Reflections on ALES 204 Winter 2012

I can't believe another semester is coming to an end! It feels like we just started another one and it has already flown by. Ales 204 has provided me with a lot of information about the innumerable uses of technology. Before this class I had never blogged before-I didn't even know about this very website! I also did not have a Twitter account. Now I feel a lot more comfortable with blogging and using Twitter regularly. One of the most valuable things I have learned this semester is that technology is becoming increasingly relevant in professional practice. How we represent ourselves on the Internet can have negative or positive implications for prospective employment. It is very important to take control of your Internet identity and make sure the information that is available is consistent with how you wish to present yourself personally and publicly.

The professional Facebook page assignment was probably my least favourite assignment of the semester. I think that is because I found it difficult to create a page that was relevant to being a full-time student. I feel as a student I did not have much to add to a professional page that would be any more useful to an employer than sending them my resume. It was useful to learn how to create a page, however, and I can see its relevancy for advertising businesses and connecting with other professionals. The Wikipedia assignment was my favourite. I found that editing a Wikipedia stub was very enlightening. I have always heard to be wary of content on Wikipedia and to be careful referencing it. I now understand why that is so important. It was too easy to get published. Now that information is being viewed on a public forum and potentially being used as a reference. It is not difficult to see how false information can spread so easily and why it is important to think critically about the sources of information. I was also very grateful to be able to learn more about updating my resume and how to send a professional email. Those are very useful life skills- both currently as a student and as a future professional.

Technology has infiltrated almost all aspects of our lives. It is a very powerful means of communicating with others and connecting people all over the world. Because of this it is important to be knowledgable and technologically savvy in order to use it to our advantage- as students, employees, and professionals. Ales 204 has been a useful class in attempting to cover as many aspects of using and communicating through social media as possible, making us more literate and professional Internet users.

Retrieved, April 12, 2012 from: 

http://skgtechnologies.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/10/social-media.jpg 

These are two articles and a blog that comment on some of the effects of social media in personal and professional settings: 

https://www.nbnu.ca/en/news/410-when-private-becomes-public-the-ethical-challenges-and-opportunities-of-social-media

http://www.psychotherapy.net/article/psychotherapists-guide-social-media

http://www.bbc.co.uk/journalism/blog/2011/05/editorial-issues.shtml

These are the links to the five blogs I've commented on:

Rebecca Miller

Samantha Stevens

Carmen Frank

Paige Powers

Yvonne-Qiyun Liang

The Disconnect with Instant Connection

Is it possible to be so connected that we become disconnected?
In our wireless world we seek out connections through various social outlets such as Facebook, Twitter, Pintrest, Tumblr, Skype, Blogger, and many more. At what point do we lose touch with the tangible people that surround us while we are busy 'connecting' with people in cyberspace?

Too many times I have caught myself using Facebook without even thinking about it. I will be checking people's statuses and updating mine while a friend or family member is right beside me. Sometimes I recognize what I'm doing and it causes me to question- Am I checking this site because it's a habit? I don't know why I am trying to stay connected with people on the Internet but not focusing on the face to face contact that I cherish so much more. I think it's so easy to get caught up in our basic want and need to feel close to others, to be informed and connected to them, that we get lazy in how we initiate this contact. It takes a lot more effort to plan to meet somebody and ask them questions about their life and answer their questions about yours then it does to click a button on a website and instantly have access to their personal information. But what does this mean for not only my generation but the generations that will follow? Will social skills, manners, and even playing outside become a thing of the past? I think people need to be aware of and consciously making decisions to face each other without a screen and to be outside, actively doing things. I believe this process starts in the family: how families relate to each other, communicate, what activities they do, and what values parents instil in their children.

Communication and relationships always have and always will take time, energy, and work. I think the connections forged on the Internet cannot be substituted or replace people relating to one another and making the effort to communicate face-to-face. If we fail to recognize the importance of person to person rather than person to screen contact then we will live our lives with the illusion of connection only to be disillusioned when we realize a computer can't see your pain, hear your laughter, dry your tears, give you a hug, care for you when you're sick or aging, and tell you "I love you."





 This is another bloggers insights on the subject

This is a link to my fellow classmate and friend Samantha's blog