What are you initial reactions about joining these social networks for use in this course?
As a web developer, I am very familiar with several social media platforms and their potential uses. However, I somehow missed the twitter train and never really used it personally. I have a basic understanding of it though and Diigo I have never heard of. As for blogging, I am comfortable with the concept as I have created websites for the sole purpose of sharing content.
What is your experience in using social media for your own professional development?
I do mostly contract work, and many clients I work with use GitHub to share and collaborate on projects. It is also a place to network and learn new skills that have helped me in the past. I have also managed social media sites like Facebook and Instagram for client’s websites that I have created. I did have a professor in my undergraduate courses that had us develop a LinkedIn profile over the semester. I actually still use it to find contract jobs.
What is your experience in using social media as an instructional strategy in your learning environment?
As mentioned above, I had a professor that required developing a LinkedIn profile to basically establish a digital portfolio that we could use to get a job after graduating. I also have had instructors use Stack Overflow for assignments while I was earning my associates in software development.
What are your expectations for this course?
Learning about new social media platforms and the potential uses behind them could really help in my future course design. I enjoy learning about new tech software applications and I think twitter could be a great tool to incorporate in instructional design. Combining education and social media outlets has been a curious interest of mine and I cannot wait to learn more about it!
Jake Dalton 