#AcDigID, #EdDigID, #HEdigID, Social Media, SocioTech

Networked Practice: My Book List

For some of my own research and review, I have been accumulating a variety of books to my reading list for the networked practice study. Some deal with living online, being connected, and even understanding how communities, networks, and groups thrive (or the opposite) in the digital. For the month of January, I have been taking stock and reflecting on my own networked practice. Recently I facilitated an online workshop to support higher education faculty and staff think more about their digital presence and how to manage their own reputations online. Now my current students are thinking about how they will craft their digital identity online and engage with industry leaders, future co-workers, and engage with professionals in their occupational fields. I have enjoyed having conversations to consider what online reputation means, examining how/where our personal data exists, and understanding that “being” online means so much more in 2019.

Creating, crafting, and/or presenting our professional best self digital is quite complicated and complex — just like the individuals behind the profile. As usual, I continue to think about my digital imprint and I have begun to audit where I “live” online. [This process is taking a while, so I’ll share about this audit and review in another post when I am closer to wrapping it up.] as I start to audit my own life on social media platforms and other digital accounts. Of course, I continue to read and review what others are thinking about this process — being networked, living digital, cyber reputations, and online personas — who are connected and linked to peers and communities. Here are a few of the reads and resources I have recommended lately for higher education professionals (e.g. staff, graduate students, faculty, administrators, instructional designers, instructors, early career researchers, etc.):

Beyond this list, I am more than happy to share what I have “READ” and is accumulating on my “Networked Practice” reading list on GoodReads (some reviews included):

I suppose my attention is drawn to the ideas of self-presentation, reputation, and lived lives on social media platforms (and other digital spaces we don’t fully control). At the moment, I’m “CURRENTLY READING” the following books — thanks public and university library!:

My “WANT TO READ” book list is never short, but here are a few that I have either sitting on my home shelf to read (literally) around networked practices. I have no doubt I will add (or have added) to this list, especially as I hope to read these in February.  I welcome your recommendations for living a networked life, being a connected scholar, and being involved digital communities of practice:

What are you reading these days around networked practice? Do you have recommendations for those of us who live a networked, connected professional life? This could be about online personas, digital reputation, networked groups/communities, impacts of social media at work, and more. Share any recommendations you have, and if you’re GoodReads — be sure to connect with me, so I too can be inspired by the books you’re reading.

#AcDigID, #EdDigID, #HEdigID

Being a Higher Ed Professional Online (#HEdigID) Is Complicated: Join the Conversation?

A growing number of practitioners, professionals, and administrators in higher education engage and share their professional practice in digital spaces. There is no surprise that these educators are social, networked, and keen to learn from one another online. These non-traditional spaces offer ways to share resources, access professional development, and learn from other professionals beyond their institution or even functional area of work.  Other higher ed professionals also seek out spaces for personal support, issues on campus, and communities that connect to their social identities, values, and/or beliefs.

This week I’m facilitating the Online Learning Consortium online workshop: Developing Your Social Media and Digital Presence for Higher Ed Professionals (#HEdigID). This 7-day, workshop was originally created to help faculty and staff in higher education craft an online presence; however, there are more issues about “being” online in today’s digital network. The goal was to introduce digital and social ways to connect, learn, and present yourself and work in online spaces. With the shift and scale of a number of social networks and online platforms, I’m not so sure everyone needs to be everywhere online. Some might need an academic persona … whereas other college/university staff may not or might be struggling with their digital, professional lives. Being a higher ed professional online is quite complicated. Asking and learning about professionals digital selves unpacks the complexity of living our individual networked experiences. Being a digital professional might differ based on the culture of the institution, support (or lack there of) from peers and/or a supervisor, ability to participate (or not) based on geographic location, and the social identities that travel with professionals via online platforms. The decision to “be” a professional online is not a simple or straightforward “how to” guide. And, I think it’s something that often gets overlooked or not really talked about it among higher ed faculty and staff — so let’s change that. Let’s talk about it!

Learning Objectives

  • Evaluate social media and digital platforms for professional development and connected learning.
  • Establish effective strategies for developing an online digital identity within the open, networked higher ed community online.
  • Outline the benefits and challenges of open and digital practice in higher education, specifically with regards to social media and other networked platforms.

Workshop Schedule

This is an asynchronous, week-long online workshop which will begin on a Monday (May 14th) and end on the following Sunday (May 20th). If you want a look at the #HEdigID workshop agenda, here is the outline for short-course:

  • Why Does Social & Digital Identity Matter in Higher Ed?
    • Getting started, digital identity development, and state of postsecondary practitioners and administrators online
  • The Tools of the Digital Professional Trade: Social Media
    • Twitter, hashtags, blogging, podcasting, LinkedIn, and more for creating and sharing online.
  • Being a Connected and Digital Practitioner
    • Digital research impact and influence: Slack, websites, YouTube Live, ORCID iD, ResearchGate, etc.
  • Openness in Academia: Benefits & Challenges
    • Working “in the open” and the tension between benefits & challenges of digitally engaging.
  • Building Your Social and Digital Presence Online
    • Creating your own space and place for your professional work and sharing among practitioners.
  • Developing Your Digital Academic Identity
    • Bonus: Ways to aggregate and showcase your digital, professional self and the work you’re doing on campus.

Dates Offered: May 14-20, 2018; Registration Page (to sign up)

Join the Conversation?

If you can join us in the actual course — great! If you are not able to commit to this short course — but you’re interested in this TOPIC and DISCUSSION, here are a few ways you can engage in the Higher Ed Digital Identity (#hedigid) Workshop this week:

  • ADD TO THE TWITTER LIST: Are you on the“Academics Who Tweet” Twitter list? I would like to get a variety of folks from academia from all disciplines and functional work areas in higher education. Let me know (comments or directly on Twitter) if YOU or someone else should be added.
  • USE the #HEdigID 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 May 14-20, 2018.
  • PARTICIPATE & TWEET during the #HEdigID Twitter Chat: Join us for the Twitter chat on Friday, May 18th for the ALL DAY conversation. Using the workshop hashtag, #HEdigID, I will moderate a chat over the course of the day to dig into the questions, challenges, and ideas/suggestions for being a networked professionals. I will be posting the questions and reminding y’all about the chat in a couple of days BEFORE Friday. Learn more about the #HEdigID chat here and how YOU can sign up to moderate a future conversations online: https://techknowtools.com/twitter-chats/hedigid/
  • TELL YOUR #HEdigID STORY: Interested in joining an online, synchronous conversation to share about your own #HEdigID experience? Want to tell a story about how being a networked scholar/practitioner impacts your work in higher ed?  Want to tell the workshop participants about a connected community you are a part of in these networked spaces? Let me know – happy to have you join during our #HEdigID Online, Synchronous Meeting this FRIDAY, May 18, 2018 from 12-12:40 pm EST. [Drop me a DM on Twitter: @laurapasquini or a comment]

Being online and living in the network impacts our personal and professional lives. What it was to be connected or sharing in the network looks and feels much different in 2018. What does it mean to be a networked professional now to you? How has your participation changed, shifted, or grown in these social networks? What questions or considerations are you making about your online self to preserve your digital identity? Join the conversation to reflect and discuss what it means to be a higher ed professional in digitally connected spaces.

#AcDigID, #EdDigID, #HEdigID

#HEdigID Twitter Chat: Let’s Talk About Our Networked, Digital Life, Higher Ed.

For the last couple of  years, I have been talking, researching and engaging with colleagues to figure out what it means to be a networked practitioner and/or scholar in higher ed. Based on a recent workshop and Twitter conversation (#acdigid chat), it is clear that being online feels different in 2018 than it did back in 2008 when I first started to really connect to other professionals in digital, social networks.  In an editorial I wrote for Inside Higher Ed last year, I ask questions about what it means to have a digital persona in academia, specifically these ones (slightly modified):

  • How does being part of a digital learning network support learning and development for higher ed professionals?
  • How are faculty and staff shaping their online identity and presence to share professional values, work, etc.?
  • How can does a networked community expand knowledge to enhance our roles on campus and the work we do?
  • Why might others higher ed professionals want to network with peers to scaffold their own career goals?

As these digital networks have scaled past the “social-media-is-just-a-fad” stage and they now influence more of our society in our daily lives. That being said, I think educators are considering how to be more thoughtful and consider HOW, WHERE, and IF, they should “be” in these public and open spaces. A number of college/university practitioners, scholars, and administrators have seen benefits to “working out loud” and being public intellectual in postsecondary. That being said, the repurposing of social media and digital platforms, has come with minimal institutional guidance and limited sociotechnical support (Pasquini & Evangelopoulos, 2017) and does appear to have ramifications for our personal/professional lives. A number of interviews with higher ed colleagues have just begun to identify the benefits, challenges, and future considerations for higher ed networked practices. And, of course, in talking to researchers, student affairs educators, early career researchers, academic advisors, senior administration, instructional designers, and other colleagues — it seems that we have even more questions and the need to continue these conversations among ourselves.

In a recent Twitter poll I put out this month, I tossed out the idea to host a SLOW (all day) Twitter chat ONE DAY per month for 2018. It seems like a few of you (at least 15) in higher ed, are interested in discussing your digital identity and “being online” or connected as a professional:

https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js

So, let me introduce to you the…

Higher Ed Digital Identity Chat (#HEdigID)

We will connect on the SECOND FRIDAY of each month this year to have an open, honest conversation about being a higher ed professional who is connected and digitally engaged. Here’s the schedule, if you would like to #SaveTheDate:

February 9, 2018

August 10, 2018

March 9, 2018

September 14, 2018

April 13, 2018

October 9, 2018

May 11, 2018

November 9, 2018

June 8, 2018

December 14, 2018

July 13, 2018

Any and all post-secondary faculty, staff, professionals, scholars, practitioners, administrators, graduate students, and leaders (really anyone in higher ed) are encouraged to JOIN and CONTRIBUTE to the Twitter conversation. There will be a TOPIC, THEME, and PROMPTS to guide the Twitter Chat over the course of the day. This “SLOW” Twitter Chat (all day) is designed to encourage and allow our colleagues from across the pond, time zones, and busy work schedules to join in the dialogue. I am happy to moderate (MOD) the first few #HEdigID chats; however, I am also quite open to others who want to MOD and/or contribute an IDEA or TOPIC we should dig into online. Let me know!

#AcDigID, #diglit, #EdDigID

Being a Networked Scholar in 2018: Join #AcDigID Twitter Chat this Friday, January 12th

Being an open, networked academic might mean sharing research, teaching, and scholarly practice online. Social networks and online tools are increasingly offering higher ed faculty a digital place for collaboration, learning, and work. In the information age, being able to share instructional practices, disseminate research, and engage in scholarly conversations is becoming the norm in and it is even more critical academia contributes to accurate public knowledge. There are a number of benefits for being open and online; however, being a networked scholar does not come without questions or challenges in 2018 [See: My last post on the topic.] If you’re interested in joining a conversation about “Being a Networked Scholar in 2018” and sharing your perspective on the topic, I would love if you could save the day to join this LIVE Twitter Chat on Friday, January 12, 2018 from 11 am-12 pm CDT (time zone converter, I’m in Dallas, TX, USA). What does it mean to be a connected academic? How has being a faculty in a networked world impacted your teaching, learning and service scholarship? Come chat with us to share your thoughts, ideas, and questions you are pondering this year. All #highered colleagues and academic peers are welcome for some FREE Twitter PD!

HOW TO: Participate in the #AcDigID Chat

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

  1. Set up your Twitter Account (HOW TO: Set Up The Twitters).
  2. Follow the #AcDigID 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 (1/12) chat by checking out what’s being shared and discussed on the #AcDigID hashtag NOW! BONUS: You might learn what’s happening and what we’re talking about in the workshop. 🙂
  5. JOIN US Friday, January 12th from 11 am- 12 noon CDT  for the following TOPIC: Being Online as a #HigherEd Professional in 2018

Contribute to the #AcDigID Twitter Chat by:

  • Logging into your Twitter account as the #AcDigID chat will happen ON TWITTER.
  • Follow along in real time during the #AcDigID Twitter chat by following along on the Twitter hashtag: #AcDigID  or this Tweet Chat Room: http://tweetchat.com/room/AcDigID
  • 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 #AcDigID hashtag in your tweets and responses (“@”) to others.

Being a Networked Scholar in 2018: To help you prepare, here are a few of the #AcDigID chat questions we might chat about for you to think about IN ADVANCE of our conversation:

  1. What questions should we discuss, with regards to being a networked scholar or digital academic in 2018?
  2. What are your preferred digital spaces to learn or connect with academics online? Please share.
  3. Where can we find traces of your work in #highered or scholarly self online (besides Twitter)?
  4. What are some of the benefits of developing a digital identity or being part of an online community?
  5. What are the possible challenges/issues for being online, on social media or having a professional a digital presence in 2018?
  6. What advice do you have for #highered colleagues & academics about their digital identity or being in an online professional network?

UPDATED #acdigID POST CHAT (1.12.18):

TRANSCRIPTS: #acdigID Storify Archive  and a PDF for download and review: #acdigID Chat_ TOPIC_ Being a Networked Academic in 2018 (01.12.18)

#AcDigID, Digital Literacy, Reflections

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

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 OutNew York, NY: St. Martin’s Press.