Community Contribution #1 – Digital Identity

Before this week, I understood the term “digital identity” as my online profile. Posts, shares, and information about myself that are available online. This week’s readings, however, have reshaped my understanding of digital identity and offered insight into the role communities and online interactions play in shaping it.

This connects well to Spracklen’s identity-making. Digital media has created new ways in which we perform and negotiate our identity, particularly in online communities where we share interests and interact with others who are similar. This makes me think of my own identity as a bassoonist and how I present myself online. By sharing my bassoon performances, following the profiles of professional orchestral musicians, discussing different pieces of repertoire, and participating in online communities for bassoonists I am learning but I am also displaying my professional identity online.

Personal Learning Networks. Again, I come back to this topic. A learner’s PLN (Rajagopal et al) is something that is intentionally created, maintained, and activated to support the learners’ professional development. So far, I have a group of people around me that support my learning, including my teacher, other university students, professional musicians and ensembles, and numerous online learning resources. But I am not using social media as intentionally as I could. Instead of just following loads of musicians, I could identify a group of individuals who specialize in areas that I have an interest in, i.e., orchestral auditions, reed making, Baroque bassoon, teaching music, etc.

On the other hand, being aware of my online presence can also help in creating a good impression on future colleagues and/or employers of where I’m at with my musical interests and development. However, it will always be an edited and partial version of ‘me’.

Stoller’s “What is Digital Identity?” video

This leads to a question that I am still reflecting upon—i.e., how can we enable students to create and develop an online identity of a professional learning investigator that genuinely reflects their evolving skill base and that they really are, as opposed to a superficial identity that they are perpetuating to gain approval from others?