Can your PLN be used to help professional development post-course?
I believe that my Personal Learning Network can be used to help professional development post EDCI 338. I believe that this course has offered me new insight on how I can better develop my professional PLN in the community outreach program that I work with. For example, I have never blog before taking this course, so far, I believe that I have developed more awareness and have begun to curate social media PLN for my personal and professional life.
For example, I have never blog before taking this course, so far, I believe that I have developed more awareness and have begun to curate social media PLN for my personal and professional life.
Can your PLN be relied on to open professional opportunities?
I believe that my PLN is capable of opening professional opportunities for myself and other. This is because world wide, “digital network environment has enhanced the practical abilities of individuals” (Del Giudice et al., 2014). Take for example on social media, in the case of Khabane Lame who is known on Tic Tok as a content creator had worked for Lame worked as a CNC machine operator at a factory near Turin, before getting laid off in March 2020. From there he began to create social media contents without saying a word but making gesture and actions to describe his contents. My social media can create a professional for me through job search after creation and I can share research information on my blog to other users after this course.
Change in My PLN Perspectives
The nature of change in perspective that I have experienced in this course is the ability to be open to opposing views in all platforms in the use of social media. My perspectives have shifted from being closed-minded to being open to dialogues that may be uncomfortable and appears to be insensitive to others. By giving others the opportunity to express their opposing views even though they may be wrong. For example, avoiding muting people, my personal participation in cancel culture, being hyper sensitive and blocking others due to false news/alternative facts. Our perspective of social media in professional settings and personal use may be different but other people have the ability to research the truth by themselves and figure it out.
Fatehbir (2022), mentioned in her blog post on Social Media and Education about how educator became critical thinker, utilizing 280 character limit to communicate “concisely and effectively”. Truly a skill that needs harnessing for professional development and skills needed to help equip the youths that we support within our individual PLN as educators.
References
Del Giudice, M., Peruta, M. R. D., & Carayannis, E. G. (2014). Social Media and Developing Economies: Technologies, Cultural and Economic Implications. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-02490-5_5 VitalSource Bookshelf version]. Retrieved from vbk://Aax0shahTKEHaC1LTDOSipDoCc60rY6-5hP6hiLtaQA
Fatehbir (2022). Social Media & Education. Retrieved, from https://fdhaliwal338.opened.ca/social-media-education/
How a PLN Help the Development of Thoughts and Ideas in Education Discourse
A Personal Learning Networks (PLN) helps educators to collect their thoughts, diversify, tailor and utilize appropriate tools in the web networking. Understanding one’s PLN helps create a smooth thought process and idea development before communicating and expressing them in the diverse media platforms made available for communication in the web. The advantage of PLN for educators is that they get to control the part of discourse they are comfortable engaging in. Either via media/technological tools, or the process/path, for either educating or being educated at any given time on the web. Moreover, the “web evolved into a tool for self-directed personal development and has become a vast resource that enables one to learn and grow outside the parameters of what is considered formal learning (Veletsianos, 2016, p. 117). Given that the individual educator’s PLN are constantly evolving, with users having the capability to utilize the appropriate network for in their PLN. For example, navigating in a private or public space is a advantageous for professionals. Another advantage is tailoring the PLN towards achieving individual learning needs and goals. This fast-pacing PLN evolution helps the educators to grow in the ways information are being absorbed and then passed on unto others on a professional level. Using personal learning tools in diverse environments enables a broader discourse, new learnings and experiences.
“Learning content is not as important now as knowing what to connect to or who to connect with, to find it”.
VELETSIANOS, 2016, P. 117
Overall, Personal Learning Networks are resourceful for educators in areas of developing and creating contents, blogs, personal or business ideas or wiki contents. In informal research (surveys and data pool), analysis and sharing of resources with peers or colleagues. I believe PLN can enhance collaborative learning amongst educators in the their field.
How a PLN Hinder Can the Development of Thoughts and Ideas in Education Discourse
On the other hand, the resourcefulness of a PLN may also course professional conflicts of interest leading to filtered information being passed on since it is an open space. In the case that they are opposing views on platform, it may cause disagreement, or conflict if not addressed with caution. An educator who has social construct may not be open to an emergent view. An example is the debate and opposing views on the on-going American CriticalRace Theory.
How Do Educators Create Discourse
Educators create discourse by being their authentic self and also by applying a worldview concept to the tools that they may utilize in creating the conversation, open dialogue, in a safe and inclusive environment or space.
The Role of Social Media in Education
Social media has a very important role in the present educational system. For example, when the pandemic was at its peak, educators utilized social media (Meta and twitter) emails, Zoom, individual school board websites) to pass information to parents. Educators were fast at familiarising themselves with the safety surrounding social media in education. Principals were using twitter as a fast and effective way to send a fast message to school host communities. In Ontario, the school remind app was effectively used by parent group while zoom, Google meet, Google classroom and Brightspace were utilized as a tool in education. The city of Toronto introduced a safe app called the Webex to cater to daycare service providers in order for children with special need assistance to be able to meet with special Education teachers, Early Childhood educators and child and youth care worker in order to have non-physical access to the childcare center to support the youths and younger children in Ontario communities while also protecting their safety and privacy. Thus, the role of social media in education can not be overemphasized. Shared information on relevant and new research publications to a wider audience. According to Brad Baker (Youtube, 2022), in social media, educators use social media to share knowledge in culture, sport, business, education and to hear the true massages of educator.
Some Problems With Social Media Communications in Education Settings
Over-sharing of information to a large group of people at a fast paced time frame may be catastrophic in the case of release of sensitive information or topic on education.
The need to constantly share and update information may cause problems for the educator.
Over Dependent on social media responses may be a distraction for educators and may result to conflict in personal values and social constructs in gender, sexuality, race, model of teaching, and so on.
May result in competition on who is most heard, who has more followings and engagement rate and so forth.
Social media communication in education creates gap in the relational aspect of teaching as compared to the conventional educational structure.
Social media may be a barrier for educators in areas or countries where there is an internet restriction, or restriction on freedom of speech.
Overall, I believe that social media has come to stay and the educational system can make the most of it. Over time, social may be able to reduce the barriers in accessibility to education. As stated by Veletsianos (2016) with respect to the connectivism’s approach on “metaskills”, technology will continue to evolve and it is important to understand how to manage the network connections that these technological tools offer users as a “learning strategy”.
References
YouTube. (2021). Brad Baker Edci 338. YouTube. Retrieved from https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=C5z8iHxW2n4.
Veletsianos, G. (2016). Emergence and Innovation in Digital Learning: Foundations and Applications. AU Press.
Media literacy is vital to the general society, especially in our everyday-to-day engagement with technology, the need to reach a broader audience, and creating social justice and social awareness. However, among youths, the need for media literacy is a safety issue in our modern society.
The field of media literacy attempts to help educate people, especially the young, in order to become more skilled and aware users of media by primarily looking at four components: access, analysis, evaluation, and content creation”
(Livingstone, 2004: 5 as cited by Lewis, 2021, p. 6).
Media literacy comes with limitations to accessibility issues in some suburban areas, therefore there is a sense of earnestness in the need to prioritize media literacy in ways that the general population can assess factual information in order to better analyze, understand and share the right information across the audience, societies and opposing views. With respect to fake news on social media platforms, characterized with intense political atmosphere, “fake news is the commercial weaponization of information, largely by elements operating in the shadows of the Dark” (Hirst, 2018, p 80). Media literacy helps users to debunk the false narratives and conspiracy theories.
On the other hand, for professionals in the public eye using social media can be challenging if the public figure gets consumed with mean responses or comments on their media pages. Mean tweets or responses to public figure post is common and done in an attempt to embarrass or shut the personality down. Presently, public figures mostly would practice a deep reflection before hitting that respond to social media trolls and fake news in the case of journalism. There is no doubt that the negative tweet is hard and even uneasy in most cases. Sofia mentioned that she gets more personal on Instagram when compared to other social media platforms (Miller, 2022). Sofia called her interactions a happy place on Instagram while on Twitter she is rather very formal and will not offer personal information. I can relate to her experience in this aspect of her life. I feel safer and more relaxed when using Instagram, Twitter drives everyone crazy as Sofia mentioned. Some of the users’ twits may be hurtful and insensitive. This is one of the risks faced by media app users. Therefore, an advantage of having media literacy is by following others who we can learn from, share the common ideas that benefit our minds are able to enlarge our professional, intelligential and social scope.
Perceived Restrictions and Benefits of Restricted Online Community
In curating my professional social media space, my work Facebook page is exclusive to the participants in our programs, past clients that we have serve in one way or the other, colleagues and partner organization. For the purpose of critical public audience, my work organization information is on the website where all the organizational information is easily assessable to the general public. For example, while my professional services are frequently updated on the website, our daily social engagement are limited to the closed group social media organizations accounts in Facebook. Twitter and LinkedIn are the most public engaging social media platforms used in engaging directly with the public. When a provoking post, tags and comments are made towards members, the moderator who handles the social media handle intervenes on the direct message to deescalate the conversation. They may be muted if the conversation becomes distracting from the purpose of the organization. I believe the benefit is that the restrictions keep the dialogue cordial and the media space safe for users while the disadvantage is that people do not express themselves as they may want to.
How to Best Address Negative Replies
The best way to address negative responses to professional posts on social media is to provide facts that support the idea behind the post. Generally, a public figure would have a large following, hence they can not respond to all negative posts and comments. In the case of a public review of the product, the best way to address the negative response is to, first of all, apologize, then proceed to address the concern. The best response to the negative posts is suggested to be kept simple, direct and in short sentences. In the case of a persistent confrontation, the public figure can control how to respond i the best way that fits them. There is the option to mute or restrict comments or responses to posts for the sake of one’s mental health and safety.
The Benefits of Having a PLN that Values Media Literacy
Helps us understand the consequences of our PLN on social media
Helps us understand how to utilize social media to fit our professional life, job search and professional engagement.
Helps young people to know their rights and to protect their personal life
It helps students in the professional field to develop incorporating social media into their work and to cover a large audience in research, dialogue and public discourse.
To understand global media culture, language, trends and global issues.
Media literacy is important for healthy discourse on all media platforms. Youths in education are tasked at getting themselves acquainted to a safe and engaging planforms. Understanding the power of media tools help the general population to access a broader space, culture, global worldviews and perspective.
Diversity and inclusion are something that as humans, we have to start caring about enough to embrace, care enough about to make a difference on issue that affect marginalized people or minority race, sexual orientation, population in our society. I believe that all diversities needs to be considered and celebrated. My Personal Learning Network has certain level of alignment to diversity for example, black twitter, Indigenous twitter, LGBTQ+ and others. This is intentional engagements, conscious and strategic followings on trends and interaction as compare to the mainstream platform that are generally available with just one click. In some cases, privacy tends to restrict the level of inclusion on social media platforms PLN. On the other and using linkedln network highlights are purely for job search, professional bodies, school relationship and updates.
How Does Social Media Challenge Communications?
I think that social media challenge communication on professional lenses because someone whose worldview is restricted and has no knowledge of inclusion may hinder professional dialogue or dialogue on social issues as long as they are not affected. The challenge in using social platforms may appear to be one sided in some cases. Social media has helped me connect to a larger population, finding old school mate, and communicating with families across continents. This is generally done on Facebook or Instagram. On the other hand, it has reduced the quality of conversations that I may have with my small circle of friends. On a professional level, I have a minimal connection with people in my field of practice on the platform.
How Does Social Media Engage Communications?
“No matter what industry or space your company is in, it’s likely that your customers are a diverse bunch of people with a mix of race, religion, social status, and a number of other characteristics”.
Kimberlee Meier.
Learning from my personal and professional networks provides for me, a diverse perspective on topics, ideas, and in some cases offer me an opportunity to collaborate and make new connections with people who generally, I may not be able to access. Now I am wondering, how about perspectives that does not align with my network, because I am not getting views that are different from mine. Within my PLN, social media has helped me to communicate more than I would have if it does not exist, though my language, expressions and ideas are narrowed down to certain number of letters. i have over the years developed the ability of using fewer sentences to convey a lot of information on issues that are important to me.
Learning Outcome of My PLN
I believe that as BIPOC, the more I engage in diverse forum on discussion centered around inclusion, politics, race, diversity, the more I am able to make contribution to issues that affect people like myself. For example, advocating for equality in public spaces, in job representation, health, accessibility to social justice. The learning outcome from PLN in engaging in diverse platforms and forums on Twitter, Instagram, Facebook and linkedln cuts across all sphere of life, across countries and locations. With entertainments engagements on Instagram, on the other hand political, and government policies from twitter, making connections with families, close acquaintances, a mix of colleagues and professional bodies/associations on Facebook. I even source for jobs from Facebook. Reflecting on my PLN has drawn me to the nature of diverse engagement I partake on in these platforms.
Policies of My Employer Social Media Communication Expectations
The expectation of employers for their employees to conduct themselves with a certain level of decorum on social media platforms is understandable, since employees are seen as an extension of the organizations or professional bodies. I think that professional bodies look out for their employers shared updates, and experience history shared in conversations on an employee’s PLN.
In my case, personal relationships, followings, contents posts and expressive views on diversity, advocacy, empathy and so forth are factors that are important to my employer in my PLN. Knowing this helps me to filter what I share in all my public network.
Benefits of A Diverse and Inclusive PLN in Social Media Sharing With Messaging That Impacts The Community
Think about this, if business connects people through inclusion, as a marketing professional say all platforms or means of communication, meaning that the goal is to get connected to as many people as possible regardless of ethnicity, race, status, level of educational background, marital status, sexuality and so forth, won’t that be inclusion? Now imagine that same business having one real focus in inclusivity through innovation and creativity. A tremendous strive at targeting all people. My use of social media is to make connection and establish messaging and themes that is engaging through my post to all people. Being inclusive, being receptive to learning about other people’s worldviews, perspective, values, beliefs, cultures to mention but few. “Inclusion means everyone” (Moore & Schnellert 2017). I think it is important to know someone’s history on social media because not only does it show employers and users your history but it also shows some level of growth experiences that a person has experienced over a period of time from the platform personal posts, data, and engagements.
Does My PLN amplify the views of others?
My social media engagement amplifies the views of other depending on what their views are. When it pertains to social justice and advocacy through acceptance in diversity, I am open-minded on worldviews and expression of empathy. This video link describe visibility PLN for BIPOC platforms.
Diversity and inclusion on social media: https://youtu.be/_el9j_u3i8k.
Refrences
Kimberlee. (2022). 7 benefits of diversity in Customer Service at your company. Harver. Retrieved from https://harver.com/blog/diversity-in-customer-service/
Moore, S., & Schnellert, L. (2017). One without the other: Stories of unity through diversity and inclusion. Portage & Main Press.
Youtube. (2020). Diversity & Inclusion on Social Media. Retrieved from https://youtu.be/_el9j_u3i8k.
