I was really happy to see the EdublogsClub prompt this week was pop culture.

I think pop culture is an interesting part of our lives. Whatever your political/social view of pop culture, it’s hard to deny it’s pretty engaging. Even I, as someone who looks at everything with a unhealthy dose of scepticism, have been known to get a bit carried away with memes.

I don’t know what makes them so appealing but I guess it’s probably similar to Christmas cracker jokes – it has to work on multiple levels. Writing this line just inspired me to Google and I found this article Memes as Genre: A Structurational Analysis of the Memescape.

When I’m giving a presentation I always throw a meme in. Why?

• Because they are visually pleasing; they explore a point I am making.
• The content can be relatable; inspiring others to share/analyse.
• And sometimes it just feels nice to see something you enjoy out of the classroom in the classroom – to remind you that you don’t learn in a vacuum.

Some memes are kinda obscure. I try to avoid those because they can potentially alienate other folk. But they are also very funny when you meet a like-minded person who understands the origins/significance. In my Masters eportfolio I illustrate this idea (folio.brighton.ac.uk/user/nd151/masters). If you know the meme you probably groaned when you clicked on that link. If you don’t know it, it was probably a bit odd. I can never resist a rickroll opportunity.

The EdublogsClub prompt this week is privacy. It’s a really interesting topic. I consider myself tech-savvy and quite clued up about OpSec. I am also aware that malicious people are always able to work around most security systems. Realistically, they could be a threat to me but I weighed it all up when I decided to have an online presence. I consider myself too low profile to be a desirable target, though I appreciate that if I am compromised that it will probably be a random attack. It’s a worry. But I worry more about vulnerable people on the internet.

I wish I could offer some type of advice or a safeguard. There are plenty of sites that offer hints and tips to stay safe. But there will always be people who exploit someone’s weakness. What can you do? I think the only way to be completely safe is to not have an online presence, or have a private/anonymous online presence. I do have moments when, for whatever reason, I delete/deactivate my online accounts – I understand my digital footprint still exists. I have also experimented with private social media accounts in the past – although they had their good points, they reduced my levels of engagement with other folk.

I have three main fears relating to my online presence:

1. Money being stolen
2. Indentity theft
3. Trolling / stalking / other abuse

Money being stolen
Due to being on a casual contract, I rarely have much money anyway. And I had money stolen from me ten years ago – though that was because my card was skimmed/cloned in real-life. The transactions did happen online. Luckily a big transaction was blocked by my bank. However, a small transaction of £20-£30 happened (I don’t remember the details). Someone bought a ticket from a very well known cheap flight provider. I tried to contact them to cancel it but they wouldn’t talk to me because I didn’t have the relevant data protection details – I explained that I could prove the card that bought the flight was mine, but that wasn’t enough. To be honest, I wasn’t expecting to be able to cancel the ticket. I just wanted to try.

I haven’t registered by bank card online and I only buy/purchase from six different websites. Not that this makes me feel secure, it just gives me a sense of control.

Identity theft
I fragment parts of my identity online. Often using pseudonyms, abbreviations and variations of my name. I know a phisher could put these fragments together. But then, decades ago, someone rummaging through the bins in your house could do this. When it comes to social media I have indentities that people who know me can recognise as me, however if they were to search for me using my real name they may not necessarily be able to find me (they’d have to search via my professional networks). On websites such as Facebook or LinkedIn I have incomplete profiles, this is because the amount of information they ask from me is more than I feel comfortable giving. If people were to hack into my social media accounts, the worst they could do is impersonate me and harass my friends/family. My networks are so small that I feel confident I’d be able to contact everyone and explain that it’s not me they are talking to.

Trolling
There is so much to unpack on this subject. Sometimes it feels like the mere act of existing and having an opinion makes someone a target for abuse. I have mentioned previously that I’d like to write more about politics and society, but these are subjects where there are people who have very polarised opinions. I also think that if you write well and get a large following you will then attract trolls. It’s sad.

I made a conscious decision to write openly and honestly a few years ago. Admittedly, there are areas of my life I don’t write about online – I decided I do not want to share them. However, also as someone who experiences mental health difficulties I felt for a long time that I had no outlet for my feelings. I had private paper journals but sometimes I want to interact with others. I have received abuse in the past; people told me I should stop being so self-absorbed; I should get over my depression and I should stop over-thinking things. I then made private blogs and social media accounts – however, it had the same impact as talking to myself (which is what I was doing, only in an online space).

When I started getting more involved in mental health communities, I realised that there really is no shame in talking about it. So I did. I noticed the way some people responded. Some people thought I was over-sharing, some felt uncomfortable, some commented that I’d not be able to get a good job because employers would search for me and see I wrote about how unstable I am and some thought I was seeking attention. It felt awkward for a while. When I stood in the last by-election I made most of my blog private. Because my mind still felt shame about my mental health, and I wanted to hide that from the electorate.

So, really, why do I share? Because I now know I am not the only person who feels this way. I believe the first step to getting healthier is admitting when I am ill. And not being ashamed of being ill.

Is it worth it?
So, is it worth putting yourself out there? That really depends on how you feel. The only thing I would suggest is to try to educate yourself, and your loved ones, about online threats.

CompactPlus I would not be here if it was not for the Widening Participation team. I went to a UCAS Fair in 2010 and the person at the University of Brighton stall was a member of the Widening Participation team (the only other university who had sent someone with experience of non-traditional student recruitment was University of Bristol). I walked around the exhibition with my ex-partner, we spoke to all the universities and many of them just did not have a clue how to advise us – they were expecting to be speaking to teenagers doing A-levels. Some didn’t even offer us a goody bag! With the exception of University of Brighton and University of Bristol every university representative told us to look on their website to find an email address of someone to email our questions to. Penny, at the University of Brighton stall, got on her phone and arranged an interview with a senior lecturer while we stood looking at the prospectus. She advised my ex-partner to write a personal statement and send it to the tutor. In less than a fortnight, my ex-partner had been offered a place. Many universities talk about students from non-traditional backgrounds being welcome in their institution – the Widening Participation team made me feel like my contribution to the university would be valued and that I’d have an impact.

Alumni Association I was offered a job in the Alumni office a few months after I applied to the University of Brighton. I started off as a general office assistant and now I am a data assistant. During my three years in the Alumni office I have done so many fun and rewarding things. I’ve met lovely people, I have brilliant colleagues, I’ve taken part in and organised amazing events and I’ve learnt loads.

https://twitter.com/i/moments/791952257923166208

HOAD I studied for a term in the History of Art and Design department in Pavilion Parade. Despite my withdrawal, I loved the staff and the friends I made while I was there. I still get excited about the research being done by the department. When I read about the research interests of staff like Dr Nicola Ashmore and Dr Louise Purbrick I wish I was an academic. Studying at Pavilion Parade was a wonderful opportunity. It was also a big personal learning experience – I discovered a love of learning in museums, an awareness of my limitations and I began to understand my mental health a tiny bit more (achieving your dream and realising you’re still full of self-doubt kinda does that to you).

Active Student During my term in HOAD I started volunteering in Brighton Museum. Wow. Working in the learning department of the Brighton Museum was the happiest and most rewarding experience of my life. I wrote about it a bit on the Careers blog for Student Volunteering Week and on the student experiences page. I love Brighton Museum and the staff I work with are superb. Some days are challenging, some days are exhausting and some days I just walk home with a huge smile on my face because I’ve seen someone as excited about Brighton Museum as I am. I am so grateful that I can be creative in my role. Some of my favourite memories:

https://twitter.com/ninabrighton/status/738329934179995652

https://twitter.com/ninabrighton/status/728198583061753856

https://twitter.com/ninabrighton/status/773917420377563136

https://twitter.com/ninabrighton/status/731550729912131584

https://twitter.com/ninabrighton/status/730398345278193666

https://twitter.com/ninabrighton/status/780833051777634304

https://twitter.com/ninabrighton/status/722169447562289152

https://twitter.com/ninabrighton/status/725000418674249729

Student Union I am a bit of a union person, in case that wasn’t glaringly obvious already. I was co-opted in as a Campus Action Team member last academic year. I missed the opportunity to stand this academic year because I had withdrawn from my course by the time the elections had come around. I have enjoyed working for the Student Union – I like talking to the students I meet in the Grand Parade office. Getting involved with the Student Union has been immensely rewarding. I have had the pleasure of being led by passionate and dedicated individuals such as Candice Armah and Molly Maher. And I look forward to seeing the growth of the Student Union.

Elearning The degree I originally applied to do at University of Brighton was cancelled a couple of weeks before I was due to start. So I decided to do an Award in Education and Training that year. During this time, I noticed how much I enjoyed using virtual learning environments and various other digital technologies. The Elearning team have been supportive of my development since I started working at the university. The team have been on-hand to help with coding on my other blog (thanks Fiona), smoothing out glitches on my eportfolio, answer random questions that my silly brain comes up with and generally do lots of cool things like actionbound, 5 days 5 campuses and 12 apps of Xmas… Their assistance has enabled me to feel confident experimenting with technology, and use technology in my creative practice.

School of Art Being an art student is more amazing than I even imagined. Studying in Grand Parade, around inspirational people and fantastic work is a moving experience. Every week feels like a new adventure.

This is another EdublogsClub post and this time it is about challenging situations. I’m really enjoying being part of EdublogsClub and I feel like each prompt seems relevant to what I’m dealing with at the time. So here goes…

This past week I faced, and feel like I overcame, a challenging moment in university. I completed my first university assignment. I did not complete my previous module (I’m going to finish it next academic year) and last year I withdrew from my previous course in my first term so this was my first marked assessment. It was peer assessed and I believe I got a merit, though I tried to argue it down! I thought I didn’t do enough to pass. I think I’ll get the official results in a few weeks or less.

My research poster was hung up in the Tate Exchange. Sadly I didn’t take a photo of it, or me with it. When I finally felt the courage to look at it, I saw it had fallen on the floor. That felt really appropriate as I was experiencing dissonance. I walked out not long after that and haven’t really had time to think since. Though I did reflect on my module with my counsellor yesterday and realised I’m just pretty content. I feel proud I saw something through and didn’t let my fear put me off completely.

Here are my thoughts on some things that have helped me deal with challenging situations. NB/ I’m referring to challenging situations rather than emergencies.

It’s my Wait Ain’t Hate Eight technique.

1. Wait. OK, the challenge is there. If you’re lucky it will resolve itself but chances are it won’t. You’ve acknowledged it, you may fear it, you may not have time to compose yourself but give yourself time to figure it out. Hint: it is possible to analyse a challenge whilst panicking over it.
2. Measure. How long will it take? Is it doable (if not, what can you do to make it manageable?)? How can you break it down?
3. Care. Do you care about this challenge? Why? Use that to remind you how much to invest in dealing with it. Don’t overspend your energy. Or, if you struggle, remember why you are facing this challenge in the first place.
4. People. Bring in people if you can. If only for moral support. If you can collaborate, that’s even better.
5. Check-in. During the course of the challenge check your progress or lack of. Do you need to remeasure? Do you still feel the same way about the challenge? How are your people doing? Is it time to cut?
6. Cut. I’ve lost track of the amount of times someone has come to me with an idea and asked me to implement it, only for my hard work to disappear in a void. So, when you’ve been asked to do something question why! If they can’t give you a good answer find someone who can or scrap the task. Seriously, it was probably someone’s brain fart that they imposed on you.
7. Action. At this point you should have reduced the challenge into a bunch of challengettes. Knock them out of the park.
8. Reward. You need tea and cake. Well done.

I’m a fan of the freebie. I have been known to send off for free samples by the bucket load. One month (over ten years ago – I don’t want you to think I’m still like this) I got a fabric conditioner sample and got so excited that my freshly-laundered clothes smelt like a lavender field that I started talking to my friends about how aromatherapy was going to change my life. Later I went into the store and saw that I couldn’t actually afford anything outside the economy own-brand household items so my ambition to be forever relaxed by the scent of flowers on my pillow evaporated in two weeks (which was disappointing because I was led to believe the freshness would last longer).

I could probably write for ages about free web-based apps I like. But I thought I’d narrow it down to ones that increase my productivity, or at least might be useful to the average reader.

Edublogs

I thought this might be a trick prompt! Edublogs is probably my most used free web tool. (Though I use mine through CampusPress). My blog has been a great tool for expression and reflection.

The dashboard can sometimes look overwhelming for new users but the main point of a blog in the content. So as long as you write posts that are meaningful, most people will look over the fact you use a default template. There are a lot of things you can do with blogging – especially when you count all the plug-ins and customisation. But all you really need to do is get your message across.

With the exception of this blog, all my blogs are shared. I do have a shared blog that ten people have posting access to. Only three of us use it regularly. I probably use it the most and I use all the functions. My other colleagues post news and edit pages. One posts in plain text with occasional links to another source, the other is more experimental and posts a mixture of text, links and photos (I saw a cat in the image library the other day). I think we all provide good content despite our styles being different.

If you are going to start blogging, I would recommend just starting off with experimentation. Do some posts. Posts help find your voice and the practice of posting gets you familiar with the navigation. After that you can do the fancy stuff which is all helpfully listed in the user guide.

Minecraft: Education Edition
It’s currently free for staff and students. You can download it at education.minecraft.net/get-started/download. I like Minecraft as a teaching/creative/engagement tool. There is lots of information about Minecraft online and I really would not be able to do it justice in my tiny blog. I frequently tell friends and colleagues about how awesome I think it is. When they ask why?, I really don’t know how to answer. I guess it’s awesome because it is so adaptable. I started off using it as a game where I explored the map, then I began to enjoy building, then I wanted to destroy buildings, then I built a Rube Goldberg machine in it and next month when I have a bit more free time I am going to try to play Bob Dylan songs on the music blocks (I learnt to play Twinkle Twinkle Little Star last year so I figure it’s a logical step up).

Part of building the Rube Goldberg machine was learning how the red stone circuits work and what actions will have consequences; how to use pistons, how to set traps, how to predict behaviour that is likely to set off a trap, how different materials act when they blow up… It was really exciting and I remember thinking how much fun I found making circuits in secondary school and wishing I felt confident to be more experimental back then.

If you’re new to Minecraft, I recommend looking at the Minecraft Education Edition starter kits and the What is Minecraft? page.

Twitter
I have a love-hate relationship with social media. On one hand, I like connecting with people but on the other hand I like some degree of control over my representation. I feel more confident with Twitter than I would on other sites because it moves so fast. I am aware things I have said three years ago can be found – but it would take a lot of patience to find them. When I’m struggling to find words, I don’t have to worry too much because I don’t have room to write more than a brief thought. Twitter feels like a real-life conversation whereas my blog feels like a real-life lecture from someone who didn’t prepare. I feel pressure to write well in my blog, but on Twitter I say whatever comes to mind. Sometimes that’s awkward and not interesting, but sometimes it just helps me get things off my chest.

Twitter feels more like a tool I can carry around with me all the time. Other social media networks can also feel this way but I think Twitter does it better. For example, I would just feel a bit odd photographing a plant on the way to work and pondering aloud about my day ahead on Facebook. Maybe that’s more to do with the networks we have on social media. Facebook doesn’t feel like a place for small talk for me – I am connected with family, friends from the past and occasional colleagues. I don’t want to fill their timelines with my thoughts. Twitter is full of rapid-fire thoughts. So I don’t feel bad adding mine into the mix.

My friends would probably describe me as a Twitter-addict. It’s just a great place for discussion. My timeline is full of museum-related tweets – I follow many museum professionals and it’s interesting to see what they are thinking and/or responding to news. I also follow many colleagues and departments in my university. I don’t always get to see them in person as much as I like so I enjoy reading about their day. Even if it’s just about the workmen in the next building singing along to the radio.

I think I have built up some strong networks from Twitter. I often live tweet at events and I know people in companies I’d like to work for are aware of me! I think Twitter has made me better-known on my campus (if I didn’t connect with people on Twitter I think most people wouldn’t be aware of my existence as my job requires zero interaction).

I wouldn’t necessarily recommend Twitter for everyone. It is not used by younger audiences as much as other social media so it’s probably more suited to peer-to-peer professional networking.