Hey everyone,
This week we set up Twitter accounts for educational use. Since I wanted this Twitter account to be separate from my own personal Twitter account, and I was not able to use my current email, I had to create a new email address and a new Twitter account. However, it did not end there. I typed in the wrong email address, and Twitter would not allow me to "tweet" without email confirmation, so I had to make another email, and another account. And then another Twitter account for some other reason. So needless to say, I will be getting several emails from Twitter every day until I die, probably.
Apart from the inconvenience of setting up my Twitter account, which shouldn't apply to the average user, I consider Twitter to be a very effective method of communication and educational exposure. I enjoy Twitter particularly because of its 140 character limit (it makes things short and sweet and lets me get back to my life quickly). Additionally, it is far superior to email when connecting with peers, as it doesn't require correspondence, and allows individuals to follow other classmates' opinions and perspectives in shared courses without having to wait on responses. Hashtags make this infinitely easier still, by efficiently categorizing the tweets of individuals based on topics. While I have already included Twitter in my PLE under Social Media, with the discovery of its use as an educational tool, I would add it to my Information Platform as a means to which I can gather information from educators and peers about my topics of interest. I have also connected LinkedIn to my educational Twitter page, which will allow potential employers to have a more complete view on who I am as a professional.
I discovered something interesting in my feedly reader today as well that I believed would be relevant to this class. This article, titled "When Self-Monitoring Becomes Uncomfortably Intimate", published by the Guardian, outlines the impositions new fitness monitors put in place, and how, instead of improving our health, they cause an uncomfortable parental influence, with some universities and workplaces requiring students and employees to wear these watches, as if personally ensuring their wellness and even sexual purity. This article had me thinking about whether these fitness monitors as a new fad in technology really do have an adverse effect on our health as a whole. I myself own a fitbit, and I had considered it an integral part of my PLE (I was thinking healthy body, healthy mind I suppose), but I see how the pressure to succeed in all areas of life, and feeling like you're being judged when your weekly report gives you a sad face, can affect our personal growth and induce feelings of failure.
This article may inspire me to carry out a healthy lifestyle without the influence of technology, and allow me to set specific limits on what areas of my life should be affected by technology. Speaking of which, I also came across an article this week on Pinterest that said that you will sleep more soundly if you don't look at a screen less than 30 minutes before you go to bed. So there's a weekly tip, and with that I'm signing out.
Hope everyones exams go well.
Until next time,
Amy
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