There is so much to learn!

Dear Future me... Its been a while, 2 years in fact! Since my last post so many things have changed.  “It’s only after you’ve stepped outside your comfort zone that you begin to change, grow, and transform.” ―  Roy T. Bennett I most definitely have stepped outside my comfort zone, I left my role as a support worker with the local council,  and took a step into the education sector, giving myself new challenges, and many new development opportunities!  I was soo nervous, in my role as support worker, i felt confident, like i knew exactly what i was supposed to be doing. Moving into this role as a Tutor/Assessor with a college, where i have no experience and a lot to learn!  It has been a fantastic year in this role, i have learned soo much - with thanks to my new colleagues and team.  I am looking forward to continuing this grown and developing further - and plan to (hopefully) use this blog to record this for my future self.  Dear Future me.....

  Thing 23: Next Steps   Reflect. I always find it interesting to reflect, - especially on my professional development. After completing the 23 Things Digital badges I feel there are many things I’ve learned, such as the impact of social media, learning and connecting. Also the different tools that I could use to benefit my online learning. My thoughts on this approach to learning have definitely changed. I began these badges feeling unsure if I would be able to work digitally as I did not have confidence.   I now feel that I do have the confidence and by completing these badges has enabled me to learn online.   I have went back to my self-assessment from Thing 3, and I have reflected on the scores you gave myself during completing this assessment for the first time in terms of capability, confidence and relevance. At the time of completing the evaluation form I felt confident in the use of digital programmes and software within my Job role. I felt confiden...

  I contributed to the shared document on Google drive to help build a bank of advice for future 23 Things participants. I found this very easy to contribute to, I could view the document and see what other had written, then add my comments for future readers to have access to. It was very easy to use. An advantage of using Google Drive, I can see why this would be an effective tool to use in a workplace as everyone can contribute if they are provided with the link. The risk/disadvantage to using this type of platform would be that there is a risk of data being shared to those who don’t need to see it. If you want an accurate outcome/result; if the link is shared with too many people, you may not get an accurate outcome.     I took part in the ‘ Future topics for 23 things ’ poll and voted for the topics I would like to see SSSC develop more 23 Things resources for. I chose ‘new to health and social care’ I think it would be a good thing to have more information abou...

  Technology is a fantastic thing! It can be used to promote independence and improve outcomes for individuals – although it comes with barriers.    I am familiar with many different types of digital technology. when I was growing up and going through school everything had to be done on a computer so I feel I am familiar with using many different types of technology. Within my service  technology is used on a daily basis. But I do feel that some people are more advanced than others in its use. I think if everyone was to have a better understanding of using different technologies, we could help meet service users' outcomes in different ways, for example; a service users' outcome may be to talk to friends – this would meet their social need. During the pandemic this has meant we cannot provide face to face meetings between service users, so the use of technology could help meet their needs in a positive way, as we could hold 1:1 conversation’s over ‘zoom’ or host a gro...

  I know I have missed thing 20! It's coming, just not today..  Before completing this ‘thing (21)’ I had not thought anything about the concept of a digital legacy.    After reading the article  Our Digital Afterlife  ( Journal of the Law Society of Scotland , 2015) and watching the following video, produced by the   Digital Legacy Association .  I have mixed views on ‘Facebook's Legacy Contact’ I feel this is a great feature as after you have passed away someone can have control of your account, and the account can still be viewed because it would be a shame to lose all of the pictures and posts of the person as this can act as a way of comfort when grieving. I am divided as I don’t like the idea that someone can still post and change profile pictures.    I have downloaded a copy of the Digital Legacy Association’s   Social Media Will Template (Excel file) and have begun to think about what I want done with my Social media pr...

This ‘thing’ is all about learning which apps can be  used to  support learning.   Not taking apps are really good for helping to organise thoughts and write down notes. Having organised notes means that learning will be easier as you can easily refer back to notes.    One note taking app I have used is OneNote. I found this a great tool for organising my notes as there are many different options on how set out and design your notes. I can also add photos and attachments. I have used this in the past to prepare work for my college course. I was able to take notes on my phone and then access this on my laptop which I took to college. It was very handy as I was able to write down notes on the go if they came into my head.    I am a visual learner so I find mind maps a great way to organise my notes. I was not aware of the website Coggle. I gave this a go and was surprised at how easy it is to work. I will most definitely be using again in the future....