Blog 3

● What digital platforms are students currently using to develop their professional network?

In my opinion, students nowadays use digital platforms very frequently and they usually have their own preferences. In order to develop their professional network, efficiency and convenience are the most important factors when it comes to choosing the digital platform. Platforms like Zoom, Google doc and Microsoft Teams are very popular among students especially during a period when most students participate in their courses online. Most of these platforms share the common feature that it provides a manageable space for students to work in groups and cooperate with each other.

●  What can you (as a student) consider to expand your professional learning network?

For my current usage of PLN, there are still limited aspects that I haven’t improved yet. I am used to communicating with my peers by social media platforms such as Instagram, WeChat and Discord. Within these three approaches, Discord is the one that most beneficial for my personal professional learning experience since the channels are super convenient to manage and it’s supportive. For now, I would like to expand my potential by entering a new area which is called Microsoft Teams. By joining my study group I am able to provide more information and ideas to the group in order to contribute to the project unlike before when I was more of a receiver than a provider. In addition, more effort should be made for me to polish my comment ability to give my peers quality feedback thus creating a more engaging study environment.

●  In your network, how can you create a digital identity/reputation?

First of all, I have to be true to myself knowing who I am and who I want to become. A digital identity doesn’t have to match perfectly in real life, in other words, it can be a free-land for your external personality. But to create a digital identity that reaches my expectation, it has to provide a firm awareness of my own identity. The introductory digital identity shouldn’t go too deep but to be brief and clear. Whether a picture of myself is necessary? It depends. For a reputation attachment or career use, it’s better to include a photo of myself. But if it’s for my own interests, I prefer a virtual profile picture. Overall, for different areas, we can create different digital identities relatively. For example, if I am attending an online Lab section in biology, it’s totally unnecessary to include my political stand in my profile. Get rid of the unrelated information and leave a good impression.

●  Consider what a local employer would do if you applied for a job with them – can they search the content, is it of benefit to the career path, does it hinder the opportunity of employment?

Generally speaking, everyone can understand that we usually have separated spaces for our careers (professions) and our personal life. As human beings, we play more than one role in our lives so if the employer wants to know more about me and it was approved, there’s nothing to worry about as long as you are acting normal in the digital world. Otherwise, If you are fully prepared before the interview, you should already have a very professional background inforamtion in that specific area of the job you are applying to. Digital identity is just one of the many aspects that might have an effect on your impression.