Week 3 Report/Reflection

With a new week comes a new topic for me to discuss, and it just so happens to be on RSS feeds.

I remember when internet browsers started becoming more sophisticated and started to include an orange symbol with waves on it.  I soon found out it was called an RSS feed.  I've known about its existence for a long time now and use it occasionally but only for news sites like the Toronto Star (when it was free) and gaming blog Kotaku.  It was only after I was required to create one via Feedly how useful and time saving an RSS feed can actually be.  If you are a bit confused with how Feedly works, Sharon Hall made a great video explaining how you can make the most of it.

An Rich Site Summary (RSS) feed is a tool used to publish frequently updated information from your favourite news sites, video sites, podcasts, blogs, etc. and provides it to you live in headline format in a scrolling fashion.  You subscribe to the website of your choice and the RSS reader will constantly browse the site for new updates and inform the user instead of manually checking.

With the world becoming increasingly integrated to the internet I do consider myself an avid reader/browser of it.  There was actually an article from the Toronto Star stating that people now go to the internet more frequently than their elders or loved ones for wisdom.  Unfortunately, I cannot link it anymore as the site now uses a paid subscription format, but here's a blogger's similar perspective.  I can honestly say that there is a lot of truth to that.  Truth I see even in myself.  Instead of begging grandma for her killer recipes or asking our fathers/grandfathers how to he proposed to your mother/grandmother, most of us just look it up on Google.  The power of instant gratification.      

I also see a use for the RSS tool with my future, as accounting in Ontario is undergoing a radical change.  The 3 professional accounting designations (Chartered Accountant, Certified Management Accountant and Certified General Accountant) are considering merging into one designation called Certified Professional Accountant, or CPA.  With it comes new rules and constant new updates.  Subscribing to this site on merger updates will keep me in the loop without having to tediously check on a periodic basis as new information is simply brought to me when available.

The RSS feed logo is already included in my PLE under information/inspiration gathering.  I like to stay connected to the world and its current events and the RSS tool was a great resource to do that.  After this week however, I definitely see the usefulness of it when it comes to fun and have started incorporating more of the sites I browse for pleasure.

We were asked to refresh our understanding of digital citizenship.  Funny enough, popular Youtube oddball Frank Yang uploaded a video response to Fitness Guru Marc Lobliner on why people are so mean on the internet.  While he does ramble on for a bit of the video, I agree with pretty much everything he says.

I'm uncertain if my previous blog post counts as my weekly Feedly contribution or not, so here is another one.  Someone created a thread about why they look good in the mirror but not in photos (something I struggle with as well).  Much debate goes whether the mirror or a camera gives a better portrayal of how you actually look that I found interesting.

That's all for this week.  

My experience with RSS feeds

Week 3 required us to learn and use an RSS feed.  I decided to complete the required task using a very popular RSS tool called Feedly.  After compiling several different sites to include in my feed, the first article that captured my attention was, "Can Mom's Pregnancy Diet Rewire Baby's Brain For Obesity?".  The article stated that studies on mice showed that mothers who ate a poor diet that was high in fat while pregnant led to an increased risk of obesity in their offspring.  To remain unbiased and impartial, the article did remind the readers several times that while the effects on mice are a good indicator it would also happen to humans, mice and humans diverged in evolution 60 million years ago.  In other words, the research is good food for thought (no pun intended) but is not 100% accurate for humans.    

Week 2 Report/Reflection

Feels like week 1 was only yesterday.  Week 2 really sneaked up on me.

The major topic discussed this week was on Personal Learning Environments (PLEs).  

Candace Figg created a great silent video that explains what a PLE is and its importance today which is just below this paragraph.

(Source: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WaxpCFuPNcQ)

If you're not exactly ecstatic about sitting through 3:44 of video to find out I'll provide you with some cliffs.  

• A PLE is a system or electronic tool that aids in facilitating and managing our learning
• it allows us to set learning goals
• it can act as a way to communicate with others in the process of learning

The third point leads into what is called a personal learning network (PLN).  

With the rise of online courses will come a increase in students ability to self-learn.  Also, in university, some of the most intensive courses are primarily self-taught, even when a professor does lectures on the required topics which are marginally helpful at best.  I think developing a PLE is important for this very reason.  There are many helpful and unused tools at a students' disposal to excel in our courses and perhaps change a B to an A.  

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I was asked to follow the following template in a recursive reflection in order to create an effective PLE.

Where I want to be 5-10 yrs from now

In 5-10 years, I would hope to see myself as a full-time worker.  An accountant of sorts of course.  Professional, one who can balance fun and play.  Hopefully by this time I'd have done a bit of travelling outside of North America.  My own living accommodations, perhaps a family and a new set of hobbies (as well as my old ones) are things you'd catch me doing.  Of course, I'd also love to continue to be in great shape of course.  Perhaps in better shape than I am now.  

My current situation

A hopeful accounting student who gives it 100%.  Tries not to take life too seriously, tries to make time for various hobbies and tackles obstacles in front of him one at a time.  At least I have my own apartment already!  

What I need to do/learn

Staying on top of my school work and getting good grades is somewhat of a given.  Sharing and looking up content and ideas are a great way to do so and are achieved using google drive and facebook.  Accounting is constantly changing and using social media and an RSS feed to stay in touch with important figures and changes in accounting is a great way to do so.  I think fitness is everyone's second job and in order to take care of others, you need to take care of yourself first.  Fitness ideas have not changed much over the years but new exercises or routines are great to keep up with and using the misc, a section of the bodybuilding.com forums, is a great way learn new exercises and make sure your sense of humour is still intact.  

Improving my environment

The first thing I noticed I can definitely do is take some time out of my week to clean up my desk.  At home in Markham or in my apartment in St. Catharines, my work desk is almost always an absolute mess in a matter of weeks and organization of my desk is definitely something I can improve upon.  I often lose sheets or notes that could've been of critical importance in the mess and should take better care.  Keeping a physical calendar that I can always look at is a good way to remember to stay on task and maintaining a daily to-do list is also a good way to reinforce a need to stay productive.  

My habits

The first thing I will try to improve upon (and needs immediate attention) is cleaning up my desk and taking time once a week to maintain its neatness.  Going to bed/waking up earlier can come second.  Thirdly, making daily to do lists to increase my productivity can go a long way.  

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After the smoke cleared, this is the PLE I ended up creating:

Source: Chong, M. (CC) 2014.

This was primarily created by using my reflection as well as looking at my top visited pages in my web browser.  In addition, Wendy Drexler posted a youtube video on how to develop your PLE that I found relatively helpful.

I think reading blogs to influence or broaden your perspective on issues is a great idea and should not be limited to forums either.  I am avid reader of internet forums and I can easily say they have shaped how I think about certain issues and aspects of everyday life.  

Lastly, I am required to create a Word Cloud of my first blog post, which is just below.  It was created using a free service called Wordle.

   

Source: Chong, M. (CC) 2014.

Funny (and predictably) enough, "internet", "digital" and "footprint" were some key words of last week.  I have seen these on the internet before but did not know how to go about making your own.  Admittedly, this is a great tool to highlight key words in passages and essay-long readings that you may not want to read entirely.  Upon further experimentation, this will be a great addition to my PLE when the time comes to construct a new one.  

That's it for me this week.

Week 1 Report/Reflection

This week, the topics covered in ADED 1P32 were of things called digital footprints and netiquette.

The following video was given to us to watch about digital footprints:

Source: https://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_embedded&v=79IYZVYIVLA

A digital footprint is the trail of data one leaves behind interacting with their TVs, mobile devices and use of the internet, providing to the public what you may have watched, clicked, liked, etc.  The crazy thing about it all is that it starts nearly from birth.  As the world is becoming increasingly digital, this footprint is becoming more linked to who you are as a person day by day.

After watching such an eye opening video, I now recognize the importance of a good and healthy digital identity.  I looked back on things I have contributed to the internet that may not cast upon me in a positive light to find that (thankfully) there were not many.  Improvements I can make on my digital identity can be posting and sharing light hearted, educational videos or links to facilitate my learning, try my best to maintain good relations with all users of sites I frequent as well as refraining from posting explicitly personal matters of my life on the internet.  People have been caught with their pants down on the third one and as a result have had an extra headache to deal with and have permanently left the sites they once loved because "detectives" threatened to release their personal lives and identities to the rest of internet.  

The second topic, netiquette, is pretty much what it sounds like: being courteous and respectful on the web. Albion provides 10 core rules to which to adhere.  While many of these seem like common sense, we often forget many of these rules when the internet provides for people near uncensored and ungoverned places like 4chan.  People on the internet are, for the most part, hidden by a veil of anonymity and have the freedom to say what they want, which, as you can imagine, is a breeding ground for controversy and flared tempers.  In my opinion, the 2 most commonly broken on the internet are 2 and 10, with 2 being very relatable.  Some use the internet as a form of alter ego, an escape from everyday life and a way to vent out opinions or thoughts they are either to scared to say in real life or are socially unacceptable.  With the internet at our fingertips it is easier than ever to do so.  

The link between digital footprints and netiquette is very clear.  It is exactly rule 5 in Albion's core rules, which is to make sure you present yourself respectably on the internet.  After a good refresher on netiquette and and the other valuable information provided to me this week, I understand how important it is to appear professional everywhere you go and will make a continuing effort to do just that.

Ribbel (2011) refers too our activity on the internet as "digital citizenship".  Our digital citizenship is what shapes our digital footprint.  We shape our digital footprint every day as the internet becomes more heavily engrained in our lives and this blog will be used to document my journey on improving my digital footprint and becoming a better digital citizen.  

I know I have only scratched the surface in terms of required knowledge I need to know to become an upstanding digital citizen and am somewhat intrigued with what the rest of the course holds.  

Until next week.

Sources:

Ribble, M. (2011). Digital citizenship in schools. (2nd ed.). International Society for Technology in Education.

   

Hi! My introduction.

Welcome stranger,

My name is Mark Chong.  Currently, I am attending Brock University's Bachelor of Accounting program in St. Catharines, Ontario in pursuit of becoming (you guessed it) a professional accountant.  On weekends, I sometimes go back to my home town of Markham, Ontario to see my friends and family.

When numbers aren't on my mind, I like to indulge in a wide array of interests.

The piano was something I was introduced to as a young child and I played regularly all the way until the end of high school.  Seeing as I cannot fit a piano into my apartment in St. Catharines, I do not really have any other way to continue.  However, I have branched off into many other instruments like the guitar, bass, trumpet and drums and enjoy playing most of them on a regular basis.  When I finish school, I would like to commit more time to learning and improving myself further with these instruments.

On the topic of music, I really enjoy finding new artists and bands, especially indie artists.  My favourite genres of music are rap and indie folk but I am not a stranger to other genres.

Another thing I enjoy doing is lifting weights at my school gym, usually about 3 times a week.  Bringing a gym buddy is even more fun!  Whenever I go home for any kind of school break I also take boxing lessons and spar at least once a week.  I enjoy watching the big PPVs and fighters.
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So, you might be wondering why I'm bothering to babble on about myself?  That's fair, I suppose.

I am enrolled in a course at Brock called ADED 1P32 and as a course requirement, I have to maintain a blog over a period of 12 weeks.  This would be that blog.  It is meant to be a tool to track my progress while learning about online behaviours and "digital citizenship".  I am interested in seeing and discovering the many online tools at my disposal to improve my style of the learning and whether it can help me with the difficulties a modern accounting student faces.

That about wraps it up for me.  Stay tuned for more about my adventure through learning.

-Mark