Every day, whether online and offline, we all engage in regular interactions with a network of a variety of people, technological tools, information sources, and services. We utilize this network whenever, wherever, and as we see fit, including at work, school, and home. Technologies profound and rapid advancement has completely reframed the way we now communicate and foster relationships. In understanding and applying personal learning networks to these connections, we must identify how the functionality and practicality of technology exists to easily generate and maintain these networks.
As interconnected and networked individuals, we must recognize the profound role of technology in the way “we communicate, study, and work together and how we create and share ideas” (Future Learn). A personal learning network is a network created by an individual with the goal of creating and sustaining relationships with other people and improving their learning abilities while utilizing technology to facilitate these activities.
Maintaining these networks, from an individuals perspective, is advantageous in the development at a personal level. For example, being able to connect and thus create networks of people through shared similar interests of beliefs enriches the quality of our personal lives. Additionally, from a professionals perspective, these learning networks are essential for innovation and for connecting new, dependable networks. The active reward of personal and/or professional benefits motivate us in our continual presence in these networks. Additionally, the always-ongoing and inevitable advancement of technology pushes us to continue to act, learn, and exercise these networks to maintain our positions within these networks.
Technology has become overly accessible, and almost necessary in full communication with others. For example, as a university student, email is a crucial part in communicating with professors and other students. Technology has progressed both in function and practicality that online identities are essential for the success of a student. Speaking with my group-mates on Mattermost is another example – in which we have created our own learning network where we share our own personal ideas and discuss. In this exchange of information, we are actively strengthening our understanding of the material, and ultimately broadening our comprehension of the topic. This is one of the rewards of public communication that I’ve identified – it is the ability to share and interpret other perspectives in hopes of enhancing your own personal learning. Everything and anything is within reach, and there is a plethora of information available to access and in return share.
Within my group, one of the risks we discussed was the not-so-obvious unknown of what happens to our posts once we share them on social media, and how technology tracks our everyday lives. We looked at the significant degree to which social media and technology have permeated our lives and the effects that this may have. We discovered that everything we do online—including the searches we conduct, the purchases we make, the texts we send to friends, and the things we say aloud—is constantly being watched and collected as data in order to serve us with adverts based on our online behaviour. We talked about how it seems like our technology is listening in on us and observing everything we say and do. To preserve our privacy and identity, we believe it is crucial to be cautious about the things we post and say online.
