{"id":4,"date":"2026-04-10T07:53:36","date_gmt":"2026-04-10T07:53:36","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.opennetworkedlearning.se\/sdelisle\/?p=4"},"modified":"2026-04-10T07:53:55","modified_gmt":"2026-04-10T07:53:55","slug":"topic-1-reflection","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.opennetworkedlearning.se\/sdelisle\/2026\/04\/10\/topic-1-reflection\/","title":{"rendered":"Topic 1 reflection"},"content":{"rendered":"

When I began thinking about online participation and digital literacies, I was struck by how often online learning is framed as a technical issue. At first glance, it can seem as if success in online education is mostly about knowing how to use platforms, navigate tools, and submit work in the right place. But the more I reflected on the topic, the more I realised that online participation is deeply emotional and relational as well. For many learners, the real challenge is not simply learning the tools, but learning how to\u00a0be present<\/em>\u00a0in a digital learning environment without feeling exposed, inadequate, or invisible. That insight resonated strongly with me because it reflects not only the scenario in our course materials, but also experiences I have seen in educational practice.<\/p>\n

One of the most important ideas I am taking away from this topic is that students\u2019 hesitation in online spaces is often linked to confidence, identity, and belonging rather than ability. The notes from our group work emphasised that new online learners may feel anxious about public visibility, unfamiliar platforms, and the assumption that everyone else is more competent. That felt particularly significant to me. It is easy to interpret silence online as disengagement, but in reality it may reflect uncertainty or fear of \u201cgetting it wrong.\u201d I think this is especially important for educators to remember. If students are reluctant to ask questions, that does not necessarily mean they are not interested; it may mean that they do not yet feel safe enough to participate. Research on online learning and social presence supports this, showing that a strong sense of belonging and instructor immediacy can positively influence participation and satisfaction.<\/p>\n

This connects closely to my own practice. I find myself reflecting on how often we design online learning environments with efficiency in mind, but not always with emotional safety in mind. In my own teaching or facilitation, I can use this new understanding to be more intentional about welcoming learners into the space. That might mean normalising uncertainty, explicitly saying that confusion is part of learning, and making room for \u201csmall\u201d questions. It might also mean reducing the complexity of the digital environment itself. The notes highlighted that cognitive load in online learning is often intensified by multiple platforms, notifications, and constant task-switching. Rather than seeing attention problems only as a student weakness, I now think more critically about how digital design can either support or drain attention. That feels like an important shift in perspective.<\/p>\n

Another idea that really stayed with me was the distinction between being a\u00a0visitor\u00a0and a\u00a0resident\u00a0online. I find this concept useful because it moves beyond the simplistic idea that someone is either \u201cgood\u201d or \u201cbad\u201d with technology. A visitor uses digital spaces in a task-focused and instrumental way, while a resident is more visible, socially present, and identity-expressive in those spaces. In practice, many learners move between these modes depending on context. Reflecting on this made me realise that some students may be highly active online socially, yet still feel hesitant in an academic setting where the stakes feel different. Sharing on Facebook with friends is not the same as posting a reflective blog in an open professional learning network. This reminds me that digital literacy is not only functional competence; it is also about judgement, audience awareness, and confidence in managing one\u2019s online identity.<\/p>\n

This issue of identity feels especially relevant today. The notes distinguish between personal identity, professional identity, institutional identity, and data identity, and I found that framework very helpful. It captures something that many learners feel but may not have the language to explain: the discomfort of trying to participate professionally in online spaces without wanting to expose one\u2019s private life. I can relate to that tension. As educators, we often encourage openness and connection, but learners need permission to create boundaries. One practical implication for my own practice is that I would like to support students in building what the notes describe as a \u201csmall, purposeful\u201d professional presence \u2014 enough to participate meaningfully, but not so much that they feel overexposed. A short biography, a suitable profile image, and reflective posts focused on learning rather than personal disclosure may be enough to begin with. That feels both more ethical and more realistic.<\/p>\n

The ethical dimension of digital participation also stood out to me. The course material suggests that digital citizenship is not just about following rules, but about learning to act responsibly, respectfully, and with care in online spaces. I think this is a valuable way of framing digital literacy, because it shifts attention from compliance to moral judgement. In my own context, this has made me reflect on the responsibilities we hold as teachers when asking students to participate online. Are we clear about what is public and what is private? Do students understand the possible permanence of what they post? Are we modelling respectful, thoughtful interaction ourselves? The Council of Europe\u2019s digital citizenship framework is useful here because it links online participation to values, rights, wellbeing, and responsible action rather than technical skill alone.<\/p>\n

Overall, this topic has challenged me to think more holistically about what it means to support students online. I no longer see digital literacy simply as a checklist of competencies. Instead, I see it as a combination of identity work, belonging, ethical judgement, confidence, and navigation across complex spaces. In my own practice, this means I want to design online learning environments that are simpler, warmer, and more humane. I want to create spaces where learners can participate gradually, where uncertainty is normal, and where digital presence is something that can be developed with care rather than demanded all at once. If students are to flourish online, they need more than access to tools; they need support in learning how to belong.<\/p>\n

\n

References<\/strong><\/p>\n

https:\/\/www.coe.int\/en\/web\/education\/-\/digital-citizenship-education-handbook<\/span><\/a>\u00a0<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

https:\/\/learning.northeastern.edu\/building-a-sense-of-belonging-and-community-into-an-online-course\/<\/span><\/a>\u00a0<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

https:\/\/www.apa.org\/news\/podcasts\/speaking-of-psychology\/attention-spans<\/span><\/a>\u00a0<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

https:\/\/link.springer.com\/chapter\/10.1007\/978-3-031-69362-5_5<\/span><\/a>\u00a0<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

https:\/\/link.springer.com\/article\/10.1007\/s11423-025-10550-6<\/span><\/a>\u00a0<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

https:\/\/library.leeds.ac.uk\/info\/99041\/digital-capabilities\/235\/identity-and-wellbeing\/3<\/span><\/a>\u00a0<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

https:\/\/er.educause.edu\/articles\/2021\/2\/data-privacy-in-higher-education-yes-students-care<\/span><\/a>\u00a0<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

When I began thinking about online participation and digital literacies, I was struck by how often online learning is framed as a technical issue. At first glance, it can seem as if success in online education is mostly about knowing how to use platforms, navigate tools, and submit work in the right place. But the […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1449,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-4","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-uncategorized"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.opennetworkedlearning.se\/sdelisle\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/4","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.opennetworkedlearning.se\/sdelisle\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.opennetworkedlearning.se\/sdelisle\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.opennetworkedlearning.se\/sdelisle\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1449"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.opennetworkedlearning.se\/sdelisle\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=4"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/www.opennetworkedlearning.se\/sdelisle\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/4\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":5,"href":"https:\/\/www.opennetworkedlearning.se\/sdelisle\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/4\/revisions\/5"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.opennetworkedlearning.se\/sdelisle\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=4"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.opennetworkedlearning.se\/sdelisle\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=4"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.opennetworkedlearning.se\/sdelisle\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=4"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}