 How you doing? I'm Jim Groom. This is Reclaim Today. And I am here with a special guest, Mark Kozicka. Is that the right pronunciation, Mark? That is correct. Sick Polish last name. You bet, sir. Exactly. Mark, welcome to Reclaim Today. Thank you. Thank you for having me. Well, it's a kind of funny story how we met, right? I don't know if you want to tell it, but I feel free. If not, I'll fill in any deco. Certainly, you can gladly fill in the gaps as we move through here. But we first had some sort of engagement through Georgetown's graduate school for learning design and technology. That's kind of how we first had our initiation, I suppose, together. But after I went through the program and had to build an online presence for myself, digitally, through domains of one's own, with Georgetown University, then I had to move my space to Reclaim Hosting. That was Jim and those folks have great ties with Georgetown. So moving that space relatively quickly after graduation might even have been before I graduated, because I found it as a necessity to have the space for myself, for jobs, and things like that, and promoting myself online, et cetera. And recently, I would say, probably a couple months ago, I was getting notifications about certain IP addresses trying to hack into my domain. And so I started sending some messages to Reclaim Hosting, and Jim was always very quick to respond. And I explained, hey, I'm a former Georgetown student, and he's very well connected with those folks there. And we got to chatting, and he was constantly consoling me about this, me freaking out about some Hungarian company trying to get into my website, and the safeguards there were in place. And because they were in place and doing their job, that made me freak out, because I didn't know that that was part of the process. So excuse me, Jim kept on coming back to me. Mark, this is a really good sign that this thing is happening, and he provided some comfort and additional levels of security and things like that. So we got to talking kind of about the role of this project into my career, what I do now, and how I got here. And I didn't even charge you extra for the calming therapy, right? It was all on the house. Yeah, but I was laying down in a chair with my laptop, going through this breathing heavily. But yeah, so that's really how this level of engagement. It's funny too. And so one of the things, the issue you're talking about was directly linked to a plugin for WordPress, Limit Logins, which basically is a plugin that we automatically install, and it activates, basically locks certain IPs out if they try and log into your site too many times. And what happened is the plugin changed the way in which they notify the user. And that's why everyone started getting these emails, because people are trying to hack WordPress all the time. It's not anything new. It's just the fact that now you can see it. Yeah, you'd stop eating basically hot dogs once you realize what's in them. It's the same idea. Once you realize how vulnerable the web is, you rethink your life. Well, in the fact, as you said, these things are automated as well. So it's not like perhaps an individual person is constantly trying to get into certain spaces of mind. It's an automated process. So these things are kind of running on the clock. So now I kind of expect about every two or three weeks I'm going to get about three emails about an IP address from someplace in Hungary. So it's been a pretty routine. You can turn those off. See, this is like live therapy right now. You can turn them off. Don't worry, Mark. Go back to sleep. Just relax. Yeah, get the thing at like three in the morning. But it's working, as you said. So that really brought us together and started exchanging some ideas. It was cool for me, Mark, to see that A, so like you said, you went through that very unique graduate program at Georgetown University where they're basically integrating learning design, educational technology, and broader ideas of the discipline, and then kind of reframing it around scholarship and Lee Scalarup, Eddie Maloney. I think Brian Alexander is teaching there now. I mean, it's quite a program and a lot of great people. So it's interesting to see that you're alumnus of that. And also like you took your domain with you, which is where we started talking because when I was chatting with you, you're like, yeah, I really dig it because it helped me make the next move in my career to Penn State. So if you want to say anything about that, like obviously that for me is intriguing because stories like that for anybody who's thinking through demand of one's own faculty, students is always valuable. Yeah, well, and I, you know, in the age that we live in, even obviously pre-pandemic, you know, your digital presence, you know, depending on the industry that you're applying to is something most industries look at, even beyond kind of like the social media aspect of things they want to see, you know, who you are and how you present yourself probably more accurately online. And you know, and even if you don't present them this stuff, they might very well look for themselves anyways. So I used domains of one own one as a necessity as it was again, part of my Georgetown program. It was kind of our capstone project, kind of in place of a dissertation if you will for that. So it was necessary that I had to get it done, but I converted that then into, you know, really a platform to sell myself to, you know, for jobs and things like that. And so as part of my application process to my current role at Penn State, which I do work in an IT space, I work in IT learning and development as a team lead here, that I presented this as part of my application and went through, had a meeting similar to this, though obviously a little more formal, that I took them through my website. And in that website, you know, I had kind of the details of the resume, had one page just specifically designed for my resume. And even within my resume, you know, I kind of, you know, made it very efficient in terms of, in economical in terms of what I was presenting. But then other spaces, you know, where I had a page that was broken down into areas of research and projects. And, you know, so then within that page, users could then kind of, oh, well if he's, here's his work on policy and here's his, you know, kind of sampling of how he can write and articulate policy and create those kind of argumentative and supportive documents. And here's a segment where he goes over presentation so he can kind of see some PowerPoints and here's a report, like a lengthy horizon report that I had to craft up, which also showed not only my ability to write, but kind of creativity with images and things like that. So I used it as, you know, really as kind of the, you know, the, you know, an enticer so to speak in support of what I'm saying. Hey, not only am I saying these things, look what I've done. Now, would you say that those, all of those kind of different projects and policy documents or things you created, were they part of what you did as part of the master's program at Georgetown? So did you take all your distributed work and kind of created as a cohesive kind of space for people to get a sense of, here's the work I've done, here's demonstrating the way I've narrated my process as a student, does that make sense? Yeah, yeah, most of it, as I presented it to Georgetown, I only kept and I curated the, you know, the projects and things that I worked on within that capacity as a Georgetown graduate student, because that was, you know, that was, that was part of the, you know, the whole kind of end game of this, of this domains within that context. After graduating, you know, when we asked, you know, the folks that's, you know, my professors and stuff, hey, you know, after I graduate, you know, what could this potentially look like? And so then I brought in other work that I've previously done from other jobs, you know, other education, you know, that I've had and added that into this as well. So then it kind of became a wider breadth of my work and, you know, showing different skills and kind of traversing different industries, whether it be education, business analytics, things like that. So all that kind of became, you know, part of my narrative. But Jim, you bring up an interesting point here too, you know, about, hey, well, what to include? Well, as a Georgetown student, obviously including those things, but even within those parameters, you know, I had to become very cognizant of, well, what narrative do I wanna represent or do I wanna, you know, showcase based on these projects? In other words, what do I keep and what do I leave out? And I think, you know, what you leave out is almost as important, if not more important than what you put in. And that's really part of the, you know, the curating process of your work and it makes you force me to be very self-reflective, you know, on this stuff. And even though I may have thought one particular document or project, you know, showcase, you know, great potential or, you know, some kind of skills that others may not, however, it didn't necessarily fit into the narrative that I was creating, you know, for an objective goal, i.e., get a certain job, et cetera, et cetera. So it was a very interesting, you know, kind of meta experience that, you know, and just being, you know, forcing it to be self-aware. A couple of things on that point, and that's, you know, that really is, you explained that quite well. And a couple of things it makes me think of is, one, you know, obviously it truly does become a domain of one's own when you take it over, you start paying it and see value in it, but then it's not just about your coursework. It's about work you've done as part of your career, as a life, and as you're learning and different jobs, and that's really cool to hear because I think that jump between it's a place to put coursework, it's a repository to, it's an actually living thing that's narrating my kind of story, the way I want folks to read it, is super important. And that whole idea of, you know, a narrative theory to the web and to that sense of digital identity is super important, right? Because we've seen that across various social media and the implications of how you tell stories, you know, how you check the narrative of that story, how you frame that story, it becomes a very powerful act. And I think it's one that actually universities need to invest in, and thinking through how, you know, they not only tell their own story, but encourage and, you know, I don't know, enforce is the wrong word, I think encourage or really kind of encourage, let's keep it there, encourage students to really like take some ownership of the work they're doing and to narrate that more publicly. And I think curating that is important, but also like just having the space and the mindset to do it is, you know, really powerful, I think, as you're making the argument. Well, and we were, you know, we were blessed, you know, as students at Georgetown before, before we kind of got on this, you know, platform where you and I were talking about, you know, the professors and stuff, you know, that we have there. And every single one of them had, you know, was a piece, you know, was a piece in that kind of learning experience and that learning puzzle, which, you know, is reflected, you know, in my domain in some respects. So, you know, not only work from these individual professors, but, you know, their encouragement about certain story and, you know, and what I really wanted to do with that particular space. But above all, it was this idea of teaching, you know, teaching us and encouraging that empowerment and that self-reflection, which has become very, very, very important. And, you know, would my space look the way that it does? Now, had I not been a part of that experience, I could say to say it wouldn't, you know? So, there was a great environmental factor, you know, and learning curve around that. Now, do you Google yourself? Is that something you do? Like when you put your name in and then you see what comes up? I have done that. I have done that in the past. And one of the things that I, you know, because I used to be on all different, you know, shapes and forms of social media, which I haven't been on in a very long time now. I kind of, you know, because when you start typing in your name, you know, if you have an Instagram account, that comes up and all these other things. And I realized that, you know, this kind of plays on this idea of cultural identity that, you know, you can only do, you can only, you know, tell certain stories or what have you based on the limitations or restrictions of certain platforms. And so part of that, you know, kind of creation of who you are online, I wanted that to be focused on my one, the two things, my domain and also my LinkedIn because those are two, you know, two, you know, somewhat, you know, LinkedIn's obviously, you know, professional network, you know, type platform. And I use kind of my domain as a combination of that kind of professionalism, but also, you know, you get the opportunity to be as creative as you see fit. So you've got a little more control over, over kind of the narrative arc and how you're presenting, you know, yourself in that space, you know, you've got the plugins, you got all these different ways to, you know, to kind of express yourself in, you know, on your personal page. But again, my goal was to keep that kind of professional narrative as well. And part of that was, hey, if I'm Googling myself and I'm seeing, you know, my Instagram and all this stuff, which frankly is, you know, it's part of me, but it's a different narrative. One of the ways to kind of focus my digital presence would be to eliminate those things, and which I certainly did. Yeah, that's a really interesting point. I mean, the idea that, you know, being spread across all these different platforms, I find personally, like there are some platforms I use that are far more personal and some that are far more professional, but like the blog for me, which is what I do, I blog is the record, right? Like that's the authoritative record of my thinking, of the projects I'm doing, of the things if anyone wanted to have a real sense of what that is, but the thing about all these different platforms and the way the web works now is identity is fairly balkanized, right? It's across different platforms, it's owned by different groups, right? And they see you, it's interesting how one platform sees me versus another, given the ads they send me. And it's like a really interesting kind of idea that these platforms are doing everything they can to understand this sense of identity with, you know, I mean, it's not a surprise, but the idea of, you know, being able to target you for advertisements. And that's a really interesting notion of this idea of not only the limits of those platforms, but also the way in which they template you into a self, right? Like it's the templated space that really frames the idea of a self online. Can you kind of become a product or your identity, you know, more accurately becomes a product of those environments? And which I find, you know, so fascinating and also potentially, you know, kind of disturbing as well. So, you know, and there's also that element too of what others may say or, you know, or document about you, you know, on these other platforms. So, you know, I, you know, I, someone taking a picture, putting me up on, you know, on this thing, et cetera, et cetera. So, you know, that kind of cultural identity, I mean, it encompasses a lot and kind of one of my goals and, you know, kind of thinking about, you know, using my domain and, you know, and LinkedIn and those sorts of things. Like what do I have control over? And in what ways, you know, do I want to utilize that control to, you know, you know, to create a story that I want to, that I'm proud of and that I want to display? But also with the understanding and realization and being cognizant of there will be restrictions, you know, based on what I can and can't do and based on, you know, what others and outside factors that I have no control over, you know, that all kind of factors into that identity. So it's a very fascinating time that, you know, that we live in especially now, you know, kind of intra or post pandemic too. Like, you know, the necessity of having that presence but being cognizant of all those different pieces that make this, that make up this collective. Yeah, it's crazy. I mean, I was thinking obviously we're in the, we're in the industry of educational technology, which has had a particular kind of pressure on it these days given the pandemic. But like it's interesting to me as things go online or hybrid or we've imagined it. And I know Penn State has done amazing stuff online for a long time with World Campus. But I had the wild experience before this meeting and for this discussion of going into a Chipotle to try and get lunch because I'm traveling right now. I'm not at home. So I'm kind of have to go and forge where I can. And Chipotle said online orders only. Like you could only get anything from us in this physical store online. And it made me think about like obviously online learning and the moment in which all of this kind of has changed a whole field's perspective of itself and what's possible. And like there is a sense that we'll return to normal in the vaccine. And I hope that's true, but I think there will always be the shift now as a result of what we've needed to do and what we've learned from it and what limits were in place and how do we truly support it? But I think it's a super interesting moment. But to your point on top of everything is that as part of this process when we move to digital, how can we not only help reinforce the notion of a certain amount of control over this space, certain amount of protection, but also a certain amount of like humanity, right? A space where we can contact and like really be in connection and not necessarily broadcasting as a lot of the social media networks have turned into but a sense of real connection and a relationship. And I think that's still the kind of holy grail that an educational technologist is seeking. And identity I firmly believe is so integral to that because I think when you go to university, at least for me, and I can't speak for everyone, a lot of that is highly identity forming, you know, like your tastes, your notions of yourself, your relationships with others, the decisions you make of what you wanna focus on and study, like all of these inform who you are as a person for a good part of the rest of your life. And like how is that kind of almost like cauldron working to create this sense of an identity as part of an intellectual and social pursuit? It's super interesting to me. Well, and I think a lot of that too is, you know, being cognizant of like it can change, that product can change. So when we create, you know, these different things, you know, online, you know, there'd be domains and things like that, it's not set in stone. Like we do have control over over changing that narrative as well and knowing when to do that and being self-reflective and self-aware of that. But I think you're entirely right, regardless of, you know, of how this whole pandemic plays out, you know, it has changed education in the sense of what's possible and, you know, and, you know, if we were to, you know, encounter something like this ever again to have that, you know, essentially have that, you know, new formation of an infrastructure that's, you know, that allows, you know, kind of more of a seamless transition to, you know, to these spaces. But I think there's some interesting silver linings to what has happened, especially in the educational space. And it's also pointing out, you know, some other very, very, you know, important things, you know, equity, equality, all these other things, you know, they're even more heightened, you know, because of, you know, because of this. And, you know, and it does kind of point to, you know, these digital spaces. And it's, as you said, it all kind of works together and thrown into the same pot. And, you know, what we learned from that, and, you know, and how do we handle that, you know, not only, you know, in the present, but moving forward. Well, you know what? I can't say it better. I think that's a great place for us to wrap up and kind of, A, thank you for your time, Mark, to come on and chat about your experience with domains at Georgetown and how that's kind of, you know, begun the start of something beautiful at Penn State. And we'll see where that goes from there. But thanks again for talking to me. I appreciate it. Yeah, this was something unexpected. And, you know, and again, started from pretty interesting circumstance, I suppose. So, and it's also, you know, great to, you know, talk with, you know, and present my ideas about this and just to talk about my experience, you know, with Georgetown and these spaces. So it's been wonderful. And it's nice to see someone new, you know, other than, you know, the folks and students and stuff I deal with at Penn State. So anytime I can chat with other folks, it's fantastic. Great. Well, thanks, Mark. Thanks again. And reclaimed today episode, who knows? I don't know what number this is. I think it's in the 30s, just signing out. Chris, Chris gets us something right now. Exactly. Bye-bye.