EDCI338

            In thinking about my PLN, I feel that it can definitely be used to help my professional development post- course. I have taken a different approach to my social media platform usage. I am now a little bit more serious about how it can be used to make sure that I get the most out of it. I have also decided on making separate accounts so that I can use one for personal reasons, and the other one for more serious networking and self-promotion. However, one important thing I have learned from the course is how a person cannot just limit things that easily, and that we should be open to learning experiences in areas that we might not have considered before.

            I also think that my PLN can be relied on to open professional opportunities in that I will be able to connect to people in the fields that I am interested in. Through my PLN, I will also be able to search for many people and organizations that could be helpful through my own process. As Couros an Hildebrandt wrote, ICT is a means for many ends. In developing countries, ICT is a way for them to abandon economic dependence and they can raise capital in different ways (p. 72). I think that the world will focus more networks between countries and between organizations, and it is important that I understand these tools and ideas so that I can further my own career in this connected world.

            Along with learning about different concepts and ideas, I think the most important thing I was able to learn was to change my perspective. Like many people, I saw digital technology as something that was out there and that I had to surf on in a passive way. Now I feel that I have more control over it than I had thought previously, and that I can direct my own interactions with it. 

            There are many kinds of social media platforms that are beneficial in education. As stated in the interview with Brad Baker, the PLN is more of a support system. The network helps to connect people to achieve the common goal of contributing to society. As stated by Brad Baker, the indigenous people who are coming from different experiences will have a healthy dialogue with each other through this kind of network. 

            I think that social media is all good for both professional and educational situations. YouTube can be a great platform for some actions while Twitter can be a great approach for other actions. It is really not about the platform that should be considered, but more about the way that people choose to use it. For example, Brad Baker spoke about how social media is a great way to connect to elders and other people in the indigenous community. 

            When working with a vulnerable sector, social media fits into the professionalism and regulations by taking into consideration the issues that this sector has and the sensitivities that they might have as well. For example, it is important when interacting with a vulnerable sector of society to try and listen to them and their experiences instead of trying to impose something on them. Also, there are regulations in place when it comes to conducting interviews with people and making sure they understand how their information will be used and that their privacy will be respected.

            Generally, I think that a PLN should be something that a person takes seriously when constructing it so that they can get the most out of it. One thing I learned from listening to the podcast with Brad Baker is that the PLN is not just about getting from it, but also contributing to it and being there for others as a node of knowledge as well. 

References

Miller (2021) “Brad Baker EDCI 338.” YouTube. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=C5z8iHxW2n4

             Media literacy is an important skill that is necessary to have because so much of communication takes place online now. Even before when people got information from TV and radio, they still had to have a level of media literacy, but now with social media is more important. Furthermore, a lot of communication is created through blogs, videos, and social media language, so a person needs to have these skills to just interact with other people.

            As Sophie Lui in her video stated, there is a need for people to understand the way that there are stories framed in the media (Miller, 2022). Notable individuals will use social media to get their information out, but even more important than the information itself is how they are able to communicate and make sure they can attract people to view their content. For this reason, a person should go outside of the online tools provided by the employer because they can be limiting. The platforms that are available will be limited to being within the framework that the employer wants employees to follow. However, there are other kinds of platforms that a person can use to express themselves or to learn. 

            To build a PLN to rely on that requires verifiable information, it would be ideal to do research on the kinds of sources that are available and which ones have a good track record of being verified. When building a PLN, it would be a good idea to then integrate these good sources and platforms into it. Furthermore, a student can re-evaluate these sources as time goes on. As Hirst said, it is empowering for students to evaluate their own media and critically analyze it to produce their own message. By building a PLN, the students will be able to practice this skill throughout the time they are building it.  

References

Miller (2022) “Sophie Lui – EDCI 338.” YouTube. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wfcXgKLzOVM

            This unit I started thinking about the diversity of my PLN. I think my PLN is not very diverse. There were many things that I had not really thought about that showed my PLN was not diverse at all. One of the main reasons is that I grew up mostly with people who spoke my language, so ethnically we all came from the same background. However, as Moore and Schnellert wrote, there is no such thing as people being the same, because each person is unique (Moore and Schnellert, 2016). Even within a group of people that might look homogenous, there are actually different learning styles and experiences that they have gone through that means it is a diverse group.

            One of the great things about online learning that I have noticed though is that I can hear about more diverse voices that I would not have the chance to in an in-person learning environment. In a classroom, it is difficult to get to hear many people in a limited time. Often, the classroom is teacher-centred and then tutorials are very short and it is hard to hear from many people. However, through the online platform, I can read the submissions or posts by so many people from different backgrounds. 

            The learning outcome of my PLN is that I am finding out about how media platforms can help to bring people together. As the interview with Markiel Simpson showed, it takes time to find one’s voice. He also said that when he started his social media account that he spoke with many different people, such as politicians and educators (Simpson, 2021). I have learned that social media is a great tool to get out of the comfort zone and to try and connect with people from different backgrounds as well. 

References

Moore, S. & Schnellert, L. (2016) One Without the Other: Stories of Unity Through Diversity and Inclusion. Portage and Main Press.

Simpson, M. (2021) “EDCI 338 Markiel Simpson.” YouTube. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rsoDHGaXNNs&t=143s

            In going over the readings today, I think it was interesting to learn about the different issues with building a PLN. Basically, people build a PLN without even doing it according to  a plan. However, it is important for students to develop a PLN that will match their own interests and ideas. This will lead to a PLN that is beneficial to them.

            A useful tool that were in the readings was the video about digital mapping, and about how there are visitors and residents to certain parts of a map. It was helpful that at the beginning of the video, Dave White said that the sides of visitors and residents does not mean that there are two different groups of people, but that instead if it is a continuum that everybody can be involved with (White, 2013). This is different than other concepts that I have read about, and actually it is more useful. For example, I have read about how there are “digital natives” and “digital immigrants”, and that the digital natives are people who grew up with that digital technology so they think it is natural to use it, compared to older people who are the digital immigrants. However, this kind of approach does not take into account that digital technology and the platforms are very diverse, and that a person can be proficient in one platform but maybe not in another, regardless of their age. 

            In thinking about a PLN and making a digital map, I feel that data privacy and security help to promote it. It should be something that a person thinks about when they create their PLN and to make sure they understand that even with the protections in place to give them a secure platform, there can still be some cases where their information will get out. However, that does not really limit a PLN because there are still many options a person can do. For example, in this class we have the option of using a pseudonym in case we want to hide our identities. 

References

White, D. (2013) “Just the Mapping.” YouTube. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MSK1Iw1XtwQ&t=15s