In going over the readings today, I think it was interesting to learn about the different issues with building a PLN. Basically, people build a PLN without even doing it according to a plan. However, it is important for students to develop a PLN that will match their own interests and ideas. This will lead to a PLN that is beneficial to them.
A useful tool that were in the readings was the video about digital mapping, and about how there are visitors and residents to certain parts of a map. It was helpful that at the beginning of the video, Dave White said that the sides of visitors and residents does not mean that there are two different groups of people, but that instead if it is a continuum that everybody can be involved with (White, 2013). This is different than other concepts that I have read about, and actually it is more useful. For example, I have read about how there are “digital natives” and “digital immigrants”, and that the digital natives are people who grew up with that digital technology so they think it is natural to use it, compared to older people who are the digital immigrants. However, this kind of approach does not take into account that digital technology and the platforms are very diverse, and that a person can be proficient in one platform but maybe not in another, regardless of their age.
In thinking about a PLN and making a digital map, I feel that data privacy and security help to promote it. It should be something that a person thinks about when they create their PLN and to make sure they understand that even with the protections in place to give them a secure platform, there can still be some cases where their information will get out. However, that does not really limit a PLN because there are still many options a person can do. For example, in this class we have the option of using a pseudonym in case we want to hide our identities.
References
White, D. (2013) “Just the Mapping.” YouTube. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MSK1Iw1XtwQ&t=15s