Curating the Web

This weeks learning's were all about curating the web and identifying useful quality web pages. Curating the web is essentially "gathering, organizing and online presentation of content related to a particular theme or topic" (Curation). Last week we learned all about pulling in and receiving information from sites that update on a consistent basis; using tools such as Feedly. I found this very useful however my bookmarks consist mostly of static sites that do not update frequently. This week I set up an online tool called Diigo. Diigo allows me to bookmark all of my static sites, highlight key information, capture screenshots, and share this data to all of my devices.

I find that when I am studying by searching through content on the web I often bookmark pages that are of importance, but forget about the key points I read in the article. Since setting up Diigo I already know this will be a very useful tool for me going forward, as the ability to highlight key information and share it between all devices will be a much easier and efficient way for me to study.

 This week I decided to explore Google Alerts for my Curation tool. Google Alerts is a tool that sends you emails based on keywords that you enter. I think this is a great tool for keeping track of information, and the ability to be instantly notified when new information is posted is extremely useful. One of the keywords I entered into Google Alerts was my own name. I think this is a great way to keep track of my own digital footprint. I am looking forward to testing this tool out more over the course of the semester.

As the weeks progress throughout this course I am beginning to gain a better understanding of what it means to be a digital citizen. Before starting this course I thought I had a good understanding of how to utilize the tools on the web, however after only a few weeks it is very clear that I have much to learn. In the first few weeks learning about Blogs, RSS feeds, Curation etc. I feel like i have gained a substantial amount of digital literacy and I am excited to see what else is in store.

In searching through my Feedly this week I thought I would share a recipe that looks very appetizing. I am following a few different recipe sites on my Feedly as I enjoy cooking and thought I might give this one a try shrimp, lemon, spinach linguine. I find that living away at school it is often difficult to eat a proper meal. By following healthy recipe sites hopefully it will encourage me to make some healthier choices !

Feeding Feedly

RSS feeds "Really Simple Syndication" is a term that is relatively new to me. I have traditionally bookmarked webpages that were of interest to me and visited them later to check for updates. Little did I know I was living in the past. The new way is to bring the internet to you using RSS feeds such as Feedly What is Feedly ? I was very surprised how easy it was to set up Feedly and getting started with RSS feeds. The term seemed so foreign to me before but now I cant believe I haven't utilized this technology before.

The Site is very professional looking and allows for customization. I personally changed my view to a card style layout shown below. New York Times Business section is one of the feeds I subscribed to

NYT Business

 and it is definitely one of my favourites. I am studying Business Administration at Brock and I always like to be up to date on the latest news. One thing I do wish is that I knew about RSS feeds sooner. Especially in high-school as my business teacher was always asking us what the latest business news was and no one usually gave him an answer. I guess this is because it seemed like to much work to go home and search through a bunch of sites to find the news. Since Setting up my Feedly its not a burden to search for news or updates because everything you already want to know about is right in front of you.

One of my goals in this course is to build a positive digital footprint. I believe using RSS feeds is a major tool that can help me to do so. In week one of this course I found myself searching different sites to educate myself on digital footprints and Netiquette. Now since I set up my Feedly I have added multiple different sites and sources to bring the information to me. One Blog in particular that I found is Lisa Nielsen's http://theinnovativeeducator.blogspot.ca/. Lisa is a digital Citizenship blogger that I added to my Feedly. I posted the link to her blog in case you would like to do the same.

Since I set up my Feedly the other day I have been exploring different articles and came across a few that peaked my interest. One of the articles that stood out to me is one about Apple's growth slowing down (shown in my caption above). Apple has introduced major hits to the market in the past such as the IPhone and Ipod however it is becoming clear to investors that apple may no longer be a growth stock like it has in the past. If you would like to check out the article here is the link: Looking for Signs That Apple’s Runaway Growth Is Waning. Give it a read and let me know what you think.

My Experience with RSS Feeds

This week we are setting up RSS feeds. RSS or "Really Simple Syndication" is a way to follow websites that are important to you. Using websites such as Feedly you can gather all of your favourite websites whether it be news networks, sports updates etc.. and have them all in one place. Instead of going back through bookmarked websites to see what has changed, RSS feeds bring the internet to you. One of the sites I subscribed to on my Feedly is the New York Times Business news. I just read an article about an app that helps teachers track student attendance and thought it was pretty interesting. Check it out here: App for Tracking Attendance

Personal Learning Environment

Muil, R. (CC) 2016.

In about 10 years time I will be 30 years old immersed in the working world. I will have hopefully gained valuable work experience and be on my way to reaching all of my career goals. One thing i know for sure is I need to stay on top of all the latest technology and tools in order to advance and have an edge, this is an area where I could use a lot of improvement. One of the tasks for this week was creating a PLE diagram (What is a PLE). In creating this diagram I didn't realize how little resources I actually use and how I could be harming myself by not knowing and learning about different tools and applications. In 10 years I want to be well versed and knowledgeable in all of the latest technology and be an expert in my field. In order to do this I have to start generating better habits for myself and use tools like this PLE diagram to plan out what resources I will need in order to get things done.

In the working world today it is almost more about who you know then what you know. Making connections and relationships are so important in today's society and one of the best ways to do this is through social media. One site in particular is LinkedIn. I personally do not have LinkedIn but i have been asked on multiple occasions by fellow coworkers "why not", And to be honest i don't know. I guess I just keep putting it off and telling myself that I will get it eventually. One thing I know I need to improve upon is staying on top of all the latest technology, and by making this PLE diagram it is very clear that there is a lot of room for improvement.

Another tool that I used this week for the first time is word cloud. In using the text from my week 1 reflection post it is not surprising that the main words used in my text are "digital" and "footprint". This is a very useful tool in seeing how many times you repeat words. I feel like this tool can benefit me by making me take a closer look at words that I may over use and force me to expand and change my writing style.

Muil, R. (CC) 2016.

My Digital Footprint

I have never really thought to much about a digital footprint. I always had a basic understanding that whatever you post on the web is permanent, so in my mind I never really wanted to post a lot of information to the web or on social media for a fear that one day I may regret it. For me a digital footprint has always seemed negative and I never wanted a permanent record of everything I do.  However in learning more about this course and reading Ainslie's "yes you should have a digital footprint...and keep track of it",  I agree that having a digital footprint is so important especially in today's day and age. I guess before I would associate digital footprints as being negative, however now I can see that making a positive digital footprint is actually better than making no footprint at all.

http://nationaledtech.com

Positive digital footprints are not only what you post or share but they can also be how you interact with others on the web. A lot of people think that just because you are online that you are protected and hidden behind your screen, when in fact this is the exact opposite. Below is a link of real life stories of young teens who were affected by cyber bullying and took extreme measures. http://puresight.com/Real-Life-Stories/real-life-stories.html. It is a said reality that people bully others online, and not only are they hurting others they are hurting themselves as well. What you say and do on the web is always going to be there, and for those people who say these harsh things they are building a very negative footprint.

 A good example from my own life is when I was in high school and one student in another class was making fun of a teacher over Facebook. The mother of the child who received these messages printed them and gave them to the teacher. This example shows that nothing you post online is safe or it may not just be seen by its intended recipient. In both cases my high school cohort and these people who cyber bully should learn Netiquette. They are simple rules for anyone who uses the web just to remember to be respectful. My favorite is "remember the human". If people who make fun of others online just stepped back for a minute and realized that this person is human too maybe this would be less of an issue.

Digital Drivers Licence

After taking the drivers license exam and skimming the nine elements I can say that I am well informed about these 9 elements. I scored 20/20 however there is still much I can learn. One main element that I would like to learn more about is digital security. I have fallen victim to viruses and too often have not backed up important data. I would like to learn a lot more about digital security and the best tools and programs to use in preventing future problems. 

About Me

My name is Ryan, and I am currently in third year studying Bachelor of Business Administration. Growing up I always wanted to start my own business and be my own boss. When I was about 12 years old my father and I started selling hot sauce from our own family recipe. We are now in about 20 or so small butcher shops and restaurants just selling our product locally. In March of 2013 I applied to a competition called Pythons Pit (similar to Dragons Den) where young high school entrepreneurs of the Halton Region area pitch their product to a panel of judges for a chance to win cash prizes. I ended up winning the competition and making great connections along the way. One of the judges on the panel now allows me to make my sauce out of his brewery. 

I first started selling my product at my home town farmers market. It was difficult at first as most people selling products at the farmers market were selling produce and groceries and I was the only one selling spicy sauce. As a 12 year old it was difficult for me to promote and sell my product especially considering not a lot of people wanted hot sauce at 8 am. However the more I went the easier it became and the word of mouth started to spread. After a couple of years it was no longer just fruits and vegetables being sold at our market but multiple hot sauce and other small business's started selling their product at the market as well.

Starting my own business has been one of the greatest experiences for me I have really learned a lot throughout the whole process. Another Passion of mine is golf. I love to golf and whenever I get a chance to play I will. Throughout high school my friends and me would play close to a 100 rounds over the course of the summer sometimes playing 3 rounds a day if we could. I started playing golf when I was about 13 so I am not the greatest golfer I just enjoy getting out and playing the game. The love of golf runs in my family and every year on thanksgiving weekend my family and I have our annual golf tournament, where the person with the least amount of puts throughout the round wins the trophy. I am lucky to say I am the 2015 winner barely beating out my Grandpa. 

I also love watching golf as well but I usually only watch the major tournaments such as the Masters. Another sport I love watching is hockey. My favorite team is the Toronto Maple Leafs. It has been very hard being a fan of the leafs as many other leaf fans know however I am excited for the next couple of years as Toronto has a lot of up and coming talent. One of my favorite memories was traveling to see the Winter classic between Toronto and Detroit a couple of years ago. It was extremely cold and my Dad and I were freezing, but it was definitely worth it.