What is also unknown to me is the RSS feeds domain. I have never subscribed to RSS feed and i do not know how it functions and how it is useful in keeping me up-to-date. This is the reason why i decided to visit the link about Keeping up -to-date using RSS. Through this activity i learnt what RSS is and what it is about. I learnt also the potentials of RSS feeds and how i can keep up-to-date with the latest information. What appealed to me between the various links with activities was the link about Search slips and tips. Sometimes it is difficult to find the information you need since some obstacle arise. In this activity i saw some examples of people having trouble finding the appropriate information. Through these examples many tips are offered in order to avoid pitfalls and to improve our way of searching information. Thus, this activity was very helpful to me because i  learnt how to develop my information searching skills. 

I was particularly interested in pathway 3 which is about using information as i do not feel very confident with using  the online information. I am not sure if the resource i find online is reliable and valid or not. What is more, I am not very confident with using all media such as podcasts. References is a demanding task for me as well since i have only the basic knowledge needed for this and i need to search many hours online to write the reference list correctly. Before visiting this site and doing the self-assessment quiz i did not know that you can store the source of information too. So, i do not have any experience and knowledge of using tools to keep a record of the sources. Furthermore, bookmarking was an unknown field for me as i did not know that offers the opportunity to save websites, share and organize information. Last but not least i am aware of the notion of plagiarism  owing to the university assignments i had but i am not fully aware of the legal consequences of sharing files of others. After the quiz of the self assessment some links with activities appeared in order to improve my skills in this domains. The first activity i picked was about referencing. I chose to visit the link about Selecting a reference management tool because i do not feel that i am able to write a reference list correctly. I learnt more about the features and the potentials of the referencing management tools. What was also very interesting was that helped me to discover the reasons why i should opt a tool and what i should consider when i have to use a specific referencing tool. The other activity i have chosen to do is the Evaluation using PROMPT since i thought that it is very important to evaluate information especially for work purposes. So, i learnt what the PROMPT criteria are and how useful they are for evaluation of any kind of information.    

  I felt confident enough with the areas that were presented to me. In the end of the self-assessment questions, I decided to try some activities out. I chose “Communicating online” and “My digital identity” as I regularly use social media to communicate with my friends and colleagues and I wanted to expand my knowledge.

 "Communicating Online" 
This activity clarified the differences among types of communication and provided useful advice. I have learned that when I present my opinion in an online and face-to-face communication I should always acknowledge the other’s point of view and that I should not forget to make eye contact and smile during a face-to-face communication.

 The second activity underlined the importance of realizing who can see the content that I post online. A post about my private life or an inappropriate comment could hurt my social image. Of course, I am already careful as far as my posts are concerned but this activity made me more cautious, as it warned me by showing me the consequences of reckless decisions. So, I have learned that I should always be aware of the users that are going to see my posts in order to avoid uncomfortable situations. 

 As I am a columnist in a Greek cultural website, I wanted to learn as much as I could about this area. The activities I chose were “Podcasting in plain English” and “Being digital pathway: Communicating online”. The second activity led me to a new page of activities. From those activities I chose “Making the most of Twitter” as I love tweets and I usually promote my articles via Twitter.

"Making most of Twitter"
This activity proved to me that Twitter can be used in order to connect with experts in my field, find out about useful websites and get the latest news besides promoting my work. Furthermore, it suggested not to get caught up in Twitter and be selective of what I read and contribute.  

 To be more specific, I checked out that I am not short on judging the accuracy and reliability of information I find online and even I recognize when using someone else’s work (Plagiarism) , trying to cite it properly so as to avoid any illicit implications. Moreover, I realized in this pathway that, I utilize online tools with a view to recording interesting sources and to access to the material I need, whenever I wish, providing references to sources that I use for my own work. Furthermore, I discovered that I am quite confident when I am about to communicate in online communities that require interpersonal skills specific to digital environments, no matter how difficult it may be when discussing with unfamiliar people. Besides, this functions as an incentive for me so as to exploit some of the online tools to collaborate with a group of people and share documents or presentations in our same project (Online Collaboration). It is significant, though, to bear in mind that we have to adjust our style of writing in the group of people (audience) we are addressed to, namely to decide whether to use formal or informal style. 

 

 

As far as the first pathway is concerned, which is about the understanding of digital practices, there was a questionnaire that had be completed and some activities according to the answer given which contributed to ‘understand the digital practices’. The first question was about how and to what extent we trust people we meet online. Personally speaking, I would not trust them. Then, an activity that included avatars followed in which I was not confident no how to trust them. Afterwards, I was questioned on what affected my decision. So, the fact that the Internet has many dangers,  the fact that the people behind the avatars are unknown and the influence of sources that underline the danger of the Net or even the negative experience other people had make me doubtful about the avatars.

Another question that followed was ‘what to trust online’. Activities that concerned various products tested how I trust them. In this question I was not so doubtful. This is because I am quite familiar with buying products online or booking tickets or hotels.

In this pathway my trust about the information the Internet provides is tested. In the first question about how confident I am at finding information that concern my studies, I answered that I am confident. This is due to the fact that I acknowledge where to find the right information before I start my survey. First and foremost, my professors, then my previous experience as mentioned before at conducting assignments, my fellow-students or even my colleagues contribute to search for information to the appropriate sites. Another activity that was about scanning and skimming a text was chosen. In this activity I had to have a quick look at a specific article that was about bicycles and to find how many times I found the word ‘cycling’. Scanning the text, I found this particular word 7 times. However, going through the text more carefully, I found it 10 times.

The “Being Digital” website - developed by the library services at the British Open University - through the self-assessment activities and the pathway of activities it offers, enabled us not only to identify and determine our weaknesses and strengths in terms of digital literacy skills but also to work on and improve them. The present study is a detailed description of our progress on an individual basis. 

Through the self-assessment questionnaire I was given the opportunity to determine my strengths and weaknesses as regards my digital literacy skills.  Firstly, some of the areas, I am confident at, are identifying which groups of people I come into contact with online. Another area I am aware of is what happens to the  information you put online and at presenting myself online -that is my digital identity. However, an area which I always had difficulty in is trying to identify the right online tool to find, use or create information online. The activity Selecting the right online tools contributed to this goal by including some examples of useful online tools so as to help with communicating, networking, sharing, manipulation information, creating content, publishing and it was followed by simple questions to ask when deciding which tool to use. More specifically, an example of tool for creating online animation videos and presentations is Moovly; Dropbox is for uploading and sharing documents and Remember the milk is for creating and managing task lists online. Furthermore, a list of factors presented in the form of questions (as it was above-mentioned) enabled me to determine whether to use a tool or not. These concerned: 

i. the way it is accessed

ii. whether other tools would do the job better

iii.  their cost

iv. whether it is easy to use

v.  its purpose
vi.   whether it is trustworthy

vii.  its shelf-life.

Additionally, concerning the difficulty I confront whenever I try to find the contact details of a person online the Target your Google search activity provided useful information. The first activity included information about the way Google search limits the results by providing filters on the type of information the user is looking for. The default information type All gives a list of unfiltered results and the Tools option provides additional filters based on the information type you have chosen; News, images, videos, books, shopping, maps etc. For example, news is useful for finding local, national and global news, current affairs and debate. Images constitute an ideal filter when the user is looking for a photograph to illustrate a blog post, pictures of a holiday destination or even to find out what a certain laptop looks like.  Videos show how to master a skill or even provide interviews with authors and even dramatisations. Finally, Advanced searching provides a range of options to help you target your search, for example narrowing your search to include specific keywords. Last but not least,the Information Universe gives a clear insight into the purpose of the information a user is looking for and helps concentrate on the most appropriate resources that provide the user with the information he needs. There are categories of information that help the user focus on the type of information he needs; news or current information, ideas and opinions, research results, theory, facts and figures, history or background, people’s experience, persuasion.

The “Being Digital” website through a number of activities and pathways, which will be further analyzed below, gave me a more thorough understanding of my digital literacy skills. 

First of all, I am confident with finding people online, and distinguish if they are genuine. Of course I need to double check and I can never be totally sure if their information is trustworthy. After following the Finding information online pathway, I came across a term that I wasn’t aware of, the term digital footprints. This term signified all the stuff we leave behind as we use the Internet like comments on social media, Skype calls, app use and email records. I followed this activity and it made me realize that whatever we leave behind when visiting a website can potentially be seen by other people, or tracked in a database contributing to a potential negative portrait of who we are online. I followed the tips that the site mentioned and I realized that I need to control my online image by paying extra attention to what I post online, as I need to be aware of the effect this content could have on a future job or even activities concerning the law. Also, I consider myself familiar with online tools and I believe I know which tool (search engine, some software or a website) I should use for which activity, in order to find, use or create information online. 

 

 

Furthermore, I came across the area of finding information on the web, and which types (news, opinions, experience, theory etc.) would be most appropriate for my needs. After working on several university assignments, I believe I am able to find information in an online library by using the right keywords or skimming and scanning the document in order to find all the useful information for my research. After following the Effective searching: Filtering information online pathway, I encountered a number of techniques that I could use for my next research, like check the headings, see from which company/source it is posted, check the date, “filter search results” etc. I realized that there’s definitely a lot to be learned just from finding, filtering, and using information found on various websites. Being able to research effectively is an essential skill for everyone. Therefore, it’s definitely worth investing some time in this topic. Finally, a more thorough investigation into the Keeping Up-to-date: RSS Feed activity, denoted a number of useful RSS readers like feedly, netvibes, dig reader etc which I found quite interesting. RSS feeds are simple text files that, once submitted, allow subscribers to see content within a very short time after it is updated. I had never used an RSS feed before but they made me realize that they can really simplify how I get my content. 

”Social networks represent the digital reflection of what humans do: we connect and share”

The second pathway I chose was Making the most of Social Networking which includes a distinction among General , Professional and Special interest networking sites. General sites include Facebook and Twitter which provide opportunities for communication with friends and family; Professional networking sites include Linkedin and Academia.edu to come into contact with people from your field; Special Interest networking sites include, for example, Soundcloud where people share their interests. Furthermore, all these sites encompass a plethora of benefits such as keeping in touch with family members or even getting back in touch with people you have lost contact with, launching campaigns, sharing information and making contacts with other people who belong to the same field. On the other hand, while moving up the stages of Making the most of Social Networking sites, what really attracted my attention was the activity called Making the most of Twitter through which I managed toidentify myself as a Listener because I follow a lot of tweeters but I do not tweet much myself. Additionally, I was informed about the two other types of tweeters;Hubs - a person who follows and is followed by an equal number of people and could be likened to the person at a party who introduces people to each other ; talker-  a person who posts frequent tweets and has a lot of followers, but does not follow many people himself. However, the most significant part was when I was enlightened about possible ways to benefit from Twitter by investing time to build my network of followers, being focused and selective as to what to read, whom I am  interested in and more importantly by reading other tweeters’ posts and take the plunge so as to tweet myself. Tweeting myself was made  possible as soon as I used all the necessary techniques outlined in the final stage of the activity:

Finding and using information caught my attention and they were the two parts I found out I am not familiar with. Regarding information finding I need to become more confident with finding information online, knowing where to look and how to search effectively. Using information is the field I need to focus more on and develop skills in order to use information appropriately, evaluate what I find and acknowledge others' work.

My strategy when answering the questionnaire was to give negative response to all answers in order to see what the platform suggests for each topic. I opened all the available links, read the abstract of each activity and then decided which activities I would choose depending on my needs.

Next, I wanted to learn more about how to choose good keywords; the more specialist the keywords are, the fewer and more focused the results will be. If you are still getting too many results, you can use the advanced features in Google search machine, i.e. you can exclude terms by using a dash before them. In the summary, extra tips were given to help improving the search. I found two of them very helpful; always look back through any background materials to find any relevant keywords you may have forgotten and set a time limit and stop if you have not found anything.

The previous topic was very interesting and useful that made me want to learn even more about how to target my Google search and how to use the advanced search options in order to find the most relevant information quickly. Google allows you to limit the results by providing filters based on the type of information it thinks you are looking for. You can get access to other types of information rather than News, Images, Videos, Books, Shopping, Maps, Flights and Apps by using the More option. The Tools option provides additional filters based on the information type you have chosen. You have to always keep in mind to check back from time to time because Google is always adding new features and not to use too many search options at once because you might miss useful information if you apply too many limits to your search.

Regarding scanning and skimming I found some very useful reading techniques which will help me a lot when I have to find and read a lot of text online and to get to key information quickly. Scanning will help you to decide whether you should read further by running your eye quickly down the text to locate specific words or phrases that you are interested in. You can focus on headings and subheadings, images and artwork, the body text itself (e.g. for authors' names) and the sitemap. By skimming, you read quickly to get an overview before you start to read in depth and that is when you can decide where you want to concentrate your time. Skimming the text involves getting an indication of the scope and content of the information, looking at the first sentence of each paragraph to see what it’s about and noting the key points in any summaries.

 First of all, as far as the self-assessment about understanding digital practices is concerned, I found that I feel quite confident at identifying the groups of people I am coming into contact with, knowing about the information I put online, presenting myself online and knowing who owns the information I find online. However, I think that I have to improve my skills in choosing the right online tool, finding a person online and making sure about what information I can legally reuse.

Through the self-assessment about my skills relevant to finding information, I found that: I can decide which types of information are appropriate in each case, I know about online libraries and how to use advanced search or filter large numbers of results and how to scan and skim a webpage. However, I am not pretty sure about how to choose the correct keywords and when to change the search strategy or stop searching. Finally, I don’t know much about RSS feeds and how to use them.

Regarding the self-assessment about using information, I found that I know about plagiarism, how to write the reference of a source and how to keep a record of the sources using Mendeley. I believe that I need to delve more into the ability to decide when a source is trustworthy, the use of information in different media, such as podcasting, the use of social bookmarks and the legal share of files.

Finally, as far as the self-assessment about creating information is concerned I feel quite confident with writing for different audiences, communicating with others online, working with others online and using media capture devices. I do not feel quite confident with adding my own comments to forums or web pages.

Selecting the right online tool: Through this activity I learned some new tools that may be useful in the future, but the most important is that I realized that there are many online tools which I ignore. So, I understood the importance of constantly getting aware of new tools and the possibilities they may offer. The awareness of these tools helps us think of new teaching ideas and ways to use them.

The information universe: This activity helped me categorize the types of information to make its search easier.

Target your Google search: This activity taught me how to use filters when I am searching for specific information and how to use the advanced search to limit the results of the search.

Choosing good keywords: In this activity I found out some ways to choose the best keyword for a search. The selection of keywords depends on the purpose for which we search information and we can specify our search using advanced search to limit our results by excluding some keywords. 

Search slips and tips: Through this activity I found out some techniques that will help me concentrate on the focus of my search and not be misled by irrelevant information.

Filtering information quickly: This activity offers ideas for limiting the search results and finding those which are relevant. Checking the source, the short description and applying advanced search are some practices to filter information.

RSS in plain English: Through this activity I got an idea the use and function of RSS feeds.

Deciding what to trust online, Deciding who to trust online, Evaluating using prompt: These activities helped me form some criteria to keep in mind when deciding whether to trust or not sources, people and information I find online.

Podcasting in plain English: This activity helped me understand what podcasts are and the advantages of using them.

My digital identity: This activity stressed the importance of the image we project and also the consideration of who are the readers of our posts.

Communicating online, writing online: Through these activities I realized that we have to think of the characteristics (participants, reasons, etc.) of the conversation when communicating online.

Making the most of Twitter, Writing a good tweet: These two activities explain how we can use Twitter for communicating information and give guidelines for writing meaningful tweets.

Being digital is a website, established by the Open University, which consists of short and easy activities regarding the skills that everyone needs in order to be effective online. I thought it would be a great opportunity to see how well aware am I regarding the Internet, so I started with the part of “assess your skills”. This pathway is composed of four quiz, each one with a different field : understanding digital practices, finding information, using information, creating information. As I am answering the four quiz, when I do not feel confident about a subject, the program recommends different activities regarding my lack of skills in this specific area.

As far as understanding digital practices is concerned, I am glad to know that I am familiar with nearly everything mentioned in the questions. I do not have a problem neither in identifying groups, nor with my digital footprint and my digital identity. I am very cautious about them, because a lot of dangers may arise (for example to engage with “bad” people, or to imitate something that you are not etc). In addition to this, I believe that I am also well qualified regarding the “owner” of information reproduced in Internet and about Creative Commons licensing. The latter although I have not known the term as a name, I already new the context of it. I think that my only problem is to find an expert online and to communicate with them. In the University of Ioannina, I was familiar with the on-line system and I found easy the e-mails or phones of the professors, but broader I find myself having trouble with it.

I start with the activity “Target your Google search” which deals with the additional filters and tools for searching and generally the advanced searching. With the advanced options of Google search, I can target my search and find relevant information quickly. In this way, I believe that I will be more confident in searching an expert and communicate with them, as I hardly knew about the range of options that Google search have provided me.

The most problematic field for me is the second field, “finding information”. The parts with which I am familiar are the following : finding information, using keywords, scanning and skimming. However, there are deficiencies in searching information. I am not familiar with the way I can use an online library. I do not know also about the search options for limiting and refining and how to change strategy. Apart from this, even though I keep up to date with news in fields in which I am interested, I have heard the term RSS feeds a few times and I haven’t searched information about it.

The next three activities are related to the online library : 1. “What is the online library?” , a brief video about the term online library and its utility. 2. “Getting started with the online library” , where I learn about the types of resources (e-books, ejournals, articles, databases) and 3. “Explore library resources” , a short video that introduces us to the OU Library. As a result, I understand that an online library contains amazing resources and can seem overwhelming. I can find material to read concerning my subjects, find academic quality information for my assignment and discover different viewpoints. Regarding my inefficiency in searching online, except for the activity “Target your Google search”, another two activities “Search slips and tips” and “Filtering information quickly” help me to become more confident. In essence, I learn that I have firstly to pause to consider what I really looking for and not to be sidetracked. The main fact is to be able to use with confidence my chosen search engine and to use my human judgement. Afterwards, I deal with two other activities “RSS in plain English” and “Keeping up-to-date using RSS”. I finally manage to know what RSS exactly is and I find it very interesting and useful, especially the fact that I can keep track of all my feeds and read any updates using my RSS reader.

Concerning the “using information” field, my only problem is the bookmarking. I am not familiar with the term or its utility. Regarding plagiarism, references, recognizing trustworthy online sources etc, I am aware of these and I owe it to the professors and courses of the Master, because as an undergraduate student I made only 1 assignment.

Concerning the Bookmarking, the website do not have yet an activity, however some information about the term is given and I think can search also by myself to learn more based on the information given. 

Last but not least, the “creating information” field is not something new to me. I know every time how to adapt a style of writing depending on the audience, how to share documents online or how to use media-captured devices. The only things that I do not make often is to make comments or to comment with audio or video, but I believe that this is nothing to do with my knowledge about how to use them, but it depends on my lack of self-confidence.

The last field that I deal with is “Communicating online”, which is in essence a pathway with five activities. They give useful information about how to promote yourself in social medias, how to comment, and focus enough on twitter. Anyhow, as I mentioned earlier, I believe that the main reason that I do not comment often or that I do not use video or audio for commenting is my insecurity and this is something totally different from the above-mentioned.

Digital competence is essential for learning, working and active participation in society. For school education, just as important as the ability itself is the knowledge of how to develop it. The concept of digital literacy is a necessary qualification for participation in the Information Society and an ability to acquire knowledge and basic skills. The more digitally literate teachers are, the more they'll employ these skills in the classroom, which will in turn foster a strong sense of digital citizenship in students. Therefore, I used the website “Being Digital” in order to track possible deficits I have in terms of digital literacy. I completed four self- assessment tasks.
Part 1

The first one was about understanding digital practices. In this part I find myself quite confident at most of the situations. In particular I feel very confident concerning the identification of the people I communicate with, the knowledge about the data I post online and my online personal presentation. Furthermore, I feel confident at tracking the owner of the information I find online and at selecting the appropriate online tool in order to look for someone online. On the other hand I do not feel confident enough at finding out what online information I can legally reuse and under which conditions I can reproduce online content. 
Part2

As far as the finding information self-assessment is concerned, I know what kind of information it is possible to find on the web, and which types would be most appropriate for my requirements. Moreover, I am very familiar with the variety of information I can find in an online library and especially in my university website. Also, I am confident when it comes to choosing keywords that reflect the purpose of my search as well as to using advanced search options to limit and refine it. In addition, I am quite confident in my approach to searching, and I know when to alter my search strategy. As for scanning and skimming a web page to get to the key relevant information quickly, I also feel capable of doing it. Furthermore, I am confident at knowing how to use social networking sites to find information and keep up-to- date and in particular with RSS feeds. Unfortunately, I face some difficulties in filtering large numbers of search results quickly and how to make the required judgements in order to get the most relevant information quickly.
Part3

The third section of the self- assessment is related to how familiar and confident I am with using the information I find online. I could say that I feel very capable of how to ensure that the information I use from a trustworthy source and how to use information in different media like podcasts or videos. Furthermore, I definitely understand what plagiarism means and therefore I am familiar with how to show respect to other people’s work without plagiarising. I also feel confident at referencing online resources and using online tools in order to facilitate my attempt to record source details for the information I find online. On the other hand, I do not feel experienced enough to use social bookmarking in order to organize and share my information and therefore I have not registered to an online social bookmarking yet. Unfortunately, I do not have much experience about the legal implications of sharing files because I do not know much about the rights that protect creative content.
Part 4

Finally the last part of the self-assessment is related to how familiar and confident I feel with creating information online. Regarding my answers I  am  used  to  add  comments  online  and  I am  very  conscious  of netiquette when I do this. Furthermore I feel confident at adjusting my writing style to different types of audiences as well as to interact with them by using text, audio and video and various media capture devices. On contrast I do not have much experience in working with others online to create a shared document or presentation.

After each question, I was directed to some recommendations for Being digital activities in order develop my skills. Therefore, I was involved with the following activities.
Part 1 - Activities

In the first part of the self-assessment I realized that I do not know what a Creative Commons licensing is as well as how to identify the conditions under which I can reproduce online content. According to the feedback I was given, every time I upload photographs, content or video that I have created by myself, then I own those assets. However, the Creative Commons provide the users with a set of free licensing options for open access content. Apart from the above feedback there was not any particular activity I could engage with because an activity on how to find and use third party material legally is only being planned for the future.
Part 4 - Activities

Regarding my lack of knowledge on how to filter large numbers of search results quickly, I have found the feedback given very helpful. The activity “Filtering information quickly” helped me to deal with data overload and to develop some strategies for filtering my results when searching the web. In particular I watched a short 3-minute video about initial refining of search results. In this video, I got some tips for filtering information such as the headings, the highlighted words which show if the content is relevant to my search, the date of the content and the way of phrase search (phrase in inverted commas). In the last part of the activity I was asked to reflect on my own strategies for dealing with large numbers of search results on a topic I am interested in. What I learnt from the particular activity is that in order to filter search results quickly, I have to develop my own judgement and critical skills. Furthermore I found out that search engines also provide tools that can enable me to refine my search results by processing the search criteria I have used.

Part3 - Activities
As for the third set of questions considering Self-assessment of using information, I have already mentioned that I do not feel confident enough to use social bookmarking in order to arrange and distribute my data. Unfortunately, there was not any activity on social bookmarking apart from a feedback with useful information.  According to the feedback there are helpful online sites such as Diigo in which I can save details about my research such as web addresses and attach keywords to them. Regarding my weakness on legal implications of sharing files, there was not any available activity and therefore I tried to develop my knowledge on this through the feedback given. I learnt that there are both rights in place to protect my own work and rights for material that belongs to someone else. It is also important for me to define and learn about terms like copyright, ownership and licensing, in order to follow the law when I share files with others.

The last activity I engaged with was about my weakness on working with others online to create a shared document or presentation. According the feedback, there are online tools which help people to work on the same project as well as to have the opportunity to be equally involved. After the feedback there was a pathway with a variety of short activities that contain some instructions concerning the tools are available for collaborating with others online. The pathway “Communicating online” includes five different activities. I followed the first activity “My digital identity” because I believe that in order to work with others online, I must be aware of the factors which contribute to my online reputation as well as how to present to others the image I would wish. What I learnt from the activity is that I must always keep in mind that all the information I share online has to be appropriate for different types of audience. Therefore, that I must always consider that my audience may be far bigger than I think and that everything I post on the web it remains there. The second activity I took part in was “Writing online”. In my opinion, anyone who is involved with social media should be aware of the general principles for writing online. In order to avoid misunderstandings on online projects, everyone who uses online writing must be very careful with the key points he/she wants to get across, the audience, the format-medium and the language. In this activity I looked at some examples of online writing and I have learnt about some principles for effective online writing.

Part 4 - Activities
Finally, the website suggests another activity for keeping up to date using online networking. I was provided with examples of some of the web tools (like LinkedIn, Memotoo, Google Contacts, Tweeter, Yahoo messenger, Skype) available for networking successfully at work. Then I was asked to evaluate the above tools in terms of the pros and cons of each one and my preference on the network I like to use, and why. Feedback was also provided after the evaluation as well as a relevant document with information about social networks. What I have gained from this activity is that online networks can help to myself keep up-to-date for social network interaction and also that there are various networks suitable for all my needs (academic, work, personal).