Tag: #EdDigID

#HEdigID

#HEdigID Chat No. 7: Managing Digital Overload & Stress

Laura Pasquini

It’s August, which means the start of Fall college/university semester is just around the corner. I’m not entirely sure if I am ready for summer to be over; however, I do know that one of my own goals before school begins was to make sure my digital life was in order and ready. Fortunately, the August Higher Ed Digital Identity (#HEdigID) Chat welcomes Paul Eaton (@profpeaton) as the guest moderator (MOD) for Friday’s (8/10) #HEdigID chat slow, all-day Twitter chat. Thanks to all who participated in the discussion last month. There was an active conversation over a few days for the #HEDigID no. 6 on Open Ed Practices in July, and a thoughtful and kind reflection from contributors/lurkers.

To reflect on our digital lives, Paul has prepared questions and prompts to encourage us to think about how to better manage our networked practices before it manages us. Here is more about the August #HEdigID chat topic, Managing Digital Overload & Stress:

Digital tools, platforms, applications, and hardware are often heralded for their ability to connect professionals, openly share resources and knowledge, and build communities of practice across geographic spaces.

Digital tools and social media spaces have ushered in new stressors for professionals in higher education.” ~ Paul Eaton

Some of these we know about anecdotally – the fear of missing out, the hidden expectation of constant connectivity, comparative stress such as imposter syndrome, or stress from online conflict. Other stresses of the digital age we may be less cognizant of – for example, bodily stress induced by consistent eye strain, sitting or typing on digital devices. There may even be good stress, as in the recent article from Meier (2018) on how the comparison can drive us to perform better.  The purpose of this month’s #HEdigID chat will be to examine the many ways digital tools, spaces, and places, contribute to stress in our lives (both good and bad), and how can we manage that stress effectively as professionals.

Reference:

Meier, A., & Schafer, S. (2018). The positive side of social comparison on social network sites: How envy can drive inspiration on Instagram. Cyberpsychology, Behavior, and Social Networking, 21(7). https://doi.org/10.1089/cyber.2017.0708

#HEdigID CHAT TOPIC: Managing Digital Overload & Stress

The next Higher Ed Digital Identity SLOW chat will be on Twitter with the hashtag: #HEdigID and within this OPEN Google doc: http://bit.ly/HEdigid7

Learn more about the #HEdigID Chat and review the QUESTIONS in that will be posted on Twitter and in the Google doc the next discussion on FRIDAY (August 10th):

  1. Today we are talking about Managing Digital Overload and Stress. Tell us who you are, what you do, and what brings you to the discussion?
  2. This is a big topic. What are some issues, questions, and concerns you would like to address around the topic of “Managing Digital Overload and Stress”?
  3. How do you define digital overload? In what ways does a digital overload manifest in your professional and/or personal life?
  4. How do you define digital stress? What are some ways or symptoms you feel that technologies and your online life impact your stress levels?
  5. Not all digital stress is bad – so how does being connected and online motivate the work you do in #highered?
  6. Let’s talk about managing your digital life and work. What are some strategies and practices have you implemented to deal with digital overload and stress?
  7. Let’s talk about tools for your digital life and work. What are some tools or resources you use to manage your digital life?

Join the discussion on managing your digital life by:

  • Tweeting your response with the hashtag: #HEdigID

  • Responding directly IN this Google Doc: http://bit.ly/HEdigid7 {the “HE” is capitalized}

  • Use these questions to draft your own personal reflection and response (e.g. blog post, video, audio, drawing or offline discussion)

Update: Transcripts from the #HEdigID chat from August 8th are HERE

#AcDigID, Digital Literacy, Reflections

Academic Digital Identity (#AcDigID): Fitter, Happier, More Productive

Laura Pasquini

The start of a new year often brings new resolutions. Updated goals. Ideas for life plans. The start of the new year reminds me of Radiohead’s Fitter Happier [Lyrics] song. Was it just me, or did the semester break and holidays go by too fast for you as well? I’m not completely ready to say hello to 2018 or set my own objectives for work/play. I personally need some more time to for deep reflection on the topic of my digital self (per my end of 2017 year “merry & bright” blog post).

During a holiday road trip, I kept the mood “light” by listening to Bored and Brilliant, reading Under Surveillance [which I promise to write about both books soon] and replaying the OK Computer album. In making a few analog notes and drawings offline, I know I have more work to do on my digital identity and online data. Fortunately, I’ll be able to reflect more about my questions and concerns with participants joining me for the upcoming workshop I’m facilitating next week:  Developing Your Social Media and Digital Presence for Faculty, Researchers, and Scholars (#AcDigID)

A growing number of scholars collaborate and disseminate research, writing, ideas and works via non-traditional spaces online. Many participate in peer learning and sharing networks, and often see support within a number of communities. This workshop was originally created to help faculty and academics craft their online presence and develop a digital identity; however, I hope we dig deeper into what it is to BE online as a networked scholar in 2018. Academics might need an academic persona … and perhaps some do not. This is the reality as our online social networks scale.  All is not as simple and easy in the digital and networked land of academe. So let’s talk about it… together.

#AcDigID Workshop Learning Objectives

  • Evaluate social media and digital platforms for faculty development, connected scholarship, and to enhance research impact.
  • Establish effective strategies for developing an online digital identity within the open, networked community online.
  • Outline the benefits and challenges of open and digital scholarship, specifically with regards to social media and other networked platforms.

This is an asynchronous, week-long online workshop which will begin on a Monday (Jan. 8th) and end on the following Sunday (Jan. 14th).  If you want a look at the #AcDigID workshop agenda, here is the outline for short-course:

  • Why Does Social & Digital Identity Matter in Academia?
    • Getting started, digital identity development, and state of scholars online
  • The Tools of the Digital Academic Trade: Social Media
    • Twitter, hashtags, blogging, podcasting, LinkedIn, and more!
  • Being a Connected and Digital Scholar
    • Digital research impact and influence: ORCID iD, Academia.edu, ResearchGate, etc.
  • Openness in Academia: Benefits & Challenges
    • Working “in the open”  and the tension between benefits & challenges of online.
  • Building Your Social and Digital Presence Online
    • Creating your own space and place for scholarship
  • Developing Your Digital Academic Identity
    • Bonus: Ways to aggregate and showcase your digital academic self

Dates Offered: January 8-14, 2018; Registration Page (to sign up); [Note: The September 2018 version of this OLC  workshop is targeted for professionals, practitioners, & administrators in higher ed.]

As I set up the workshop, I am have been busy reading and reviewing resources. If you are an academic/scholar/researcher/faculty who engages online, consider sharing articles, suggestions, and thoughts with the workshop hashtag:  #AcDigID

Other ways you can connect/contribute to #AcDigID by:

  • ADD TO THE TWITTER LIST: Are you on the“Academics Who Tweet” Twitter list? I would like to get a variety of scholars from all disciplines and areas in higher education. Let me know (comments or directly on Twitter) if YOU or someone else should be added.
  • USE the #AcDigID Workshop HASHTAG this week to introduce yourself, say hello, share resources, or offer advice. I am encouraging learners to follow, read, and use this same hashtag during the week of January 8-14, 2018.
  • TELL YOUR #AcDigID STORY: Interested in coming to talk about your #AcDigID development? How did you become a networked academic? Why do you participate in networked, online communities higher ed? Let me know – happy to have you join during our #AcDigID Online, Synchronous Meeting on Wednesday, January 10, 2018 from 12-1 pm CST. [Drop me a DM on Twitter: @laurapasquini or a comment]
  • PARTICIPATE & TWEET during the #AcDigID Twitter Chat: Join us for the LIVE Twitter chat on Friday, January 12, 2018  from 11 am-12 pm CST.  Using the workshop hashtag, #AcDigID, I will moderate a Q&A 60-minute chat digging into the questions, challenges, and ideas/suggestions for being a networked scholar.

This workshop will help me [and those who join] to reflect on my own digital self-evaluation. I hope to share what I am learning via my research and reading of working/living in a connected society. Being online looks much different in higher ed than it was a decade ago. I think we need to be more critical about our privacy and who has access to our data, plus how often do we consider a balance of life/deep work with the influence of our screens? Join the conversation to reflect and discuss a few ideas for how to best support your work and “live” online as an academic in 2018.

Recommended Reads:

Lewis, R. (2017). Under Surveillance: Being Watched in Modern America. Austin, TX: University of Texas Press.
Zomorodi, M. (2017). Bored and Brilliant: Rediscovering the Lost Art of Spacing Out. New York, NY: St. Martin’s Press.
Higher Education, Networked Community, networkedscholar, Reflections, Research

Thinking About My Networked Self & Digital Experiences In Higher Ed

Laura Pasquini

This past summer, I spent a great deal of time talking to colleagues in higher ed to learn how they utilize social media to connect with peers and support one another in online communities. These interviews and conversations have been enlightening to help us understand more about how our digital, networked selves come to work on a university/college campus and contribute to our professional fields. For some, it is becoming increasingly vital to share instruction, scholarship, and practice online.  For others, there are still concerns about being connected to colleagues as our social networks now have context collapse. In the online world, what IS really private vs. public? Which networks are used for personal and/or professional practice?Open and digital channels help higher ed faculty and stuff in a number of different ways: asking/giving advice, collaboration on projects, free professional development, sharing information/resources, colleagues solicit advice, personal/professional support, and opportunities to learn in digital communities with common interests. Besides developing a digital presence or a “persona” online, higher education staff, administrators and scholars are utilizing social media and digital technologies to support their work, add to their professional development, engage with peers, learn in the collective and publicly in digital spaces and places.

This leads me to ask these questions of my peers working in higher ed:

  • How does being part of a digital learning network support your professional learning and development?
  • How are you shaping your online identity and presence to share your professional values?
  • How can networked communities expand your knowledge and learning to enhance your role on campus and the work you do?
  • Why might others consider finding networked peers and practitioners to scaffold their own career goals?

Although there are benefits to “working out loud” and online, there are also a number of issues as we repurpose social, digital spaces. The stakes are high, as an increasing number of higher ed professionals participate in online social networks with minimal institutional guidance for sociotechnical support or training (Pasquini & Evangelopoulos, 2017). Social and digital networks are connected, public and scaled — and often not on spaces we own or have control over. Additionally, much of our own data is being collected and reused on these networked platforms. This has me wondering:

  • How are higher ed staff and faculty evaluating their online participation on these social networks?
  • How has their contribution to open, public spaces shifted over the years?
  • What does being online as a higher ed professional look like now?

These are just a few of the questions we are asking in our research study. If you are interested in sharing more about your own experiences as a professional in higher ed, please consider contributing by participating in an interview (more about the study here).

Research Interview Sign Up: http://bit.ly/networkedself

Part of this blog post is cross-posted via my Inside Higher Ed Digital Learning opinion piece.

#AcDigID, #EdDigID, Learning and Performance, Networked Community, networkedscholar, OLC, Training & Development

Join the #EdDigID Twitter Chat on Friday (9/29) @ 2 pm CT!

Laura Pasquini

Being an open professional or academic might mean showcasing your own work, research, teaching, and practice online. Social networks and digital tools are increasingly offering higher ed professionals an online place for collaboration, learning, and sharing. In the information age, being able to display research and practical work in higher education is the norm and it is critical we are contributing to public knowledge.

There are a great number of benefits for being open and online; however, professional digital identity development does not come without questions or challenges. My last post not only introduced a few issues, challenges, and affordances (+ the #EdDigID workshop); however, we are going to share MORE in a LIVE Twitter Chat this Friday, September 29, 2017 from 2-3 pm CDT (time zone converter, I’m in Dallas, TX, USA). What does it mean to be a connected practitioner? How has being a networked scholar impacted your work? Come chat, in 140 characters or less (or more) with us! All #highered colleagues & peers are welcome for some FREE Twitter PD!

HOW TO: Participate in the #EdDigID Chat on Friday (9/29)

Here’s a quick overview of how to participate in #EdDigID Twitter Chat:

  1. Set up your Twitter Account (HOW TO: Set Up The Twitters).
  2. Follow the #EdDigID hashtag on Twitter for the latest tweets.
  3. Follow @LauraPasquini who will moderate the Q & A for the Twitter Chat, a.k.a. “MOD”
  4. Get ready and excited for Friday’s (9/29) chat by checking out what’s being shared and discussed on the#EdDigID hashtag NOW! BONUS: You might learn what’s happening & being in my workshop. 🙂
  5. JOIN US Friday, September 29th from 12-1 pm PT/1-2 pm MT/2-3 pm CT/3-4 pm ET for the following TOPIC: Being Online as a #HigherEd Professional in 2017

Contribute to the #EdDigID Twitter Chat by:

  • Logging into your Twitter account as the #EdDigID chat will happen ON TWITTER.
  • Follow along in real time during the #EdDigID Twitter chat by following along on the  Twitter hashtag: #EdDigID  or this Tweet Chat Room: http://tweetchat.com/room/EdDigID
  • The MOD (moderator) @LauraPasquini will ask 3-4 questions during the 60-minute chat; please respond with the Q# in your update, e.g. “Q1: Your Answer” or “A1: Your response”
  • Invite your higher education faculty/staff peers to join the conversation – all are welcome to join!
  • Include the #EdDigID hashtag in your tweets and responses (“@”) to others.

To help you prepare, here are a few of the #EdDigID chat questions to ponder IN ADVANCE of our conversation:

  1. What questions should we discuss, with regards to #highered professional presence/identity online + social media?
  2. What are you preferred spaces & places to learn online? This could be social media, digital platforms, etc. Please list!
  3. What are your spaces and places to “be” online as a #highered professional (besides Twitter)? Please share!
  4. What advice do you have for #highered peers who are just starting to develop their digital ID?
  5. What are some of the benefits for developing a digital identity?
  6. What are the possible challenges/issues for being online, on social media or having a professional a digital presence?

UPDATED POST 9/29/17: Here is our #EdDigID conversation archived in @Storify:

#EdDigID Twitter Chat: Being Online as a #HigherEd Pro in 2017 [Transcript]

#AcDigID, #EdDigID, networkedscholar, Training & Development

Being “Professional” Online… Whatever That Means. #EdDigID #AcDigID

Laura Pasquini

I just started reading the new book, The Digital Academic (Lupton, Mewburn, & Thomson, 2018), and I was reminded of the debate in The Guardian on being or not being a “serious academic.”  These two articles argue the merit of how scholars participate (or should not) on social media and digital networks. The two sides see involvement on social networks as either public discourse and knowledge sharing or as a complete waste of time only used for personal reputation management. Not surprising, this how networked practice is mirrored among the administrative staff I have been interviewing. Often postsecondary educators express the need to “be professional online.” Depending on the campus culture, professionals are either encouraged or discouraged from actively engaging online on social media. Most staff expressed uncertainty of any policies, expectations, politics, and implications of their own social media use. And commonly, social media and digital technologies are not often guided by academic institutions or via the professional organizations/associations. What is exciting about this edited collection (that I’ve read so far), is it unpacks these binary perceptions and dichotomous narratives. There is so much more to discuss than just good vs. bad for these social, online contexts. Just like our social identities, our online selves are so much more complex and things get complicated when we interact on certain platforms, connect with particular communities, and experience “being” within social networks. Just like our social identities, our online selves are so much more complex and vary in certain contexts. Things tend to get complicated when we interact on certain platforms, connect with specific communities, and experience “being” within particular professional online networks. Online identity is more fluid and less compartmentalized than ever before. Sure we share our practices and offer praise; however, there seem to be escalating issues and challenges we need to talk about in these online environments.

Sure, I can reflect back to the early days of participating in open, digital channels to ask for advice, share resources, support one another, and really have a bit of a chat (and banter) with loads of colleagues in #highered. I have definitely benefited from the offering of professional development via Twitter, open sharing of learning on blogs, and wealth of knowledge being shared by videos, open documents, and curated resources via my personal learning network. Although I still experience benefits to “working out loud” and participating in these online social networks, I believe “being online” in higher ed looks today looks different from when I first started, plus I recognize my own points of social privilege I have in these spaces. Our networks have grown up and with this scaled new look comes concerns about privacy, data collection, and reputation management. Additionally, there are a number of unwritten rules and informal sanctions facing higher ed faculty and staff in these social, digital places. “Academic work and academic selfhood in the increasingly digitised realm of higher education are fraught with complexities and ambivalence” (Lupton et al., 2018, pp. 15-16). So much is left unanswered:

  • What happens when our personal and professional online networks intersect and come to campus?
  • What behaviours and use of social media are acceptable for your role, discipline, and institution?
  • How do we work online and offline, when the boundaries are poorly defined and perhaps even seamless?
  • What implications are there for being online and connected in 2017?
  • How does being active on social media or in networked spaces impact career development and advancement?
  • What are we not learning about networked practice in higher ed we should know more about?

These are the questions I am asking (in my research and for my practice), and they are why I developed an OLC online workshop:#EdDigID: Developing Your Social & Digital Presence in Higher Ed (#AcDigID)

Next week (September 25-October 1, 2017) is the last offering of this workshop for 2017. [Update: I’m teaching the #AcDigID version January 8-14, 2018 for academic faculty and researchers.] This 7-day short course is like an expanded, self-pace webinar to understand and identify what it means to be networked as a higher education professional. This course was created 1st targeted only at networked scholars (#AcDigID), and it has evolved to discuss the affordances and challenges faced by both academic and administrative staff in higher ed who are digitally engaged. Although this workshop was pitched to me as a “how to” develop your online presence on social media, I think it would be a disservice to postsecondary practitioners if we did not discuss the blurred lines of our occupational selves, including private vs. public, online vs. offline, and context collapse between our personal and professional networks.

Here are the learning goals for the workshop:

  1. Evaluate social media and digital platforms for professional development and connected learning in the field;
  2. Establish effective strategies for developing/creating/improving your  digital identity for open, networked practice; and
  3. Outline the benefits and challenges of open and digital practice, especially when considering what it means for higher education staff and faculty are active on social media and in networked spaces.

For those who join this course, we will dig deeper into to help YOU consider HOW and WHERE you want to present (or not present) online.  SIGN UP HERE! If you are not able to formally join the #EdDigID workshop next week, no need to fear! I have created a few ways YOU can get involved, perhaps contribute, and potentially drop into this learning party/conversation:

  • TWITTER:
    • TWEET: Share resources around digital identity, networked experiences, and how you learn online and on social media using the workshop hashtag: #EdDigID
    • SHARE HASHTAGS: What hashtags do you track on or who do you follow on Twitter? What hashtags are YOU interested for colleagues in higher ed? #EdDigID
    • TW-LISTED: I have been curating Twitter lists for quite some time that includes peers in higher ed, academia, academic advising, librarians, and MORE! Do I need to add you to one of my Twitter lists? Please advise (on Twitter or in the comments below).
    • JOIN the#EdDigID TWITTER CHAT: Join us for the live, synchronous Twitter chat on Friday, September 29th from 2-3 pm CDT on the Twitters. We’ll be hanging out in this TweetChat Room and I will moderate this chat here: http://tweetchat.com/room/EdDigID
  • LINKEDIN: 
    • CALL FOR CONTRIBUTION: Are you using closed/private groups and networks on social media platforms? Are you forming communities to share in digitally closed spaces, e.g. Private/Secret Facebook Groups, Slack, Mastodon, etc.? Let me know! I will be hosting a synchronous meeting online next Wednesday (9/27) from 1-2 pm CST and I would LOVE if you could JOIN THE CONVERSATION if you’re interested/available.

Reference:

Lupton, D., Mewburn, I., & Thomson, P. (2018). The digital academic: Critical perspectives on digital technology in higher education. New York, NY: Routledge