Having done this exercise a few times now, it’s always fun to re-do your v&r map to see how it has changed or shifted over time, which is why I chose this time to do a collage, using a topo map as my background. (Not to mention I love maps and the metaphors they can have, plus it gave me an opportunity to brush up on my Photoshop skills!) To me, the V&R model is something I will always traverse and things will shift like the hills and valleys of the topo map. Other times there will be some very clear direction and purpose for the tools I use – similar to the straight lines which I would perceive as roads cutting through the map.
My methodology this time around was to pull out my phone and literally look first at the apps I use the most – what do I open daily. I then brainstormed a list of other things that I “do” on the web – primarily from my computer. Lastly, I thought about areas that I dabble in and would like to definitely grow in my participation as a resident.
Looking at my list of “apps” or “networks” I then quickly ranked each of them in terms of which receives my greatest involvement.
I included the mail icon not to represent e-mail which I really wouldn’t consider to add to my V&R map, only because it is often supports closed 1-1 communication, but chose to include if for the purposes of listservs or mailing lists which are a large part of my networks. Particularly the ones I am most active with professionally include EDUCAUSE, T3G, and LCI. Personally, this is how much of my kid’s communication in various extracurricular activities is handled.
Google is how I conduct most of my searching on the web for both personal and professional use but is largely in the visitor realm with an occasional comment.
I added Amazon this time around because of a recent conversation I had with my husband who has become more active in providing reviews on Amazon – apparently there are some benefits to your prime membership the more active of a reviewer you are. I’ve rarely offered reviews on things I’ve purchased but certainly appreciate and benefit from other’s reviews so it seemed to me this is another space that could warrant an opportunity to be more of a resident.
The Wikipedia logo is to represent wikis in general – not necessarily Wikipedia. For example, my son’s Nordic Ski information is handled almost entirely via a wiki – PBworks – something I have to interact with daily.
As I look at my map and previous maps, the one thing that seems consistent is that I have a lot of space around the margins. I’d interpret this to mean that I’m kind of in my comfort zone and need to push the boundaries a bit more – particularly in the resident arena.
I also look at the areas that seem to be where I spend my most time and I find myself asking if that helps bring the greatest value to my digital self. Would growing the other areas be more beneficial? More enjoyable? Would there be benefit gained in shifting my USE of some of the tools where it seems I have the greatest networks from personal to professional and vice-versa?
I don’t think I have the answers to these questions quite yet, but the visual certainly causes me to pause and think a bit more strategically about my digital self, professional goals, and personal enjoyment. Maybe my next V&R map will be of what I’d LIKE it to be 😉 #goals
I had a great conversation with my 14-year-old son about this exercise as he saw me working on it and was curious. He didn’t care for the terms “visitor” or “resident” but felt the terms “spectator” and “content creator” were more appropriate. It was awesome to see that he immediately understood the concept of the exercise and was able to translate it into his own terms and relevance for himself. I’ll ask him to do his own V&R so I can share with you.
