A digital citizen is known as an umbrella term for describing a “dynamic set of competences and skills children and young adults need to acquire in order to successfully participate in today's digital world” (Becker, 2019). The tools I used helped to aid my online engagement as a digital citizen in different ways. The first social media tool that I used completing this assignment was Padlet. Padlet is an online platform that allows you to present and combine information all in one place in a clear and easy to access format. Previously I had believed that Word or Powerpoint were the best platforms to use where I could display and manage information that I had collected but now having used Padlet I found that it enables you to access and manage the work you have completed with a lot more ease, I also found it very beneficial being able to view the information I had gathered on one ‘wall’ and feel it helped me to remain a lot more engaged with my task, which according to (Fingal, 2021) remaining engaged in your online task is one of the five competencies of a digital citizen.

The next social media tools that I used as part of my assignment were Pinterest and Pocket. These platforms helped me to improve my social bookmarking skills immensely. Social bookmarking is defined as “the process of tagging a website page with a browser-based tool so that you can easily visit it again later”(Arens, 2019). While Pinterest allowed me to save visual data, Pocket allowed me to save and come back to text and after using both I believe that these platforms will aid me in becoming a lot more confident online when dealing with large quantities of information. Previously when researching for projects I never used any social bookmarking tools and would often lose track of where I sourced information. Going forward I feel using a platform such as Pocket to keep track of articles I can use will improve my efficiency in managing online data and also allow me to become a lot more confident online. The use of these tools and the skill of social bookmarking can help to facilitate “the movement of ideas across social contexts”(Gray et al., 2011) and this will greatly improve my ability to complete other college work, with better accuracy and allow me to improve as a digital citizen.

The use of Datawrapper will also support my online engagement as a digital citizen. Using this social media tool I was able to take some statistics and create a visual map to display the data. I believe that the use of this tool will enhance my ability to share information online in a clearer manner than before. Previously when dealing with statistics I had only really used Word to create pie charts but I think that Datawrapper has provided me with a superior alternative that I can use in the future due to the ease to which I can share my map with others online.

Creating and editing videos is something that I have never done in the past, it was something that I have been hesitant to do and had little knowledge about so when I used Screencast-O-Matic and Youtube to edit the video it was all very new to me. Despite initially being slightly nervous to create a video I found the whole process very entertaining and fun, it opened my mind and allowed me to learn a lot of new editing techniques that helped me to enhance my digital citizenship skills. I definitely feel as though through completing this part of the assignment it has helped me to develop a whole new set of skills online. I believe that I have learned a lot of new editing skills and developed new methods to manage and share information which I can use in the future. I think it was very important for me to learn how to do this as to develop as a digital citizen you need to be digitally literate which is a “key component to the education of our youths”(Deseret News Publishing Company, 2015).

I believe that completing these tasks has significantly supported my online engagement as a digital citizen. Previously I had a limited understanding of how to use certain platforms and after using platforms such as Pocket and Screencast-O-Matic I feel like I am a lot better equipped to deal with, manage and share information in the future. (Kennedy and Fox ,2013) found that “while students appear to use a wide range of technologies for personal empowerment and entertainment, they are not always digitally literate in using technology to support their learning” and I think this was the same in my case before completing the project.

On the other hand Pinterest allows you to compile visual content and view them in one place. I believe Pinterest would be valuable when trying to seek inspiration for a design or trying to find clothing you would like. 

Both platforms were simple and easy to use. You click below an article to save it to Pocket while you press ‘save’ on pinterest and your information is saved in one place. I believe that both platforms are excellent for managing information but I think it depends on if you're dealing with more visual information or text as to which app you choose to use. 

Children under thirteen cannot use the platform.

The best way to get in touch with us is through the Help Center . If you reside in the United States, Pinterest, Inc. is responsible for your information. Contact Pinterest Inc. at 651 Brannan Street, San Francisco, CA 94107, USA.

I made sure that when users log onto the platform they are made fully aware of what information that the platform collects off them and where it goes as I feel that it is almost hidden on most social media sites and people are unaware of what is collected. I included the tough stance on antisocial behaviour as I believe that it is something social media platforms need to clamp down on to protect its users. I also wanted to make it very clear that users knew what rights they have so they are aware and feel protected from being taken advantage of.

Looking back, I believe that this module has provided me with an increased understanding of how different social media tools operate and how they can be used to aid the creation of a personal digital strategy. It has taught me a lot of new online skills such as video creation and editing on Screencast-O-Matic and Youtube, mapping information and the ability to operate new social media tools that I was previously unaware of. Jones and Hafner (2012) define digital literacy as involving the use of digital tools and the “ability to adapt to the affordances and constraints of these tools to particular circumstances.” I feel my digital literacy has improved massively and feel a lot more confident using social media tools. I believe that this is an aspect of my learning that will vastly contribute to my ability to create a personal digital strategy as I am more confident using and adapting these tools to my benefit which will allow me to use them to put in place a strategy that will enhance my digital presence.

Another key piece of information that I learned from this module that I can use to create a digital strategy is the importance of making connections online. The module showed me the importance of using tools such as Linkedin to enhance my digital presence. It allowed me to understand the importance of networking in today's online world, surveys in America found that approximately forty five percent used social network profiles to find out more about people applying for jobs in 2009 (Brown and Vaughn 2011) and estimate by 2018 it was seventy percent (Career Builder 

Citation 2018). This backs up the information that I learned in this module, learning how to use Linkedin to promote ourselves online. I believe that by doing this it really helped me to see what employment opportunities it can bring. (Aird S, n.d.) talks about the importance of making sure your Linkedin account does not look unprofessional as it can open up doors to opportunities previously unavailable. Having been told the same in class I believe that creating a professional looking account will allow me to attract people within my target audience and boost my online presence. According to (Eyre, 2019) a key aspect of creating your digital strategy is to define who your future target market may be, and I think that using Linkedin to connect with many people with similar interests as myself is a great way to do that. Using the information I gathered from this module about Linkedin, I believe that I can employ a personal digital strategy involving expanding my connections on the platform in order to increase my online presence and hopefully attract employers.

Over the course of this module I learned all about social bookmarking. This involves saving information online and being able to come back and look at them at a later date. Using platforms such as Pocket we learned how to effectively use social bookmarking to our benefit. I recall at the time, not thinking too much about the importance of these tools but now, having completed the module and focussing a lot more on my personal digital strategy and presence online I can see just how essential it is when coming up with a strategy. It will help me become more organised when gathering information. It is a way I can “simplify content curation and speed up social media growth”(Arens, 2019). For example, if my digital personal digital strategy involved connecting with other people online with similar interests, using a platform such as Pocket to gather and sort information I can share in order to stay in line with my target audience would benefit me massively.

The use of peerscholar really helped me to reflect properly on what I had learned. It allowed me to see what I had missed and how I could use that information to improve my strategy. I feel it opened my mind to how I could apply the skills I learned in a different way to improve my online presence.

Having completed this module I feel as though the information and skills that I have learned have completely opened my mind to the importance of an online digital presence and the need to employ a personal digital strategy. After learning how to use different online platforms I now feel as though I can use them to increase my presence online. For me, I believe that the key piece of information that I learned about was the importance of Linkedin. I now see how essential it is to create a network of people to discover new opportunities and think it's an important part in creating my digital strategy.

Jones, R. H., & Hafner, C. A. (2012). Understanding digital literacies : A practical introduction. Taylor & Francis Group.

Brown, V. R., & Vaughn, E. D. (2011). The Writing on the (Facebook) Wall: The Use of Social Networking Sites in Hiring Decisions. Journal of Business and Psychology, 26(2), 219–225. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10869-011-9221-x

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Builder, C. (2018). More Than Half of Employers Have Found Content on Social Media That Caused Them NOT to Hire a Candidate, According to Recent CareerBuilder Survey. Cision: PR Newswire. Available at: https://www. prnewswire. com/news-releases/more-than-half-of-employers-have-found-content-on-social-media-that-caused-them-not-to-hire-a-candidate-according-to-recent-careerbuilder-survey-300694437. html (Accessed: 16 March 2022).

Eyre, M. (2019, June 4). How Do You Create a Digital Strategy to Reflect and Grow Your Personal Brand? StartupNation. https://startupnation.com/books/digital-strategy-personal-brand/

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Arens, E. (2019, February 19). What is Social Bookmarking? Sprout Social. https://sproutsocial.com/insights/social-bookmarking/

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Aird S. (n.d.). The Benefits of Having a LinkedIn Profile. FPSG Specialist Recruitment | Glasgow & Edinburgh. https://www.fpsg.com/blog/2018/03/the-benefits-of-having-a-linkedin-profile/