Diversity 

I do enjoy a good emoji, it brings another dimension to a chat message – introducing tone, reaction and feelings that can be misinterpreted when you are not in a face-to-face conversation. I have no problem if someone wants to identify themselves through an emoji and think it’s great that we now have that option. It makes sense to use a diverse representation of yourself, a bit like creating an avatar showing how you would like to be viewed. I myself stick to the Simpsons yellow when using emoji’s as I like to be neutral, plus if I wanted a face/reaction emoji to be a representation of me it would need to have a beard and be slightly rose cheeked. I have used bitmoji where I can create a better representation of myself. I do however reserve these for special messages to family and friends such as a ‘happy birthday’ or ‘congratulations’.  

When it comes to equality and diversity, I think it should be highlighted more and that everyone should be treated as equal. I think it’s disgusting that even nowadays people are judged or treated differently on their sex, sexual orientation, upbringing, beliefs or skin tone. Things are getting better but there is always going to be someone that would treat someone differently, abuse power and even use diverse emoji’s to offend or disrespect others.

Accessibility 

I have been thinking about accessibility a lot recently. I believe I’m more aware of accessibility and inclusion now as it affects more aspects of my job than it did before. In my previous position I looked after audio visual technology in the physical teaching spaces on campus. Here I only considered accessibility for hard of hearing and physically disabled users but now I understand more about accessibility needs for all. I think this is due to the nature of the job and moving to online working. I must make sure any content I post in blogs or when I publish user guides or information that they are accessible for all. Videos or audio recordings that I make should have closed captioning and transcripts available as well as any material used such as power point, PDFs or word documents. 

I’ve also discovered tools I can use to help make content more accessible such as the accessibility checker within Microsoft, WebAIM contrast checker and WAVE the web accessibility evaluation tool. Now that I’m more aware of accessibility I include it in my training sessions that I run encouraging others to think more about accessibility and promote good practice. 

I’m continuing on with my digital skills this week with digital footprint and security. 

Digital Footprint 

Having not much of a social media presence my digital footprint is quite sparse. After googling myself it took me a few attempts to find something that relates to me. Apparently there are a lot of Alan Hamilton’s in the world that are more important and achieved more than I have. It wasn’t until I put in Alan Hamilton University of Edinburgh that I made top of the page with my media hopper training videos coming first followed by my Linkedin profile.   

The process has made me think more about what accounts I have over all the social media platforms and how I should keep profiles up to date and relevant. Also how I use social media and the settings I can put in place to protect myself by keeping my privet life separate from my professional life. What ever happened to Bebo though? I have also closed down old email and user accounts that I no longer use.   

Digital Security  

This is a very useful thing to read indeed. I was please to find out that my digital security is rather good. I had already put in place the suggestions and tips that was presented in step 1 ‘Smartphone Security Information’. 

It is easy to not think about all the ramifications of digital security as technology moves more online and mobile. We do have a lot more of our personal data being held by companies and third parties that is easy to hack or be stolen.  

In my experience I notice some people find it hard to keep up with technology, where you find them stuck in their ways. People might not think to choose a strong password or put a lock on their device. Or to check where they get apps from and the restrictions you can set for them. When I was back in the office if I noticed one of my colleagues had left their computer unlocked, I took the opportunity to re orientate their desktop or change the desktop picture. Harmless fun really but it does highlight how dangerous something as simple as not locking your computer when you leave your desk can be. 

I’m now continuing my career progression into supporting virtual learning environments with my new role as Learning Technology Support Officer with Education Design and Engagement (EDE).

The new position is an ideal opportunity for me to apply my digital and practical skills as well as my technical knowledge in supporting users and technology within teaching and learning environments at the University.

Having only started on Monday I feel I will fit in very well as I’m already seeing similarities to the role from my previous secondment with Digital Learning Applications and Media (DLAM). I’m pleased also to find out that I will still have some interaction with my DLAM colleagues – working with them on certain virtual tools that are in use.

I’m joined, as a newbie to EDE, with four other new colleagues who all come from very different professional backgrounds. I find this quite exciting as it shows how diverse the position is going to be in the ever-changing world of learning technology.

It’s great to go through the induction and training process as a group, where we are able to support each other and work through tasks. As we aren’t in the office, our regular Team catch-ups are a great sanity check and a place to decompress after all the information that is being presented to us. We have also been made to feel very welcome and are gradually being introduced to new services and training.

I have just recently started the “23 Things List” – this is the University’s digital knowledge program that is self-directed with the purpose of exposing me to a range of digital tools to help with my personal and professional development. Similar to Linkedin Learning, I like how you are able to take the training and tasks at your own pace. By joining this program I’m hoping to strengthen my digital skills and even learn some new ones! I’ve just completed ‘Thing 1 – Introduction’ and ‘Thing 2 – Blogging’ (hence the new post).

Having not much of a presence on social media (something I’m working on – see shameless plug: my Linkedin profile) I wasn’t aware of the University’s ‘Social Media Guidelines for Staff and Researchers’. I do however find it useful to reference as there is a lot more to a social media presence than you might think!

“Thing 3” and “Thing 4” will cover Digital Footprint and Security – a couple of great topics to add to my skill set!