Gus Taylor

The topic of open access to resources is increasingly important with increasing access fees and increased use of the internet as a learning platform. From reading other posts I now further understand the complex issues surrounding how authors pay to have their materials published and from where an income will come. My knowledge of re-use rights is also a lot greater than before this topic and I believe that this plays an important role in open access and how resources are used for learning. Continue reading →

With the rise of content online becoming less freely available without the need to pay there is a large debate around whether this content should be free. A recent study predicts that over the next few years 90% of online content would be held behind a virtual paywall. Continue reading →

This topic on social media and ethics could go in many different directions and as such a large area has been covered by different posts. I personally took the approach of employers vetting candidates through social media as this is a subject that has veer increasing relevance especially to us as students who will soon be looking for employment. Continue reading →

This post will continue along the theme of online identity and how it can affect our employment prospects. No matter what our privacy settings can we ever keep our data private? Realistically the answer is no and that is why we should be careful about what we post online as potential employers will more than likely be able to view our posts and information. 77% of companies now use social media to screen candidates showing it’s increasing importance. Continue reading →

This third topic of building an authentic professional profile was something that I felt lead on well from the previous topic of online identities. A professional profile was something that if feel I could have elaborated on in topic 2 so this was a good opportunity to do so. One of the most surprising discoveries for me was the great extent to which LinkedIn is used for advertising jobs and finding employees. Continue reading →

It is estimated that between 75 & 93% of companies use social media as a till when taking on new employees. Although the stats vary they are all in agreement that the vast majority of these companies regard social media as an invaluable tool. Not only are employers vetting candidates through social media but they are also advertising jobs online. According to Jobvite 73% of employers were looking at increasing their spending on social media in 2914. Continue reading →

The matter of how our identities are translated online is something that has always puzzled me. It isn’t possible to create an opinion of yourself online in the same way in which someone who doesn’t know you may perceive you. This topic has allowed me to further explore the way in which we can be identified online and how important that may be. Continue reading →

Some individuals enjoy the benefits of a strong online identity whilst others worry about the information that may be publicly available. Our online identities however are based on information that we have provided through social media, our browsing history and information that we have given out through online forms. This identity may not reflect the characteristics that we may have in real life. Continue reading →

Before undertaking this module I knew very little about digital visitors and residents. I have however learnt a lot about the topic from reading the work of Prensky and White. I have always been confident using technology for work and leisure but I had never thought of engaging in blogging as a means of online learning. Since the start if the module I already feel more confident about expressing my opinions online and as such I am currently working on developing my own personal blog. Continue reading →

Before undertaking this module I knew very little about digital visitors and residents. I have however learnt a lot about the topic from reading the work of Prensky and White. I have always been confident using technology for work and leisure but I had never thought of engaging in blogging as a means of online learning. Since the start if the module I already feel more confident about expressing my opinions online and as such I am currently working on developing my own personal blog. Continue reading →

Our online identity can be perceived as one of two categories; a resident or a visitor. This is a view shared  by many such as Prensky (2001) who formulated this idea. To put it simply, a visitor is someone who may use the web to complete a task whereas a resident interacts with the web through both social media and other online channels. Continue reading →