My Digital Space Map:

Digital Past, Present, & Future

Digital Past & Beginning Knowledge

    As an individual who somewhat grew up with technology, I quickly learned of all the trending websites and applications, as well as which ones I wanted to partake in to stay connected with my friends and family. At first, no one truly paid attention to what was being posted on their social media or sent in their emails. We did not have much knowledge on what was able to be viewed, what could be found through a simple Google search, and what actually stuck around--even after you deleted it.
    As a junior high student, I had no perception of how much of an impact social media made on my life and on the lives of those around me. Although I never posted anything troublesome (something that could come back to haunt me), I posted status' and shared my photos freely without ever truly thinking of possible consequences.

Where I Am & What I Know

    I am still a frequent social media user. It is how I stay in touch with my friends since we don't see each other on a regular basis, as well as with my family overseas. These days, however, I am much more aware of what I post and share on my social media and am aware of the digital footprint I am leaving behind. No matter how hard I can try, that information can always be found by someone who knows how to do a little digging. Thanks to video training and news articles, I know what to look out for to stay safe on social media and text messages (emails as well). Clickbait is a quick way for hackers to get our information, and they've gotten creative with sending specific emails, messages on Facebook, and now even via text messages; even Snap Chat warns us about the users we add back as friends.

    One of the first things I do each morning is check my social media to see what I missed out on while I was sleeping: Facebook, Instagram, Snap Chat, and my text messages get updated and looked over each day. From the moment I step into the classroom each morning until I call it a day at my desk at home, I constantly check and use my email to communicate with my coworkers, students, and parents. I update information on our Google Classroom pages and send out Remind notifications to my students about upcoming assignments and assessments. I utilize these platforms more than I have ever considered, which is why going "cold turkey" from social media and online platforms would be near impossible--personally speaking, of course.

Image Source: Author

What I Learned

    Prior to this class, I have never considered mapping out my digital space. While I created my map, I truly had to think about where to place some of my more frequently used applications. Social media like Facebook, Messenger, and Snap Chat are only used for my personal reasons--whether it is to communicate or for pure entertainment. Instagram was a difficult app to map. I began my using it as a digital photo album--something to share with my friends and family. However, as I wrapped up my student teaching semester a few years back, I decided to share my teaching journey with other teachers and "teachers-in-training," as I called them, on this platform as well. I started a new page where I post teacher hacks, assignments my students have completed, as well as any day-to-day struggles that I face as an educator. TikTok also became that type of personal, yet professional platform. I originally created an account because my students talked me into getting one (for entertainment), but I found an incredible community of teachers who also love to share their experiences, hacks, lessons, and many other classroom and lesson resources. 

    Mapping out my professional "residency" was much easier than expected, since I was quite aware of what I use on a daily basis, and what it most important to me in the classroom and for my lessons. When it came to mapping out my visitor side of the map, I found myself at a crossroads. There are hardly any apps and sites that I have on my phone that I do not utilize regularly. In order to complete this part, I ended up scrolling through my downloaded applications to see what is still on my phone (and laptop) but is not being used as much.

    My map may be on information overload, but I strongly believe that it depicts me as both an individual and a professional educator. We tend to make use of social media and other platforms/apps of communication and preparation (in the classroom) more often than not. I also think this is a wonderful resource for other educators, as we can look into some of the sites and apps that each of us uses, and perhaps add a new platform onto our maps.

Moving Forward

    Using the information on my digital space map, I can see how much I have grown and gathered over the years. At the start of my career, I wasn't familiar with half of these apps that I now use regularly. With them, I am able to lesson plan, communicate with, and provide resources for my students. My comfort level with technology is fairly high, and I hope to only build up that comfort by adding on newer reliable resources that will help me improve my integration of technology in the classrom.