Hi everyone! I’m Mackenzie and I am going into my fourth year of undergrad in microbiology. Obviously an experience that has influenced my educational journey was the pandemic as it impacted my last year of high school and first year of university. Being transitioned from in person to online multiple times throughout the year was tough and definitely a learning curve in the beginning, but once most of the issues were figured out I began to find how useful open learning can be.

Another influence on my education has been travel. I have been fortunate enough to see some of the world and want to continue exploring it. Historical sights really interest me and all the history they carry with them. The prospect of going somewhere new excites me to learn a little about the places before I visit them before I get to see the real thing. I recently got back from Greece and I’ve attached a picture of my best friend and I at the Acropolis in Athens! The use of social media to influence travel has increased in my opinion and online I am always exposed to new places that I want to explore.

Currently I am in Calgary, home for the summer but attend the University of Victoria from September-April. Digital learning is a tool I rely on when I come home, not just for summer, but throughout the year as well. Having tools online allows me to work on assignments or study while at home for Christmas or reading week, allowing me to come home to see my family and friends. In addition to having used digital learning in the past, I am fully reliant on it now for this course as I am not on the island. I am excited to dive into how I can further my knowledge and digital literacy to enhance my skills online and become well rounded in the facet of technology.

My experiences with personal learning networks is not very advanced, I admit I have made a LinkedIn and Facebook profile that I have never used and that is the extent of my PLN. I think that a PLN is a great tool to connect and collaborate with others to learn new things or access new opportunities. Throughout this course I would like to shape my PLN to my needs and to make it more accessible and diverse so that I use it on a regular basis.