2. Accessing, managing and evaluating
online information
Rating at the start of the Module
Being in higher
education means that I
am constantly
assessing and
evaluating the
reliability and
credibility of sources
online. This is an
integral skill for
academics of all fields.
Rating at the end of the Module
Where the initial rating
was already rather high
it's difficult to
significantly improve
this mark. However, I
am now more capable
and confident in using a
wider range of
information from blogs
and YouTube videos
4 4.5
3. Participating in online communities
Rating at the start of the Module
For someone who is
glued to their phone, I
am surprisingly not
part of many
communities online
apart from family and
friend circles. This is
an area that I
particularly want to
improve on.
Rating at the end of the Module
With this being a key area that
I wanted to address, I joined
Closed Facebook groups
regarding politics - this is a hot
topic due to the general
elections, I wanted to exhaust
my political participation. I also
joined a 'sneaker' community
and several ethically
concerned groups to raise
awareness on e.g. austerity
and damaging public spending
cuts.
2 4
4. Building online networks around an area
of interest
Rating at the start of the Module
As I am already on
some social media
platforms, I believe that
with practice, guidance
and motivation I could
easily improve this
rating, however I
perhaps lack the
confidence at the
moment. I’m also unsure
how to create a
personable but
professional network.
Rating at the end of the Module
This is an area that still needs
a great deal of improvement
on. However, this blogging
experience has given me the
knowledge and technical
expertise and confidence on
how to build such an online
network; I have already got
some ideas jotted down - keep
an eye out!
2 3
5. Collaborating with others on shared
projects
Rating at the start of the Module
I collaborate with
others in all aspects of
my everyday life,
whether that be at my
part-time job, at home
or at University.
However, I believe
there is room for
personal improvement
regarding my
communication style.
Rating at the end of the Module
Through providing and
gaining feedback from
my peers and tutors, I
have gained
understanding of how
crucial working with
others is for self-
improvement. My
reflection posts are great
examples of peer
feedback and the
improvements made as
a result.
4 4.5
6. Creating online materials (text, audio,
images, video)
Rating at the start of the Module
Other than informal
twitter and Facebook
posts I have never
created rich online
material. In fact, I have
never had a blog
before, so this is
definitely a new
experience.
Rating at the end of the Module
When comparing the initial
rating to my current rating,
we can clearly see this is an
area that has seen the most
improvement. Not only have
I successfully set up and run
a blog for 10 weeks, but in
this post alone I have
created a presentation,
video, info-graph and
annotated images. There is
still room to grow though!
1 3.5
7. Managing your online identity
Rating at the start of the Module
I believe that anything
that I make publicly
accessible is
professional or at least
does not tarnish my
reputation. I keep my
personal accounts
private.
Rating at the end of the Module
In this process I learnt the
importance of having
professional online profiles,
especially in regards to
linked-in. So, in hindsight my
initial score may have been
generous as I have
undertaken significant
improvements to my Linked-
in profile, as well as my other
social media platforms. But
this is still a work in
progress.
3 4
8. Managing your online privacy and security
Rating at the start of the Module
I ensure that I
maintain the highest of
security and privacy
settings. I believe I’m
rather experienced in
managing this aspect.
Rating at the end of the Module
My learnings in topic 4,
regarding ethical concerns
around privacy and the use
of cookies definitely
contributed to the increase in
this rating. Not only are my
privacy settings on my social
media accounts secure, but I
have now taken steps to
increase my privacy settings
within my internet browser
too.
4 4.5
