Digital Portfolio

Here is my Digital Portfolio! I hope you all like it! It was fun and easy to make this Portfolio. I am hoping to add some things to this as I grow as a professional.

http://sites.google.com/site/amatcport/

Plaxo/Linkedin

Both Plaxo and Linkedin are useful sites. I found many work related people I knew on Linkedin. I think as I grow professionally, using these types of websites will be helpful. I can keep all of my professional contacts and personal contacts information in one section. These sites are more for social networking with colleagues and other professionals in your field.
MySpace and Facebook are more of social media sites to share whats happening in your everyday personal life with your friends. Facebook and MySpace should not be used as a social meeting place for those you work with. I feel that it is unprofessional to share private aspects of your life to the entire world. Things can be posted that could potentially put your job and reputation at risk. It is definitely not a risk I am willing to take. As an example, we were hiring for an position with my department and one of the first things we do once we get a resume is look them up on the Internet to see what we can find. It was simply amazing of all the pictures and posts we found! Some things were harmless but others were, let's just say, interesting.
Working with Google Pages was fun! Having another outlet to post and share my professional history is great! I like the idea but being able to as creative or simple as I wanted to be. I'm sure with the way we as a society are heading into more of a technology based future, having sites like Google Pages will make things more convenient and easily accessible.

Library Thing

I love to read!! Unfortunately, I do not have a lot of extra time to read. This site was cool but I do not think I use it too much in my daily life. I tend to keep all of my favorite books so I can read them again. This website could be useful to get suggestions for other books based on what I have read already. And I could look up some books that I would like to read, someday.

http://www.librarything.com/catalog/netta404

Foto Trix

This was fun!! I tried another site listed on the assignment page but I was having a difficult time downloading the image. I was disappointed too since it involved my most favorite super hero, Wonder Woman. This picture brings me back to my high school band days. Yes, I was a band geek and PROUD OF IT! Students would have a great time on this site! It was fun just to create and be goofy. Good times!

http://www.fototrix.com/

Podcasts

I found a couple of interesting podcasts on podcast.com. I had to look under sports medicine to find podcasts that related to my field of athletic training. I stumbled upon MUSC podcast(Medical University of South Carolina). It has podcasts with orthopedic surgeons explaining specific sport related injuries/conditions. Most of the podcasts are about 10 minutes in length but are very informative. I would definitely refer an athlete, parent or coach to listen to this podcast for further information. Sometimes, the people mentioned above do not believe or trust all the information that we as Certified Athletic Trainers give but when they hear it coming from a doctor, the information becomes more valid. Frustrating as that is, having something like these podcasts where actual practicing physicians speak on these conditions, can legitimize the situation. The information posted on the podcasts was easy to follow and user friendly.

Athletic Trainer: Smooth Professional

I thought this video was corny but AWESOME!!! It gives a small glimpse into our daily lives as Certified Athletic Trainers. Youtube is a guilty pleasure for most people. Many times I have been called into a office to look at a Youtube video just for fun. I must admit, it is very entertaining but it can also be educational. I have found many self-help type videos that have been very helpful. One of Youtube's downfalls is that is has so many videos and topics that a person could get distracted from their original task. Youtube can be used as an educational tool just like it has been for our current classes at FPU. Having a step-by-step and informational videos pertaining to our classes has been an asset and is another way teachers can utilize the Internet and its sources for continuing education.

Technorati

I did not find too much information in regards to "Kinesiology." Only 28 blogs came up when I searched under Kinesiology. Some of the blogs did not even pertain to Kinesiology and some were in a foreign language. Yet again, Web 2.0 proves to be popular and used by many people. Technorati is another website for people to connect, share and educate themselves on a vast amount of information. I looked up information on celebrities, fashion and news. There were so many blogs, posts and tags that came up in these searches! At times, I feel overwhelmed with the amount of information that is provided in Web 2.0 sites. Although the information is interesting, I do not have the time or the patience to go through all the posts and blogs about a particular subject. But, this is another site that can be used for research as long as you stay on task and not allow yourself to get too distracted with all the information posted.

Del.icio.us

This website has so much information! I browsed many sites and found good information and news. Del.icio.us is one more website that is attempting to make the Internet easier and more convenient. Again, everything you need is located in one place. This website definitely has potential to be used as a research tool. Students and teachers can use del.icio.us to mark various different websites and share them amongst each other. By sharing the same information, everyone can learn the exact same information that way no ones gets lost in the process. Teachers can also monitor what their students are viewing online and to check if the information they are receiving online is accurate. Del.icio.us is also a great way to mark all your bookmarks and keep them easily accessible. Whether you are a teacher, student or just someone who enjoys browsing the web, the convenience of keeping all of your bookmarks close and organized in a neat fashion, is appealing to all. Although, I do not feel that my current bookmarking page needs additional changes or the use of Del.icio.us. I am comfortable using my bookmarking page for my personal uses. But, I could utilize Del.icio.us as an educational tool for my athletic training students. I could post links for my students to view and use a discussion topics in class.