Looking Ahead -- Creating a Portfolio

While discussing grad programs with a friend recently, the idea of portfolios came up. By the end of my ISLT master's program, I will need to produce a portfolio...but I'll be honest, I have no idea what that should look like. Obviously I will meet with my advisor and conduct a little independent research, but for some reason right now I find the idea of a portfolio incredibly daunting. 

Have you ever had to produce a portfolio as a graduation requirement? Please feel free to share any tips and tricks with this newbie!

 

                                                       -Ello (he/him/his)

Personal Learning Networks

 I really enjoyed my deep dive into Personal Learning Networks (PLNs) for our final paper. It's one thing to read about them during the semester, and a completely different to synthesize a semester's-worth of learning into a 4 page paper. As a final homage, I'm even hear blogging about my experience, which is what PLNs are all about!

I was even discussing the fact that I was writing this paper with a Bumble match earlier (can dating apps be considered part of PLN? I could write an entire dissertation about that!), and they even mentioned they studied PLNs in-depth during their own higher ed. degree. So thank you, Web 2.0 tools, for bringing me one step closer to finding love 😂

                                                                     Cheers!

                                                               Ello (he/him/his)

The Importance of Static Information (How I didn't read the class announcements and now I might be royally screwed)

 Hey Fam,

While researching for my Personal Learning Paper, I came across a schoarly article that defined dynamic vs. static information. Dynamic information stimulates ongoing discussion in the form or multiple posts, while static information provides information without soliciting a response. An  announcement would be considered static information.

Incidentally, with my increased workload due to month-end, I did not read Monday's class announcement (100% my own fault)...the one that said blog posts and participation logs are due on FRIDAY. Here we are, on Saturday evening, and I am frantically trying to post blogs that probably will not count. This would be the third week I didn't blog (we got a free pass on two weeks), and as my grade is somewhere around a solid B, I am unsure how this will impact me.

Alas, this is my own fault, but I really wanted to end the semester on a high note! 

how are you feeling as we ride out the last few hours of the summer semester together?

                                  Frantically yours,

                                                  Ello (he/him/his)

References:

Osatuyi, B. (2013). Information sharing on social media sites. Computers in Human Behavior., 29(6), 2622–2631. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.chb.2013.07.001

It's The Final Countdown (of the the Semester)

 Happy Sunday!

It's been a LONG week of a LONG semester, so here's a little humor to help get you through!

I personally find that humor makes stressful situations more bearable, and I'm always relieved to laugh away the stress (even for just a moment).

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9jK-NcRmVcw

When times get stressful, what do you do to reset your attitude?

as always, I'd love to hear your thoughts!

 

                                                             -Ello (he/him/his)

Are you watching the Olympics?

 Well, the Olympics have officially begun, and I know plenty of people who are very excited!

I used to get caught up in the hubbub, although admittedly I don't follow most sports (and, aside from Swimming, I don't really care for any of the events). Even still, there's an undeniable energy surrounding a global event and its history of goodwill. I was even going to attend an Opening Ceremony reception this past Friday morning before work (alas, the snooze button got the better of me, and I eventually got out of bed and went straight to work sans Olympics).

However, maybe it's just living in COVID times, or perhaps we are just becoming more aware of the inequity associated with the Games, but I am less enthused than usual this Olympics. First learning about the Olympic committee refusing to allow Black swimmers to wear special caps designed for their hair, then about runner Sha'Carri Richardson being disqualified due to Marijuana usage (with the drug labeled as "performance enhancing"), it is becoming evident that BIPOC athletes are continuing to be singled out negatively versus their white counterparts. 

For example, while Ms. Richardson was denied entry to the games after testing positive for Marijuana, Soccer player Megan Rapinoe was touted for her use of CBD in her training regimen in a recent Forbes article. (**note**the main difference in Rapinoe's usage is that CBD products do not contain THC, thus technically falling under a different category of supplement).

I know nothing about drugs, but it's very hard to deny the history of criminalization that has been waged against BIPOC for drug usage, and this recent incident is one in a long line of examples.

So while I will root for team USA during the Olympic Games, I sincerely hope this incident sparks enough outrage to encourage some much-needed reform in how the Olympic Committee defines and addresses drug/supplement usage, and that they do not pick and choose who policies apply to.

                                                                    -Ello (he/him/his)

References:

https://www.revolt.tv/news/2021/7/23/22590921/shacarri-richardson-trends-twitter-megan-rapinoe-cbd   

Produsage and Pinterest

 Good evening, fam!

I just submitted my assignment due tonight (and for once I didn't even ride it out until the 11:59 PM deadline!)...the assignment theme was about Produsage, which I actually find really interesting. The idea that people can pool together thoughts and ideas to produce a single document is fascinating, and I would have loved to have gone into it in more detail (alas, at the end of it, time/motivation got the better of me, and I only completed the basic "concept" version).

I wrote my paper on the idea of using Pinterest as a hub for an Intro to Hospitality class. I even created a very brief lesson plan (a first for me) outlining assignments and how Pinterest would be used to support submission of the class work, exchange of ideas, and assessment by the instructor.  

Fellow EME6414 classmates, how did you address Produsage in your assigmnents?

                                           I can't believe the semester is almost over!

                                                          -Ello (he/him/his)

Due for a Digital Detox Soon!

 I am so jealous of the people in class who have taken a digital detox! As July progresses, I realize I need one too...so stay tuned!

I need to pick a day to do it, but when? Weekdays are full of work and errands, while weekends are for NOT being at work (ha!) and usually classwork...so when can I detox? I might have to just wait until the mini break between Summer and Fall semesters...

                                                                   -Ello (he/him/his)

Catching up on Classmates' Blogs

 Hey everyone!

This semester has been a blur, and sometimes it can be so difficult to keep in touch. One way that I have really enjoyed attempting to do so has been by reading the other blogs by my classmates. For a few weeks now, I have had the goal of reading and replying to a different blog every day for a week. While I still haven't managed to successfully complete this goal for a full seven days, I got close this week by reading five (As Lizzie Bennet would say -- in the 2005 movie version of P&P, because I am awful and still haven't read the novel -- "a small kind of accomplishment, I suppose"), and perhaps I will try again next week! It's so easy to come home from work and putz around on Instagram for a few hours before bed (I haven't even really been going to yoga, which for almost a year I had been doing six days a week!), but I realized that 5-10 minutes of engagement with a blog allowed me insight into the lives of classmates I otherwise wouldn't have any time with. And I'm always preaching about using social media to form meaningful connections!

Here are the five blogs I engaged with this week -- definitely check them out yourself as well!

1. Monday - EME6141 Web 2.0 Class Blog - I was feeling good for plugging into class at the beginning of the week, and I was even quick to join the first badge challenge of the week!

2. Tuesday - Outstanding7755's Motivation Blog

3. Wednesday - Royal Online Teaching and Learning

4. Thursday - Sharon's Shinrin

5. Sunday - Alex in Summer School

Are there other methods you use to keep in touch with your classmates? Leave a comment below!

                                                                   -Ello (he/him/his)

 

Social Media and Communication Apps

 How do you keep in touch with people? Obviously you can call them, or maybe send them a text...but are there other platforms you use to communicate?

Especially over the last year and a half, people have continued to find creative ways to keep in touch. Naturally, Zoom comes to minds (as well as the confusion in how it surpassed Skype in adoption and functionality, when Skype was basically primed to fill this communication gap for the past decade+).

But on a smaller scale, what other apps might we use to communicate daily? Of course there are tweets, Facebook comments, and Instagram direct messages. I never entirely understood why Facebook Messenger branched off to be its own app; potentially it was to compete with other messenger apps, but I have not heard of any large-scale adoption in my personal experiences with it. What I do hear a lot of, especially at work, is WhatsApp. However, while it is in use here, it seems to be more popular internationally (even the coworkers I know you use it have friends and family in other countries, and it seems like an easy and affordable way to keep in touch).

One app that has managed to somehow stay relevant and useful is Snapchat. I admittedly don't use it too often, but I noticed that incorporating news and lifestyle reels was a draw for a long time. Additionally, it can still be a fun way to communicate by picture and brief text -- and if two people are sending silly, unimportant content, the photo/text expiration feature can help by de-cluttering the individuals' phone storage. 

                                                                   -Ello (he/him/his)

Defending Authorship on Instagram

 Happy Sunday, everyone!

Below is an excerpt from my Knowledge sharing assignment, where I discuss two popular illustrators who defended their art on Instagram:

It appears that neither platform has been without its share of issues when it comes to authorship, though it has come with varying degrees of support to the creators. Two examples that come to mind were personally witnessed on Instagram from followed accounts, include the illustrators Yuko Shimizu (@Yukoart) and Adam Ellis (@Adamtots). On May 12, 2021, Shimizu posted an image of a man wearing a shirt with one of her designs. The picture had come from a fan who purchased the shirt in Vietnam. The artist made it very clear that the merchandise was counterfeit, and she continued on to discuss how incidents such as this occurred frequently over her 15 years as an artist. However, she utilized the shirt company's handle and alerted them that she would be willing to partner with them should they wish to pursue a licensed deal. She mentioned in the post's caption that she will often ask vendors to stop selling the item, but “often the store just bought the items wholesale from somewhere else, and it's a tough situation because they had no ill will” (Shimizu). It was more difficult to retrieve examples of Ellis' attempts at calling out counterfeit use of his images, as previous examples may have been deleted. However, there was a post from April 12, 2018 where he tagged Coldstone Creamery and alerted them that they traced and reused some of his images for a campaign. “Normally I'd send an invoice to license my work, but in this case I'm asking you to make a donation to Inner City Arts to help underserved kids” (Ellis). Unfortunately, neither artist updated followers as to whether the companies reconciled the theft of original content, but both of them made their stances known to thousands of loyal followers across multiple platforms.

I'm curious as to whether anyone else has witnessed where any accounts that they follow attempted to call out a person or persons for stealing their work. What sort of consequences were there? What consequences do you think there should be? In the two cases I highlighted above, the artists made their stances known, but since the theft didn't occur on IG, there's nothing much that could be done. however, that wouldn't stop loyal followers from sharing and distributing the post, or from commenting on those other companies' accounts demanding that compensation is given to the artists.

                                                                Ello (he/him/his)

References:

Ellis, A. (n.d.). https://www.instagram.com/adamtots/. 

Shimizu, Y. (n.d.). https://www.instagram.com/yukoart/. 

The TikTok Boycott

 I do not have a TikTok account, but while researching for my Knowledge Sharing assignment, I came across some information about the recent TikTok boycotts. Black TikTok creators, who are the users choreographing what often become viral dances, are boycotting the platform. These creators have found that other, often white, TikTok users are profiting off of their dances, whereas the Black creators are receiving neither the credit nor the compensation.

Here's the transcript from a recent NPR segment that covered this boycott (here) if anyone is interested.

Are you on TikTok? do you know of any creators who have opted not to use the platform until Black creators receive the proper credit for their work?

                                                                    Ello (he/him/his)

Back and [not quite] better than ever

 Hello, fam!

Is anyone else exhausted? I feel like I haven't been able to catch my breath all through June, and July isn't looking any better. really enjoying this class (and EME6415, which I'm taking concurrently), but I'm having a little trouble staying engaged. Work is busy, life is busy, but we've got to keep on keeping on!

What tips do  you have to keep up momentum when times get tough?

                                                                       Cheers!

                                                                  Ello (he/him/his)