Blog Post #1

Hi everyone! My name is Rachel, I am in my 5th and final year of my psychology degree, hoping to get into a career with a focus on mental health and wellbeing in children and adolescents. I grew up on Vancouver Island and attended a private high school up island just 45 mins from uvic. My high school, Brentwood College, was very mental health positive which I think really inspired me to focus on that as a future career. Aside from school I spend the majority of my time working 3 jobs as well as maintaining a busy social life. 

Distributed education allows students to be taught and complete an education in a very flexible way. The flexibility of location makes education extremely accessible to all. Some schools could have an amazing program a student is leaning towards but may not have an ideal location, being able to complete the program of one’s choice but not having to take into account the location eliminates this issue. As well the option between synchronous and asynchronous can appeal to all personality types. Those that need structure and due dates will benefit from the synchronous learning by being on a set schedule, whereas individuals who enjoy the freedom of completing work whenever they feel and know they will motivate themselves will likely enjoy the more open asynchronous learning.

Different modes of learning include:

  • Face to face learning
  • Online learning
  • Blended learning
  • Hybrid learning

Each of these modes of learning have their advantages and will appeal to different individuals based on their preferences. Overall the variety of learning modes is an extremely useful and inclusive way of delivering content and information to everyone. For myself I enjoy hybrid learning. Attending a proper class in person brings learning to a more personal level by being able to discuss course content with peers in an academic setting. As someone who is always on the go and enjoys being busy I value my time a lot. I work a part time job while attending university therefore the flexibility of being able to complete the course online is a bonus as it makes a work schedule much more manageable. I find the commute of getting to and from school wastes more time for me rather than simply being able to shut my computer at the end of class and leave for work. Preference of learning modes can also depend on the subject of the course. For example a psychology course that is majority discussion based would be more engaging in person, whereas a more technical subject such as chemistry or computer science might be no different in person versus online. I try to create a balance between work and school therefore some days I will do both and other days it will only be one or the other, either the hybrid or the blended modes of learning are what works best for me. 

Digital literacy is one’s knowledge and capability of using technology and different digital tools. This can range from something as simple as using google to something more technical such as being able to understand a coding sequence. As the world is rapidly being taken over by technology it is important that we adapt and learn not only how to use it but as well understand privacy and security while using technology and online platforms. I attended a private high school that was very technology focused, everything we did was digital and we learned how to confidently use various platforms for assignments and collaboration activities. I am grateful that I had access to this knowledge as it made the transition to university, where everything is also digital, much easier to understand. 

Digital identity is the way in which we present ourselves online. The internet is full of information and many people do not even realize how much access we give to it. Whether it is your name, a photo, or a video, the internet is able to store it all. Safety and privacy is extremely important when using any sort of technology especially social media platforms as it can be difficult for something to be deleted fully from the internet once it is put on there, there is always a digital footprint. Displaying a positive digital identity is extremely important in one’s professional life. In today’s day employers will search individuals up online to see if there is any poor or off putting information about them online. The person with a professional and successful digital identity is more likely to be hired over the individual who may have negative content about them online.

Johnson, N. (2024b, May 8). Digital Learning Definitions: The Modes of Learning Spectrum Framework. Canadian Digital Learning Research Association. https://cdlra-acrfl.ca/digital-learning-definitions/

Understanding digital identity. (n.d.). Imprivata. https://www.imprivata.com/understanding-digital-identity