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Digital skills: succeeding in a digital world
Digital skills: succeeding in a digital world

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1.1 Exploring your information landscape

To see what someone’s information landscape might look like in practice, let’s hear from Manuela, Michael and John.

Activity 2 Mapping your information landscape

Timing: 20 minutes

Listen to the audio recordings of Manuela, Michael and John talking about the sources of information they regularly use.

Make some notes in your Digital plan about the kinds of areas their information landscape covers.

Now reflect on your own information landscape – what are your most important sources, and how has this changed for you over the last six months?

Use your Digital plan to note key features of your information landscape:

  • six months ago
  • now.

Select ‘Reveal feedback’ when you are ready

Download this audio clip.Audio player: Manuela’s sources of information
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Manuela’s sources of information
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Download this audio clip.Audio player: Michael’s sources of information
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Michael’s sources of information
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Download this audio clip.Audio player: John’s sources of information
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Feedback

Manuela’s information landscape is fairly focused on the local community, though she does get involved in the wider world through her interest in Formula One. She uses her local public library, her children’s school website and her local further education college website. So far her digital information landscape does not include much that’s relevant to work or formal education. That is changing as she works through this course and explores options for further study.

John’s landscape is also a mixture of local (what gigs are on in my town) and national/international (BBC Food, chef blogs, Bandcamp and Soundcloud).

So far, he has not considered work or study as part of his information landscape, but the self-study he does of recipes, cooking techniques and the work of other chefs, is taking him in that direction.

Michael doesn’t feel he has an information landscape – it’s more of a backyard really. Apart from following the sports news (which his son shows him on his smartphone), his sources of information are mainly personal. For example, he has one or two colleagues he turns to when he needs to get the low-down on new procedures at work. However, his desire to change career has prompted him to venture into new places, including an online course. He’s not very confident he has the skills to keep up with an online course – it all looks a bit daunting – and hopes this course will help.

How did your own information landscape compare to those of Manuela, Michael and John? You may have found it includes similar elements, however, it will also be unique to you. You might have found some overlap between different areas of your landscape, for example, your own experience of a particular issue (say, parenting) is reflected in an online community you belong to that is open to people nationally and internationally. You may also have noticed some changes in your information landscape over the last six months. This might reflect changes in your life (for example, starting a new job or course of study), or it could be that other people have introduced you to new sources of information that you find useful.