The following blog post responds to Bruce Mao’s post regarding Distributed & Open Learning, the various modes of learning, and digital literacy & Identity.
Hello Bruce! Firstly, I thoroughly enjoyed reading your first blog post. It’s really nice to you balance your academic studies with your hobby of photography. I also agree that the educational system has completely changed and continues to change as technology rapidly advances. Like you said, being able to access course material anywhere and anytime is beneficial. However, many students take this advantage for granted and fail to make use of it. A student should be privileged to have such an opportunity and should take full advantage of it. For example, students should extract the benefits of Open and Distributed Education by putting themselves out of their comfort zone and taking risks – they should engage in community learning, become a part of advanced courseware, and most importantly, stay curious and experiment.
I agree that maintaining a strong digital identity is crucial in today’s landscape. Having a professional identity that showcases one’s professional and academic achieves shows that one is serious about their career. Nevertheless, it is equally important to have a more personal identity which showcases one’s hobbies, interests, and their unique personality. This would allow people to get closer together through their common interests, making professional and/or personal relationships much stronger. Since you have strong photography skills, it would be an excellent way to share your creative side. I have a question for you, how do you think your photography experience could shape your digital identity?
All the best,
Sai Bannur