3C -Sources of information

Having just completed the London Marathon, working full time as a fitness instructor, helping out at my old state school with the GCSE and A level Dance students, I sit back on my only day off (Sundays) and reflect on my week. Whats been good, and equally whats been bad. All in all, I wouldn't be able to complete my week without my down time which is needed so desperately to recover and get ready for the week again starting Monday. Like I outlined in task 3b, the cycle of my life is repetitive but I also know I'm going to have a few challenges thrown at me to keep my life interesting! 
Having thought about my sources of information which I rely on, it took me a while to create a top five as I mapped out around 10 that I use on a daily basis. For this I went away had a bit of lunch and came back again with a fresh mind and focused on what I really couldn't live without.
Obvious to us all Web 2.0 has been the platform that provides us all with information that we need instantly. As we spoke about it in the first couple of tasks and we all blogged about the different areas that the web provides us with - as a whole I don't believe we would be as advanced as we are without it. I have the web to thank for getting me on this course, searching on the Internet for alternative career pursuits became a daily routine and then i stumbles across the BAPPs course application. The rest is history.....

So I have narrowed my top 5 as listed below;

My Smart Phone;

Losing my mobile phone is like loosing my left hand, it would be nearly impossible to cope without it (always get insurance!!). It provides me with everything I need on a daily basis. Phone book  - all my contacts, all my networks in one place. I have everyone I need at the touch of a button. 
Apps - All the apps I have downloaded provide me with information such as where the nearest coffee shop is(always essential when travelling) or taking me straight to social media sights such as Instagram or Facebook to upload the latest images from my day.
Video Calling - this is an amazing asset to the smart phones and having family all across the world it really is amazing how I can connect with them at all times of the day and more importantly see there faces.
Email - Having my emails come through on my smart phone is essential when you have possible prospects or business ventures. It is always so much more professional to reply to an email within a few hours - obviously depending on its importance, but if you were out all day and came home to a thousand emails you would feel stressed and unorganised.
I have my phone on me at all times of the day - as previously mentioned it plays a big part in my networking and will continue to throughout life. The more people who have my number and email the more broader my connections will become.

Google;

Google is a global search engine that provides all information that you will need. I use this search engine most days for numerous amounts of things. Thinking back to when I was younger, my mum and dad would say; ' you wait, the Internet is going to take over the world' and now I have come to realise that they were right. They did not have this luxury which we take for granted from day to day. It allows you to find exactly what you want at the click of a button. Amazing really when you think about the technicalities but wow what would we do without it now! I would use Google mostly to find out information on a specific subject, for example throughout my BAPP's course google has been a massive influence on what I have researched as it has guided me to the right places. I know this search engine will always play a big part in my sources of information.


Youtube;

I would say that I use YouTube mainly for ideas relating to my work. Like google, it provides me with information but in the format of a video. Visual learning as mentioned previously in my blogs are a favourite of mine and I know I do rely on this source quite a bit.
Typing into the search engine something like 'new dance routines 2015' will pop up with hundreds of dance routines which range from all ages and dance styles. It is something I know the students have been using a lot within their recent research as it is easy to use and so efficient. YouTube has allowed people to start careers over the amounts of views on one single video. Look at Justin Bieber for example - one upload has now taken him to stardom and all because of this video service on the internet,


Family and Friends;

My Mum and Dad are my soul sources of information. They are the people who I always turn to for advice or help in most situations. Whether it would be what career path to pursue or how to steam clean my kitchen floor properly - they have the knowledge and guidance to help me make the right decision. Because they are my parents of course I trust them which is why naturally I turn to them. Friends have the same effect, more so the friends who I have been through something with. Advice on a dance job I would call my close friends who I went to Dance college with, or worked with aboard the ships. It all depends on the situation of course but somehow I have formed amazing support networks around me who help me source information for my day to day life and further pursuits. I would say that this will help me continue in making my professional networks grow as I carry on into the future of teaching,

Blogs;

This type of source has only recently become a reliable information point as before the BAPP's course, I can honestly say I hadn't read a blog. Amazingly so, its now made my top 5! I have chosen it because it has obviously played a huge role in my development of understanding the Web 2.0 and another side of what it offers. Having other peoples views and opinions on the same subject has been so helpful and refreshing, and is why I am really beginning to fall in love with blogging. It has made me realise how people who do this for a living must really love their jobs! I have stared following people who blog about teaching, fitness advice, home and gardening experts and find myself reading blogs as a way of shutting off from my usual busy routine. 

All these sources of information is what has got me where I am today - as i mentioned earlier, there are many other sources that I use but these 5 are most definitely the most important to me at the moment.
I look forward to reading everyone's sources of information and see how they compare to mine!

Thanks,

S x