Web 2.0 Journal (EME 6414)

  I’m sure most of us have started using or have at least heard about the launch of Threads. I've seen many people call it the new Twitter. While Instagram is my primary social media platform of choice, I have not created a Threads account. I don't have the bandwidth for it right now. I avoided Twitter for years, and am currently still trying to learn how to use it. I can do without signing up for another platform that appears to be similar to it.  If you're not familiar with the new platform, you can read about it here:  What is Threads? For the Twitter users in our class, I’m curious about what your initial thoughts are about Threads. Will it become the new Twitter? Will it rival Twitter? Do you like it?

Last week’s respite was a much needed break. I even took a break from personal use of social media. In short, it was refreshing. As I have shared many times before, I am not one who spends a lot of time on social media; so keeping up with all of the new social platforms in this class has been a bit of a task for me. Thanks to the respite week, I am feeling excited about (and like I have the energy for) wrapping things up over the next few weeks.  In the last week, I was much more focused, relaxed, and much more productive in all areas of life. Not engaging in social media for personal reasons or for class saved me a lot of time. I'm kind of happy to get back to using my personal socials; but also have a fresh sense and reminder of the time that I waste mindlessly scrolling. I may not engage in chunks of time - but a few minutes here and a few minutes there, add up to quite a bit of time. What did the respite do for you?

Elon Musk has consistently been in the news since he announced his intention to purchase Twitter. Here he is, gracing the news headlines with his presence once again:  Elon Musk Issues Temporary Limit on Number of Twitter Posts Users can View I received a notification on my phone for a news story about Elon Musk issuing limits on the number of Twitter posts that users can view. According to the article, the limit differs based on the users account. Verified users are allowed to view the most posts, then unverified users, and then new unverified users get to view the least amount of posts in a day. As someone who is new to the Twitter community, and also doesn't spend much time on social media, the limits blew my mind! I could not believe that people actually read 300 tweets in a day, for that to even be a limit. Elon Musk has since increased those limits. For the real Twitter users, what do these limits even mean? Will having these limits in place actually affect the majority of Tw

Another week... another set of tools. I was introduced to a lot of new tools this week. In fact, the only tool that I had even heard of prior to this week was Padlet. Interestingly enough, I was just introduced to Padlet maybe a semester or two ago. I have only used Padlet as a student. I've never used it on the opposite end as an instructor or facilitator. My wheels are turning now, as I try to think of ways to use Padlet at work with our staff. I think I have an idea... but I'll come back to that.

About a month ago, I made a blog post related to an article we’d read about enriching professional learning n etworks. At that time, I was developing plans for using a social media platform to provide informal learning opportunities and professional development to the staff across our network. Well... it’s time! The first post will be live in the morning (7/3/23), and something new will be posted in the discussion forum every month. Based on the responses I’ve gotten from staff; they are just as excited as I am about this. I’m looking forward to asking staff in a few months if   they find this platform to be beneficial in he lping build their skillsets and knowledge base. The social media platform that we’re using is very similar to Facebook, with a space for discussions and forums similar to Reddit.  

As someone who primarily uses one social media platform consistently, but in a very passive manner, the digital detox was exactly what I needed. In the first few weeks of the class, there were so many tools introduced. Despite the warning to not to try to do everything, I wanted to at least check out all of the tools. Unfortunately, for most, that’s as far as I got – checking them out and using them in a very passive manner. Attempting to keep up with them all, was very overwhelming.  I chose to do the digital detox Friday – Sunday. I had some travel and family events going on during that time and it felt great to not engage in any social media. Although, I spent my time on the various platforms as a consumer, even that was draining for me. That detox almost felt like a Spring break for me, lol. I’m refreshed and ready to jump back in for next week!