3. Search Pocket and use it directly from their regular browser.     

 

Social media tools are applications that allow users to create, publish, manage and share information or content on platforms. Using these tools in education provides new and innovative ways for lecturers and students to interact, collaborate, and learn. I have seen that through social media tools, lecturers like Crystal can encourage us students to interact with course materials and one another by creating a dynamic and participatory environment. For supporting online engagement, these different tools can be classified into five categories, with some social media platforms being able to fit into more than one category.  

 

We have used the free social media platform YouTube to support my online engagement in finding information. As I mentioned, a percentage of the module is assessed by participation in weekly activities. Each week videos from YouTube are uploaded to bright space. These videos must be watched in preparation for the following week's class. The videos are usually five to fifteen minutes long and are about various things, such as information and facts about the M1 motorway. I find that the purpose of the exercise is to show how valuable YouTube can be as a source of finding information on various topics. YouTube enables videos of educational, entertainment, and news content to be uploaded, viewed, and shared on the platform. Information can be obtained through access to educational videos, How to videos and tutorials, videos about experts' insights and user-generated content. I have used YouTube to acquire information from all the forms referred to at some point. As a visual learner, I found YouTube beneficial and more engaging than learning information from articles and textbooks. This is because video's visual and auditory signs help me retain and comprehend difficult information concepts. 

 

The platform YouTube can also apply to the category of creating and publishing information. As part of E-portfolio A, I had to learn how to create, edit and publish a video on YouTube. I have always wanted to learn this as it is an important skill to have, whether for my own personal use, towards college work or for potential future employers. The first step I had to undertake was creating a YouTube channel and an account with ScreenPal (Screencast-o-Matic). How-to videos and instructions were supplied to easily help with this process. ScreenPal was the software recommended for creating the YouTube video of my choice in under thirty seconds. I decided to create a how-to video because they are usually short in length. I recorded a video of how to napkin fold a Bishop's mitre. After many retakes, I finally transferred the content so that I could upload and publish it to YouTube. Once the video was uploaded, I was able to edit any parts where I made a mistake and try to shorten the length. 

 

I used applications such as Pinterest and Pocket to curate and manage information. They are both seen to be social bookmarking tools. However, Pinterest is considered a social media platform and is one that I have been using for several years. It is a tool that can either be for personal or professional use. On Pinterest, I can save images or videos to virtual pinboards. Boards can be created based on specific topics or interests I have, and I can save images, videos or articles relating to those videos to those boards. In addition, Pinterest offers features that facilitate the management of the content on my boards. I have to option to provide more information or context to the pins by adding descriptions or comments. Furthermore, the search function on Pinterest enables me to look for particular topics or keywords and save them to my boards. This streamlines the process of finding and organising relevant information.

 

The two social media tools allow me to share information. On YouTube, I can share videos with both my subscribers and the wider community. Similarly, Pinterest allows me to share images and links associated with specific topics with my followers. In order to make my content more discoverable, appropriate keywords and tags need to be used for each of the social media tools. When sharing information, I must respect other users, whether they are classmates, friends or strangers. I should always verify the information is valid and reliable. Lastly, I have learnt to adhere to each social media app's guidelines. This brings me to become aware of what it means to be a digital citizen and the responsibilities I need to take when using social media (Gleason & von Gillern, 2018) personally. Digital citizenship is seen as "more than just a teaching tool, it is a way to prepare students for a society full of technology" (Hildebrandt & Couros, 2016) (Egresitz, 2020) (Leca, 2022). These responsibilities in which I have to undertake will not only help academically but in my personal and professional life. 

Egresitz, J. (2020). Teaching Digital Understanding And Citizenship: Modern Skills For The Classroom And Beyond. Technology and Engineering Teacher, 8.

Gleason, B., & von Gillern, S. (2018). Digital Citizenship with Social Media: Participatory Practices of Teaching and Learning in Secondary Education. Educational Technology & Society , 21(1), 200-212.

Hildebrandt, K., & Couros, A. (2016). Digital selves, digital scholars: Theorising academic indentity in online spaces. Journal of applied social theory.

Leca, A. (2022, May 31). What is Digital Citizenship and Why is it Important? Retrieved from Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/pulse/what-digital-citizenship-why-important-alexia-leca

 

Upon reflection, having read a number of readings provided for Week 7, ‘Social Media in the Workplace’ and the independent articles I searched, I have identified several key concepts and techniques to incorporate into my personal digital strategy, which will help control my online presence.  The first step is to assess my current presence on social media. I applied this method by searching my first and last name in Google using the private window function. In addition to this, I assessed what social media platforms I am present on, which are Instagram, TikTok, Snapchat, LinkedIn, Pinterest and Facebook, although I no longer use some of them. From this assessment, I was able to identify my strengths and weaknesses, observing potential areas of improvement. 

In the next step, I defined the unique values, skills and expertise I have built upon and acquired from this module to establish a consistent personal brand across all online platforms. Everyone is a brand, I am a brand, and you are a brand it is not something exclusive to just companies or organisations (Marr, 2023). Personal branding interlinks to how you present yourself and is the process of managing and optimising this presence (Lee, 2015). Furthermore, I then distinguished my target audience by asking myself the 5 W’s, such as who, what, where, when, and why. I then defined my goals for the digital strategy that corresponded to my personal and professional intentions. I read that in order for goals to be practical, they must be S.M.A.R.T. which stands for specific, measurable, achievable, relevant and time-bound (Rum, 2016). 

Crystal, my module coordinator and lecturer, reiterated throughout the module how beneficial discovering, applying, and evaluating various digital tools are for effectively solving my information problems and when presenting myself to prospective employers. Most skills and tools described in social strategy are components of content marketing, but they apply to build your personal brand (Harr, 2022). For me, the most useful aspect of creating a digital strategy was the tools. They were spoken about by guest lecturer Luke Fitzpatrick, in week 7, a former student of Crystals and an alumnus of UCD, who gave a presentation on building a social strategy. I found this lecture very engaging, Luke described how the content of his talk could be applied for personal and professional use. The lecture was also insightful regarding the potential professional pathways available to me after I graduate from college. He provided a brief overview of himself companies he had worked for and introduced the topic of what was B2B social. He spoke about the tools he used, such as Canva and LinkedIn. In Week 9, we had another guest speaker Faye Carrie who demonstrated how to use Canva and Piktochart. Both are graphic design tools that allow users to create visually captivating-looking and professional-looking designs and graphics such as social media posts or infographics. An infographic is a key tool enabling you to display and communicate information or tell a story in a visually engaging way.

LinkedIn is an ideal platform to display and control your professional digital presence. It connects users with not only employers but other professionals in your industry. On your profile, you are able to showcase your professional experience, skills you possess and interests you have. For portfolio- B, I had to create a LinkedIn profile and populate it. As I already had a LinkedIn profile, I created last semester, this was an opportunity to improve my existing profile by using the resources provided. One of the YouTube videos I watched was “How to use LinkedIn for beginners.” I found the video extremely helpful, as the video explained what you should include in your profile, for example, a background photo and the benefits as a result.

From this module, I have significantly developed my skills to present myself more professionally, Having said that, I believe I have acquired some valuable insights which will prove invaluable when applying to complete an internship next year. 

Cipriano, J. (2020, April 27). 3 Compelling Reasons Why You need a Digital Strategy now . Retrieved from LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/pulse/3-compelling-reasons-why-you-need-digital-strategy-now-jovel-cipriano/

Dutta, S. (2010, November 127-130 ). Managing Yourself: What's Your Personal Social Media Strategy?Retrieved April 20 , 2023, from https://hbr.org/2010/11/managing-yourself-whats-your-personal-social-media-strategy

Harr, E. (2022, October 6). Personal Branding Strategy: A Roadmap for Professionlas, Experts and Executives . Retrieved April 20, 2023, from https://hingemarketing.com/blog/story/personal-branding-strategy-a-roadmap-for-professionals-experts-and-executives

Lee, K. (2015, January 15). The 5 Keys to Building a Social Media Strategy for Your Personal Brand. Retrieved April 20, 2023, from https://buffer.com/resources/social-media-strategy-personal-branding-tips/

Marr, B. (2023, January 6). 12 easy steps to bulid your personal brand on social media . Retrieved April 20 , 2023, from https://www.forbes.com/sites/bernardmarr/2023/01/06/12-easy-steps-to-build-your-personal-brand-on-social-media/?sh=687816832696

Morehouse, J., & Saffer, A. J. (2018, August 22). Digital Strategy . Retrieved from Research Gate: https://www.researchgate.net/publication/327877294_Digital_Strategy#:~:text=A%20digital%20strategy%20is%20a,%2C%20and%20public%20relations)%20goals.

Rum, J. (2016, January 25 ). 10 Steps to Building an Effective Digital Strategy . Retrieved from Social Media Today : https://www.socialmediatoday.com/marketing/10-steps-building-effective-digital-strategy

 

 

 

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