Sunday, November 30, 2014

WIKI Reflection Blog


WIKI Reflection Blog

          The first time I worked on the wiki I was confused because I had never worked on a wiki before.  While filled with questions and confusion, I read the instructions about five times to perhaps gain a better understanding about what needed to be done.  I believe it was the second or third week before I realized that I needed to be part of a group.  I originally chose the BYOD group but it was too late because the group was full.  After joining the branding group, I received an email from Bill Callister and it was relieving to get communication from someone in the branding group.  All was well at this point because we were able to discuss the group assignment and develop a game plan to complete the wiki. 

          While feeling like I was on the right track I immediately started to do research on branding which helped me to better understand what a brand truly is.  By doing research on branding, my knowledge on educational branding was increased in the area of how branding can benefit educators and students in the overall educational realm.  Branding has truly opened my eyes on the benefits it offers in education and now I am researching professional development workshops at my place of employment to continue the development of knowledge on its benefits.

          The second time I worked on the wiki was a little better experience because I was comfortable with doing research that benefitted my team members, and participate in group discussions online.  During our group discussions we covered basically everything that had to do with completing our class assignment collectively as a group. We were able to split up assignments, share a Google drive which was very beneficial in posting researched articles we found.  In the process of researching branding articles, I found myself reading a great deal on the subject and in turn helped to further enhance my knowledge on what a brand is, how it can benefit the educational realm, and how brands have benefitted the industry as well.

          Branding research has increased my interest on how a brand can be incorporated into a school or entire school district.  According to research, because of increased competition, economic pressures, and scrutiny by parents and students acting as consumers has increased the pressure of higher education and institutions to be unique from competitors (Peruta & Engelsman, 2013, p. 11).  Creating a school brand can perhaps say that this school or institution is unique from all others.  The main task is to get the school districts, the educators, and the parents to buy in on the concept of having a school brand and all the benefits it offers.  Through professional development workshops, I intend to continue to further my knowledge of branding and choosing the correct brand that is most conducive to the overall learning process.  Additionally, working on the wiki brand assignment has enriched my group experience by being able to interact and share ideas for a common cause.

          The third time I worked on the wiki was a continuation of research, reviewing my group member’s research articles, compiling a literature review, and meeting online to discuss current and future assignments.  Our group leader did an excellent job in setting up a Google drive, splitting up the assignments, setting up group meetings, and compiling group papers.  We all participated and worked together to create documents, and review each member’s work.  Working together with this group has been a pleasure and has increased my knowledge of what a brand is and how a brand can be used in education.

          My attitude towards branding has increased more than ever at this point and I intend to continue to do research and make recommendations to my school district on the benefits of branding.  During research I also learned that branding has successfully increased enrollment in higher education and choosing the right brand that is most effective in K-12 can also raise student participation and enrollment.  Finally, as a group we reviewed the social media group literature review and by doing so, I was able to enhance my knowledge on social media and the concentration of social media in the educational realm. As a result, I have begun to do more research on social media in education and up to this point, I am looking forward to continuing to work with my group and continue research and development.

 

References

Peruta, A., Ryan, W., & Engelsman, R. (2013). Social Media Branding Strategies for Higher

                    Education: Comparing Facebook Pages and Web Sites. International Journal Of

                    Technology, Knowledge & Society, 9(1), 11-23.

 

         

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