Networking Communication Technology for Learning Reflections

As this semester comes to a close, it is time to reflect on what I've learned.

The aspect I've learned most this semester was centered around the social implications of networking technology. With limited legal oversight of the internet, there are numerous ways in which our online identities are leveraged by enterprises to their own end. Legal issues surrounding ownership of online identities are also of interest. In the educational arena, I learned a lot about predatory practices against minors and the steps school systems take to protect their students.

For example, most K12 schools with which I've become familiar through my classmates, provide Chromebooks for their student body. These have the benefit of being less expensive and more customizable than iPads. They can be customized for various levels of security. There are always issues surrounding support and upgrades as new threats are discovered.

Simultaneously, questions arise about how to prepare young learners to be responsible online citizens. They should be aware of the implications of their online actions, as well as the potential pitfalls they may be unwittingly lured into. In my current role in higher education, those issues are of less concern to a degree. Students at UNC are more or less free to make whatever mistakes they want.

Higher economic institutions like UNC do have to be aware of the potential of phishing schemes and cyber attacks. In my personal opinion, more preventative education could be incorporated in the campus population. Interestingly, during the semester a media lab was hacked and used to send phishing emails and malware. A single student clicked on something they shouldn’t have and all the machines on the subnet were taken over. The recovery efforts took an entire week. This could have been prevented if the student was more cognizant of their actions.

As I've mentioned in a previous blog, my professional development had previously been limited to my online courses through Appalachian State. This semester has reinvigorated and focused my efforts. Having done that, I became aware of the depth and breadth of my existing professional network. I'm looking forward to investing more time and energy in that network. 

To that end, I've found LinkedIn to be an extremely valuable resource. In addition to the professional connections, there are professional groups with which to share knowledge. Moreover, LinkedIn's acquisition of Lynda.com and they're training resources makes it a very attractive place for gaining professional knowledge. 

This last week I became Dante Certified along with my colleague Jesse Moorefield. We're both Level 1 & 2 certified. I advanced to level 3 certification. This has been very helpful taking our Dante network to the next level. We've plans to expand it and incorporate NDI into our systems for live streaming events.

Lastly, I've learned a lot about how a major university network is run. I got to see the inside of a UNC telecom room. I've had the privilege of visiting sever and telecom rooms in TV broadcast facilities. As impressive as those were, they lacked the capacity and security measures needed for today's higher education campuses. They were designed to handle a limited set of functions. UNC's network needs are much more flexible and dynamic with a hospital, medical campus in addition to the main university and campus housing.

This has been a very enjoyable and rewarding semester. This particular semester will have long lasting impacts on my professional career for decades to come.