Weblearning

Rationale for  this resource

Micro-celebrities or counter-cultural revolutionaries?

Digital Footprints is about the re-conceptualization of self. Just as a student has to shift from acting as a passive recipient of information to an active participant, growing their knowledge base. So, too, does a professional or academic shift away from gate-keeping their turf to opening up to collaboration, sharing expertise and mentoring capabilities with others.

Making a distinction between online and offline life is difficult. Social technologies are reframing relationships. For some, this might be as a champion or ambassador. Where a corporate client seeks a return on teacher relationships. And "influences" or nudges decisions through life-streaming and self-branding. For others, these platforms are a means to offer a more democratic, transparent, participatory and profitable alternative.  To disrupt current "flawed" or "failing institutions".

The focus is on you and your ongoing efforts as a researcher, practitioner or professional working full-time in a research, education or creative institution or independently as a consultant.

Why make a footprint public?

Avoiding tutorial hell

There's a lonely path into "tutorial hell". This can be the result of self-directed learning. The desire to teach oneself something new is admirable and drives many of us to new heights. The well-intentioned autodidact must be aware of a skewed consumption-to-creation ratio.

In an effort to direct your learning or follow good advice. You collect "best practices" and complete tutorial after tutorial, hoping that the information might lead to professional growth this time.

The best escape from Tutorial Hell?

Yes, there are many opportunities to develop and produce. However, there are limits to what hard skills are useful and necessary in that context.

Bare Minimum

A short bio statement

I'm assuming that you know how to put together a CV (Curriculum Vitae) that summarises your career thus far. This is not a workshop about the C.V. We are NOT going this route. There are plenty of other online tutorials about a CV. Instead, we will ask you to write a short statement about yourself.

• What drives you as a researcher?
• What are your most noteworthy and recent achievements (and don't get confused between achievements and recognition)

Write a paragraph or two, then pare it down to the bare minimum. You probably are already called on to; regularly introduce yourself.

Go ahead and construct a brief "bio statement" for yourself. This will act as a "summary". Perhaps prompt one-to-one conversations with peers.

A Digital Profile

A living document

I've been told that HR uses a combination of conventional recruitment methods (job applications, CVs). Then they combine this information with a "digital profile". That has been scraped, compiled, and packaged by algorithms and data brokers. This profile is supposed to help an interview panel to deconstruct complex evaluation judgments and select the most qualified applicant.  

The purpose behind this site is.... to suggest a range of different pathways or alternate routes that you might indepently explore with digital platforms or self-hosted infrastructure and build up your social and cultural capital. So when you find yourself applying for a promotion, interviewing for a new job, introducing yourself remotely or sharing research. You'll use the available open infrastructures to create an authentic presence. And be understood and appreciated by an organisation or an individual.