Month: March 2021

This week’s reading truly spoke to strength in numbers and how, “ great ideas can come from anywhere and anyone” (Qualman, 2012). It spoke to how leading means empowering others to make change, as well as changing your thinking and having a “mind [that] is open to insight whenever it comes and [being] flexible enough to respond to it” (Qualman, 2012). Meaning that with every new technology or finding, a leader must be flexible and rethink/reshape their ways in order to be up to date, trustworthy and reputable. It also spoke to leaving this world better than it was when you entered it, with a quote by Bill Clinton (Qualman, 2012). 

The above statements made me reflect on our course and what we have been building. I began recognizing how I have learned so much from others in this course and it would not have been possible for me to have gained such great knowledge without my counterparts. Everyone in my university network has truly contributed to my knowledge, thus to my reputation and my well-roundedness. I also realized that during our final assignment, after tasks were delegated and each member felt empowered to create, our members offered expertise where I could not. Everyone had a role to play that was significant to the task and which enhanced our final product. One of our members was savvy in the use of TikTok, the other was excellent at making sure we were maintaining our goals and hitting out proposed due dates and the third was excellent at organizing meetings to ensure we had thoughtful conversations and dealt with any misconceptions. Left alone, I would not have been able to create a final product as efficiently and as flawlessly as we did. I am grateful for all the insight, experiences and abilities that my team brought to the table as they truly enhanced the experience and the product. 

Next, I began reflecting on having an open mind and changing my thinking  when necessary. We did this all the time while reading each others’ blogs, having Mattermost discussions and while creating our final assignment. I was constantly changing my blog posts, or adding to them once I read other perspectives or engaged in communications from someone who read my blog and pointed out new ideas. During our final project meetings, we were ever changing our thinking, sharing our new insights and moving ideas around in order to produce something that made the most sense. I know that I have listened to others, absorbed their ideas and changed my thinking before, however  I never understood the importance of this until this course. I never knew that these communications and these changes were truly broadening my scope and allowing me to be more inclusive and to generate more trustworthy and objective information. 

Not only did I reflect on changing my thinking, but I reflected on changing the technology and tools I use. Before this course I was hesitant about technology and social media, but now, I realize it is a way of life and a way to network. It is important for me to continue to grow and be flexible with what I use and how I network. Before I was afraid to get my “feet dirty” by potentially using a platform I could mess up on or posting something that could make me look foolish. However,  “we can’t expect to go through life without getting our feet a little dirty; digital or otherwise. In time we will acquire blemishes on our feet. However, as our feet continue to grow, the percentage of impurities in relation to the size of the foot decreases. The same holds true when it comes to our goal for our digital footprints” (Qualman, 2012). I have realized through this course that what I do now, how I post and engage today, is setting me up for my future. What I do today and tomorrow, if done in a positive and empowering way, will be what I am known for, not the little mistakes in my past or in my attempts.

This brings me to my reflection on how we should leave the world better than when we first entered it. Our networks allow us to do this. We can instill change by using our connections and I had done this in the past. However, what I never recognized was that my support (my network) truly started long before I needed them to help me. I began these networks before even thinking about making change or before needing help. I was helping others before they were helping me. I started by forming a community to share ideas with and to bond with over like-minded things. I never realized how much they would hold me up and look out for me and my endeavours as they have proved to. This was a huge reflection on how the world is good and how, TOGETHER, we have much more impact to make it better for those who come to be in it. It was a reflection on what is possible with the help from a community/network. 

Since taking this course, I will acknowledge that I was certainly not as well versed in privacy concerns/ protection as I thought I was. After taking the security quiz from one of our lessons, I went into my settings in my facebook and Instagram and tightened up a lot. I actually read the terms and conditions and thoughtfully and critically assessed why I was doing what I was and who I was allowing to see/share my content. I also decided to create two separate Instagram accounts; one for personal use for just myself and close family/friends, and a second for my professional account which I will allow access to through my school website and to students and parents. This way, I can connect to my learners’ and to their families and display my professionalism, without bombarding them with too much other information from my personal life. This acts as a way to keep me professional and as a way to share the amount of me that I am comfortable sharing in my professional life. 

All in all, this course has truly opened up my mind to what I have been doing online and to how I can use this network of diverse trusted people as a support system, as a community, as a way to empower others and as a way to make and spread change for the better for all. Moving forward I am excited to continue to expand my PLN and to seek new opportunities to learn. I am also ecstatic to share my knowledge with my children and with the learners I teach so that I can empower them to make change and to use these powerful platforms/tools and networks for good. To use these tools as a way to enhance their brains and to enhance the world around them. 

 I will finish off with a statement from a TedTalk where Miller speaks. Miller explains that, if we “reevaluate how we immerse in technology, not only for our kids but for us in our daily lives. If we rethink how we approach awareness of use we will raise a community of connected youth. This community will be made up of digital citizenship. One that will demonstrate an empathetic and positive use approach to communications online. And when we think about moving forward, the community will include leaders guided by versed educators” (Miller, 2014). In this course, I have reevaluated how I immerse in technology in my daily life. I have learned how to responsibly use technology in an empathetic and positive way. Therefore, it is my turn to teach these learnings to the people around me and to become a leader who is well versed so that we can grow together and realize that we all have so much experience and insight to offer this world. So that by building our brains and by working together, we can leave the world better than when we entered it, for everyone.

Citation:

Qualman, E. (2012). Empower Others. In Digital Leader: 5 Simple Keys to Success & Influence. McGraw-Hill.

Miller, J. (2014, November 10). “Reevaluate, Rethink, Release.” March, 31, 2021, YouTube. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FiGclrVXAws

Image By: LibQuotes.com. From: https://libquotes.com/robert-baden-powell/quote/lba6v1f

How can you use the PLN interactions of this course to further your digital identity post-term. 

My PLN interactions in this course can further my digital identity post-term because I have been learning from and reflecting on my practices within Mattermost,  my blog and in the break out media platforms I have used with my final group members. From all these experiences/interactions, I have become aware of my DI and learned “how to manage [my] presence in public and private online spaces” (Olivera, 2014). My experiences have taught me how we can kindly communicate and collaborate on several platforms with the intention of learning and developing. I have learned through experience how my DI affects how people view me online and offline, as well as how it feels when I am treated with kindness and respect in my course PLN. Therefore, I will continue these practices which have enhanced my learning, my credibility and my reputation (my DI). My interactions in this course will also continue to develop my DI post-term because I have been part of a network that I will likely work alongside outside of this course. Therefore, somewhere down the line, these same people may inform another person about me because they have seen how I interact and know what knowledge and gifts I have to offer. In the same case, I may inform someone about a person I had networked with in this course. 

I want to note that, not only has this course enabled me to develop my DI, it has also enlightened me to the fact that I had been forming PLN’s and defining my DI online long before this course without realizing what I was doing. By reflecting on this, I have changed the way I act online, as well as some security settings. I also look forward to teaching my children and students about why and how we post and form networks so that they can  be educated about the power of social media before going into it .  Imagine what power our children and learners will have for learning, change or opportunity when they know why they are using social media and how purposefully they can develop their DI/PLN. When they realize how they are benefitting their minds and others’, I can only imagine how empowered they might feel. Our children’s and learners’ future DI’s depend on that knowledge and I cannot wait to share it. 

What does it mean to have a digital identity in your industry of choice and can your current PLN be used to help professional development post-course? 

Having a Digital Identity in teaching means that online, I am represented as a reciprocative, trustworthy person, who accepts and encourages the exchange of information with the goal of learning (Oliveira, 2014). It means that I am someone who has a lot of knowledge to offer, as well as someone who is open to learning new information. It means that I am educated in the realm of Education. Since my DI presents me as the above, my PLN that surrounds me is likely to share like-minded interests. Therefore, these connections to like-minded diverse people will provide me with more knowledge and possible contacts so that my teaching can be enhanced. I may learn more about inquiry from one, or collaborate with another and share what we make to develop others’ thinking. As I have done in the past, I can find a strong voice on my social media platforms and ask them to speak at a professional development day at our school. Therefore we are all professionally developing. At the end of the day, my DI gives me credibility and my PLN gives me access to new knowledge that I can digest and that I can share. Therefore, as long as I keep hearing all voices, learning from them and sharing them, I would consider myself growing professionally and personally daily. 

Additionally, as you progress through the steps of your career, Can your PLN be relied on to open professional opportunities?

I believe my PLN can be relied on to open professional opportunities because I have developed a network that is diverse in both the people within it and the tools I use, it is centered around interactivity and connectivity and it is open to hearing all voices and to share those new views with the world (Olivera, 2014). Since I have tailored my network in this way, I will have connections that can last a lifetime, or a minute. No matter the length/strength of the connection, these connections can provide me with opportunities for learning or in guiding me to another possible career path/ opportunity, so long as I am open to it, flexible and adaptable within it. 

Oliveira, N. R., & Morgado, L. (2014). “Digital Identity of Researchers and Their Personal Learning Network.” Learning and Collaboration Technologies. Technology-Rich Environments for Learning and Collaboration, 467–477. doi: 10.1007/978-3-319-07485-6_46

Our babies are raised in a world where they have access to media and technology before they even celebrate their first birthdays. Babies who are “bathed in bits [of technology] from birth” (Trilling, 2012) develop quickly into humans who are fluent in the use of technology and who use that technology daily. That being said, we cannot simply allow these tech savvy humans to dive into the world of media and technology to read, view and curate blindly, without developing their critical thinking skills and their ability to assess what they are seeing or what they are doing. This notion applies to people from all generations who surround these savvy humans as well. When we educate all, the fear of technology and media decreases and the ability to use technologies for greater learning purposes increases. 

Trust me, as an educator and a parent I have experienced all the feelings and the fears behind my learners’ and my children’s use of technology and would, at times, rather it did not exist or to simply choose to not to use it in my spaces. I see my kindergarteners making youtube videos of who knows what and I wonder if they even know the possible consequences of posting these videos or the actual reason behind posting it. I see the content that can appear when we don’t apply the right security measures. I have heard parents talk about gorey video games and the fear of a potential predator entering the game. I have worried about how my son and daughter might think of themselves when they view certain media; Should I look like that? Am I beautiful/strong enough? Am I smart enough? Am I enough? I also worry about if they will view/use/post images that might harm them in the present or in their future. These fears are legitimate and worth thinking about. However, they are not worth discounting all the beneficial uses of tech and media. In the following paragraph, I will share an account of what changed my fear of false/skewed information into an opportunity to teach. An opportunity to develop critical thinking skills, abilities to make sound judgement, and an understanding of potential consequences when reading, viewing and posting media.   

One day in the computer lab, we were using a safe site to search for interesting animals which lived in the countries we originated from.  Two of the students working on England were ecstatic to learn that there was a signing fish that originated there. These students immediately began sharing this detail with the rest of the class and wrote it down on their information sheet. When I heard the conversation, I felt the need to add to it. “Wait a minute, a signing fish? Do we all think this is true? Why/Why not? How can we find out? Can we find other sources to support/disprove this? This fish does not, in fact, exist, but my class certainly wanted it to and believed it did. I was shocked by how my students would simply absorb and believe that this information was true from one source. This moment truly helped me better understand my fears behind my children’s and learners’ use of technology and media viewing/ sharing.  It made me realize that it is not solely the technology or the media creating the problem, it is the lack of instruction and skills behind the use that is the culprit. This is where media literacy steps in. 

Being media literate is one’s ability to recognize different forms of media such as TV, internet, newspapers or radio, and comprehend the messages they’re conveying. It is, “asking questions about every message. Who is the sender? What is their motive or intent? How is it created? Who profits? What information is left out? Who is the target audience? [It is the] constant critical questioning of media” (Smith, 2020). It is imperative for potential users and producers of media to develop media literacy skills, so that they are as informed as possible and are presenting the most factual and unbiased information possible. If users can ask the right questions, they can confirm the accuracy of the information they are receiving through the media and make their own judgments if something is reliable or safe. If children and students can assess media for safety and reliability, media and technology will become less feared because the onus lies on the capable user, rather than the media itself. The user then holds the power and the autonomy to make an informed choice. If I teach my children how to analyze the media presented to them, I  will trust that they will be able to decipher between someone selling a product and fact. From there I will trust that they will be able to make educated/objective decisions behind their next actions/choices. We cannot avoid or escape the presence of the media because it is ever present in our lives. Therefore we need to become literate in it, rather than avoid it or wish it never existed. 

Media is all around us and we present it continuously to our friends, family and colleagues through our PLN. If we make sure to critically analyze information as it comes in and before we present it ourselves, we ensure that the information we present is unbiased. The more perspectives one’s PLN takes on, the more objective they become. Therefore, having multiple perspectives enhances inclusion in your PLN. Smith mentions how she reads both the National Review and the Atlantic review which hold differing views and that she does not always agree with all that is in either. She takes bits and pieces of it all to make her own informed decisions so that she can come across as well rounded (Smith, 2020). Not only do we need to see both sides like Smith, we sometimes have to “put ourselves in uncomfortable exposures to make sure that we don’t live in an echo chamber of affirmation” (Miller, 2020). That means getting out of the mindset that we need to be affirmed in everything. It means embracing challenging ideas and difficult conversations because it is not always about giving people what they want, rather, it is about giving them what is right or what is fact. I know we all want to think the singing fish is real, but that does not help us in the long run. We need to know the truth so that we can be informed on how the media can affect our culture and so that we can make informed judgement calls and share information responsibly. We need to know the truth so we can recognize other points of view and so that we can slow down the cycle of biased information sharing. When we are informed we know the truth and the truth will break down the impossible expectations and skewed information that the media can present. Once you break down those walls, we are given the gift of objectivity and the ability to vote, curate and choose responsibly/respectfully. 

When I think of it, media literacy is like a super power that I want to give my children, my learners and myself. Media literacy is the power to see media as it is, a source of information that can be manipulated to influence human behaviour in order to make a profit or swing a judgement. It is the power to realize that we are in control of what we put out there and what we choose to take in. With this power, we can provide others with facts and become analytic, educated and contributing members of society who can make sound judgment calls and who can understand the potential future consequences of using certain media for themselves, others and for society as a whole. 

Citation:

EDCI 338 (2020, Nov 1). A01 Smith, Julie [Video file]. Retrieved from YouTube, https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Z_T9RghwJlI&feature=youtu.be

Trilling, B., & Fadel, C. (2012). Digital Literacy Skills. In 21st century skills: Learning for life in our times. San Francisco, CA: Jossey-Bass.

This week’s blog post touches base on education and how it occurs in many environments beyond the four walls of a traditional classroom, especially with the aid of a PLN and new technologies. It speaks to a PLN’s ability to share individual and community voice, which has learners engaging in learning for their community and for themselves, thus creating an avenue for lifelong learning. Finally, it speaks to how emerging technologies, which strengthen your PLN, are being used to facilitate learning, thus empowering more voices and building connections for life.  In this blog, I will speak to learners within education, as well as to my own experience as a learner, teacher and user. Bare with me because this is long, but worthy of a read.

Education is a topic that resonates deeply with me. As an educator myself, I am constantly trying to extend the learning outside the four walls of the traditional classroom. “Most learning does not take place in formal settings” (Veletsianos, 2010)  since most of the context is situated outside those four walls and is now, with the addition of technology, accessible everywhere. When we separate learning from our environment/ community, we are teaching our learners that learning only happens in one space. This is detrimental to the learner because they are less likely to be able to apply the skills taught in the traditional classroom elsewhere, thus inhibiting them from becoming the contributing members of society we hope them to be. If we don’t teach in the context of community, which provides relevance in “real life” (whatever real-life means), how will learners be able to participate in that community themselves? Our goal is to develop innovative, creative humans who are empathetic and empowered to make change in our communities. Therefore, in order to create active citizens as such, we must educate them as so. 

In order to best educate our learners in all spaces, it is vital that we use tools that resonate with them, that are applicable to their everyday lives and that extend their thinking, as well as their voices. Emerging technologies have irreversibly  changed the balance from teacher-centered to learner-centered.( Veletsianos, 2010). Therefore, It is important to use these technologies as tools to help facilitate conversation/ co-construction, to build context and that aid in the learner becoming/being the teacher. I use tools such as a personal website, FreshGrade and Padlet in order to give a lens into the classroom and extend education from the classroom into the home/ community. Padlet allows caregivers and students to post videos. In the beginning of the year I ask families to share a bit about the student’s name origin  and then to post a video of their explanation on Padlet. We share this video in class. Here, I am not teaching, the student and their caregivers are. This extends classroom learning and thinking as well as inadvertently teaches caregivers and students how to use the platform I am asking them to use. I have also used social media in a way to share what we are fundraising for in class or for what we are doing. I use it to share news articles of what is going on in our communities and bring that into the class to add context to our learning. This winter I got in contact with a member of Our Place who set up a Zoom call to inform my daughter about the vulnerable population in Victoria and what we can do to help keep that population healthy. I then used YouTube with my daughter who made a video regarding the vulnerable population in Victoria and how she was making care kits to help keep them warm. This helped empower my daughter, send her message and educate others. Mila (my daughter) acquired over 30 “we care kits”  which we then donated to Our Place. Our Place then shared what Mila did on their website and then they received more than 15 more “we care kits.” From here, someone shared Mila’s message to Adam Sawatstky at CHEK5 News. He interviewed Mila and spread her word farther than we could have without having used any of the tools we did or without the help of my PLN. This is how my students, my daughter and I have used social media to educate others and how my PLN is working for my daughter and my cause even when we didn’t know it. Not only is my PLN helpful in putting mine and others’ causes out there, it is a way to engage in community. My daughter, myself and my students (in cases within the class)  all got to feel like we were helping someone, we got to connect and give joy to a community they may never have had the chance to do without me reaching out through the use of technology and social communication.  It also allows my students and daughter to be the teacher of their passions. When we use social media and tech tools, they learn how to share information that they are passionate about or that is relevant making them the educator. Here is the link to her video.

Mila’s Mission: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=G9JCz94HCqc

News Clip: https://vancouverisland.ctvnews.ca/video?clipId=2105737&jwsource=cl

The way in which my PLN ( and the tools I used to build it) worked for me, reminds me of the interview with Brad Baker and how his PLN works for him. Brad’s father was a survivor of residential schools and he grew up in the North Shore in North Vancouver as a part of the Squamish Nation. Therefore, Brad has a huge connection to his community and this is something he is passionate about. He also holds a lot of knowledge from his, his father and his friends’ experience. Brad mentioned that, “healthy community is key” and that having a healthy community means “bringing understanding of my own story and of my family’s story together [so] we can become more positive contributors to society” (Baker, 2021). Baker’s “PLN is really [his] support system” and motivates and assists him in educating others. Baker uses Twitter and social media to build his PLN and open up discourse, thus teaching others and gaining further opportunity to do so. One example of this is when Baker was asked to speak on TedTalk. When I asked him (via email) how he had been given this opportunity, he mentioned that, “a few folks from West Van School had heard [him] speak somewhere else and approached [him] to be part of the series (Baker, 2021).  Therefore, Baker’s passion for his community helped him to build discourse through Twitter and social media which developed his PLN and gave him the opportunity to bring awareness of his passion to others through TedTalk.

There is an important point to address here. Some voices, such as Brad’s and other people from First Nations’ cultures, as well as many other cultures, are just beginning to truly be heard. I know I learned a bit about First Nation culture in school, however, I have learned more from TikToks, Instagram posts and tweets than I ever did in school (much like Jesse points out). This has me questioning why? Brad addresses a solid point regarding how social media, “allows the indigenous voice, in regards to reconciliation, to be put out there and from an authentic source. We all know mainstream media only tells what they want to tell.  [Therefore, social media allows for] “authentic voice and the real story to be told.” Social media allows you to “hear the true story first and foremost because if you are hearing it second or third hand, it generally loses its meaning at some point.”(Baker, 2021). This is a great example of why I am learning more about this topic and more. I am learning more (being taught better) because I am getting the information directly from the source, in real time and in a way that makes sense to me. I am also able to relate more to that source as I can engage with them and learn alongside them. I am being brought into a community I may not have otherwise been able to connect to without social media or a PLN. 

Sharing authentic voices brings up another hot topic for me as an educator. Valuing learner voice and learner experiences. This idea has moved to the forefront of the constructivist theory: The theory that knowledge is constructed from the experiences that each individual brings to the table, as well as co-constructed through the dialogue that happens between individuals. This shift is due to extensive theory examination, as well as the ever-changing amount of technologies and online tools available. This shift may be seen as a burden to some educators as it “impacts pedagogy and teaching/learning processes” (Veletsianos, 2010). New tools and technology forces educators to re-examine how they teach and why they teach that way. It also has them having to learn new technologies on a regular basis. This learning can be incredibly time consuming and daunting when the tool you have just learned may have become outdated in the time you learned it. However, for me, it is just another great example of how adaptable we, as educators/ humans, must be in a system that is ever-evolving. “We must be willing to change our pathways on how we educate” to advocate for what is right (Baker, 2021) and for all. 

As an educator I value voice and conversation as it addresses the learner as an expert in their own experience and builds avenues for learning to be reconfirmed/ reconstructed. This being said, when we offer group discussions in class, in order to provide a chance to share knowledge and co-create understanding, not every voice is always being heard. The outspoken opinionated student may take over the discussion, whereas the shy one won’t feel comfortable sharing their thinking. This is where technologies and social media are stepping in to help. From our readings, the use of Wikis are allowing spaces for collaboration where “multiple authors can edit and update the content of a document” (Veletsianos, 2010), as well as provide a place where conversations and discussions can be had through messaging. Not only do wikis allow for conversation, they allow for all voices to be heard. “The shy, quiet student is “heard” [and] the student who is always first to contribute will not receive undue attention and become frustrated for never being seen” (Veletsianos, 2010). 

I experience the use of online tools in my own current education through the use of Google Docs. We have a safe place to share and edit and converse in anytime that works for us, from anywhere in the world. We can converse through messaging or notes we leave each other. We can use the edit function or suggestion function depending on how comfortable we are with our teammates. In GoogleDocs, we feel safe to share our voices. We feel “heard” and valued because we can collaborate in our time in our own way and not be “overrun” by someone else. We also build connections (our PLN) for life in these interactions. I have met many people I continue to work with today within these types of learning spaces from both my personal and online courses at UVic. The best part is, we continue to use these types of and spaces and to communicate and collaborate together. 

Not only have I used these spaces in my personal life, I have used them in my teaching. I have used systems such as “polleverywhere” to give anonymity to students when they answer questions which allows them to confidently answer with no fear of being wrong in real-time. I have also used GoogleClassrooms so that learners can share ideas and their voices much as I have in my studies. In Kindergarten, these tools are more difficult to use as I have to explicitly instruct my students how to use the technology before we begin. That being said and as mentioned above, I use FreshGrade to help learners share their voices and knowledge with caregivers and other students and I use Padlet to allow learners and their caregivers to share with the class. Unfortunately, there are some challenges with these such as; photo release and caregiver permission of these tools being used. I try to combat these by educating caregivers that there are tools that exist which I can use to blur out faces thus protecting their child’s privacy and still allowing them to participate in online communications/sharing with me. I try and use as many tools as I can for my learners so that they can use those same tools properly within their learning, in all contexts. Since learning happens everywhere, we need to educate our learners how to use the tools available in a way that enhances their learning and their voice which in turn empowers them. This means being educated about them myself. Although it can be daunting and terrifying as a teacher to constantly be learning new tech and new safety precautions, it is life. Our learners are constantly changing what they are using, so should we.  

Today, I see so many youth taking selfies and using these tools as a way to show the world what they think they should be. This is unfortunately doing the opposite of empowering and emphasizing voice and authenticity. It is not allowing one to express themselves or what they are passionate about. If they can’t be authentic and passionate about what they want, how can they engage in and make change for anything? I think that as an educator if I can explicitly teach how to use these tools and technologies for the purposes of being authentic, educating/learning and with the purpose of instigating change, my learners will want to use them in this way and feel better for it. I feel the same way about my children. How much better would it feel to create change, stand up for each other, and to support your community and culture, than trying to change yourself to fit into the preconceived ideals of the world? Brad says it right when he says we “need to be vulnerable because that is true growth” (Baker, 2021). Not only does being vulnerable allow for growth, it allows us to express who we truly are and what we truly believe so that our voices are heard, thus supported. We are a huge community in where we ought to all be included and be able to engage as who we are with what we believe in. “Chenchenstway- we are in this together” (Baker, 2010), so let’s act like we are. Let’s use social spaces and technologies in a way that supports individuals and instills change, growth, and empowerment within our communities, for all. Let’s use these spaces, the ones that amplify conversation and collaboration and use technology, to allow all voices to be heard and facilitate conversations and support systems that can support life long connections and learning. Let’s teach our children that they can use these tools to be who they are, gain support from others, and to spread their own voices to make change. I want that for my own kids and I want it for yours too. 

Here are my main takeaways from this week of how a PLN can support education.

1. Education happens everywhere all the time- at home, at school, on a coffee date, when you volunteer, when you chat with your parents and when you are in nature exploring. Learning is happening everywhere from everyone even when you don’t notice it happening. 
2. Education and learning is enhanced through social communication and online tools. These tools can amplify your voice (if you are quiet they provide opportunities for your voice to be heard),  they can connect you to your community, thus creating meaning and empowerment, and they can extend your voice to places that it may have never reached.
3. Social media and your PLN support or challenge your voice/purpose/passion. Therefore, they provide insight and avenues for change in your thinking. 
4. When you have a robust PLN, it will support you when you don’t even know it and provide strength and distance to your voice and passion. 
5. Everyone is a teacher, or has the ability to be one. If you have a passion/skill/problem that needs solving, use social media and technology to educate yourself on it, build a community around it (PLN), and make changes for that community. 
6. Be perfectly YOUnique. You are enough and what you believe matters. Share your voice. 

 

Citation: 

Miller, Jesse. “EDCI 338 – BRAD BAKER.” YouTube, uploaded by MILLER, 04 Mar. 2021, https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dy63SmEpvCw.

Emerging Technologies in Distance Education, by George Veletsianos, AU Press, 2010, pp. 128–138.

Emerging Technologies in Distance Education, by George Veletsianos, AU Press, 2010, pp. 153–173.

Baker, Brad. (2021). Communications via-email. 

Identify the risks and benefits of engaging with a public audience in a media space. What are the risks for a public figure or person in a position of trust (educator, lawyer, government official)?

As mentioned in my many other posts, social media is an incredible way to communicate with members of the community that you may never have otherwise encountered, as well as a way to deliver and receive information relevant to your interests (as well as spark interests you may never thought you would have until one day seeing it on social media). Social media provides an avenue for information and movements to be met with people who hold positions of power who can then enact change. It carries voices and opinions which give insight and empowerment, as well as exposes strengths. Vance highlights how engaging in a media space can provide instantaneous opportunities. She explains how Drex, a person who had never met her, DM’d her asking if she would consider radio. Then he put her in touch with Larry Gifford who invited her in for a meeting which sealed the deal. Her PLN  connections and social media made this opportunity happen for her and it happened almost instantly.

Vance is not the only notable person who benefits from social media, many others use social media to influence, educate and engage communities to enact change. An example of a notable person I follow is David Suzuki. He has created “FridaysforFuture” climate strikes that have grown into a worldwide movement. This movement, as well as the many others,  create change as they put pressure on the people in powerful positions to make change. I must admit I am a huge fan of David Suzuki because his passion speaks to mine, and because he is authentic and educated. He provides facts and evidence to support his missions all while being kind, unapologetic and consistent in them. I have built up huge trust on what he shares and he motivates me to do the best for the environment, therefore the  best for the people living in it.

As there are many benefits to using social media for some, the use of it by persons in a position of trust can be difficult. What you post on social media can truly affect your appearance/ credibility, as well as that of your employer. As an educator, how I choose to brand myself, truly affects how the school system may look, as well as how reliable and trustworthy I appear. “It takes a life-time to build a reputation and a heartbeat to break it” and “you have to be careful bc its everything is a postcard to the world (Vance, 2021). I have spent ten or more years developing my “brand” and I must protect it. That means that I must be mindful of what I post and what debates I get into, or how I challenge others, as those who I challenge (or those watching the comments of those I challenge) may appear in my future communications, employment opportunities and classrooms. Not only am I mindful of this, but my employers are. My district has a very strict social media expectation that is outlined in our employee manual. We are not to add students to our social media, we are not allowed to have any questionable photos posted on it, and we are to avoid controversial conversations online.

Sometimes the inability to address controversial conversations can place you in a paradox where you want to be open and authentic but you are truly not allowed to be. That is a difficult place to be since I am supposed to teach my learners how to have kind controversial conversations in a respectful and constructive way. In this case, I would have to decide what my bottom line is and what I would be willing to potentially lose through my actions. As Vance said it, “If I am going to knowingly to break rules, I need to be prepared to lose a contract. I need to weigh these options (Vance, 2021). Now, in the occupation I have, there is not much room for moving my bottom line as the Education system is a huge branch and I am not sure I am willing to lose my reputation over a potential controversial topic, yet. I say yet because there has not yet been a conversation I have had motivating enough more me to act on, as well as the fact that I am still considered a newer educator who is trying to develop trust and form alliances which I would need to potentially “muddy the waters” and stay “protected.” It would be important for me to have someone in my corner, much as Vance did with Scott Moore, to vouch for my beliefs and to secure my position. It truly is hard to  be “100 percent of who you are and own who you are” in a world where everyone is watching and scrutinizing. In a world where your employers also hold an opinion over what you should and should not be saying and doing online.  Vance “feel[s] more free because [she] is a veteran of the industry now. [She] has experience.” She can leave her DMs open because she has built a solid reputation and she is confident in who she is and what she does. She has built trust around her information and the way she presents herself. This being said, she does mention how, “competition matters but the collective is incredibly important too because you may end up on that team” (Vance, 2021). Therefore, she is still weighing her decisions and actions even though she has security and experience. I am sure that after I get back from Maternity leave and build more experiences, become confident in my teaching again and gain more allies/ collaborators that I may feel more free in many ways too. Starting off is just not as easy because you don’t yet fully know where you are going or who is going to be in your corner until you start constructing them.

How to best address negative replies and critiques reflective of your personal values and employer social media policy?

Vance mentioned how she would, “Delete the jerks, [because] there will always be jerks” (Vance, 2021). I have no place on my social media for purposeful discrimination or hate of others at all. If someone were being purposefully hateful, I would delete them in an instant. However, if the comment was perhaps made with a lack of knowledge, I’m not sure I could be as  black and white as Vance is. As and educator, I think a little bit of the grey is okay because it brings up misconceptions and allows for conversation. It would allow me an opportunity to educate and bring awareness to harmful behaviours and comments, again showing my PLN the importance of educating people. Of course this would be done in a respectful and kind way and if it led to more hurtful/hateful comments, I would end the conversation and delete the person, but leave the conversation.

Now, if someone were to critique me I would be all open to that. I love hearing what I can do better, or what I have perhaps done incorrectly so that I can change the way I think and act. I want to be a better human and advocate for all. That being said, I get to choose how I deal with that critique. I get to choose if I will change my ways or not depending on how valid and constructive the critique is. Sometimes I may just simply thank someone for their comment knowing that, through my experience, this comment is not as effective as it could be, or I may choose to change my entire thinking and actions as a friend of mine did. My friend addressed someone’s critique on her social media incredibly tactfully and she took steps to improve her original post. She had posted about how she uses rice and dyed it in order to make a cute little spring sensory bin. Someone had DM’d her and commented on how in certain cultures using rice is disrespectful. My friend decided to create another post with this information on it and asked others to speak to their feelings about using food/ rice as a “play item” in order to see if there was anything else she was missing. She shared those responses. She then created another post about how she had already made this and that it may be a waste not to use. So, after asking the caregivers and learners in her class how they felt about it (securing how no one took offence and were all okay with it), she decided to use it. I was impressed to say the least. My friend demonstrated that she didn’t know it all and that in fact, had much to learn.  She taught us how we can deal with critique and how we can change in how we do things, but not everything. I have even deeper respect for her now and I trust that she will always be open and truthful in her learning process and share her learned experiences.

My friend’s actions taught me a lot about how I can build a PLN that can be relied on and how I can create trust and validity in the information I share. If I am open to critiques and new information, and if I take that information and change the way I engage, people will gain trust in me as I did in my friend. They will gain trust because they will see that I am constantly learning and applying my new knowledge in my PLN. I will also make sure to provide evidence and fact in what I post by sourcing out “real news” from “Fake news.” There is so much of this out there and I believe it is really important to source out the sources before posting. It is also important to watch out for content sourcing and content farms, not only because it is taking a hit on the journalists wage and importance, but the information that has been sourced can at times be very subjective rather than objective with no one to decipher between the two types of content. An example of this is how BBC used “citizen-journalists” to cover the conflict in Syria in 2011-20212.  Although these eye-witnesses were extremely important in gathering information, there were problems in managing the subjectivity of the information gathered since, “ there was a tendency to have their own political agenda, or exaggerate details in order to favour their “side” in the fighting” (Hirst, 2018). Content farms and sourcing may not actually give an objective outlook, because the information has been subjectively weighted.

How do those, who are veteran storytellers, minimize risk in sharing misinformation?

As a broadcaster or journalist in a time before the internet and social media existed, you would have to greatly rely on your sources and editors in order to ensure your information was in fact correct. However, now with the aid of internet/social media, journalism and broadcasting has become more of a freelance reality. Therefore, the journalist or broadcaster can go directly to the source and curate their own version of the story knowing it is credible as they can access and verify those stories in real- time. Those same “storytellers”can minimize the risk of misinformed information by creating a reliable network that is filled with experts in order to source solid information as well. As I mentioned earlier, it is also through hands on life experience that veteran storytellers have gained invaluable lessons and knowledge of how to minimize risk in sharing. Therefore, it is important to acknowledge that one’s ability to share “perfectly” in the early stages may not be as easy as you are continually learning how. That being said, if you fill your PLN with experts and use credible sources, you will have a lower risk of sharing misinformation.

I want to end this  blog with this snippet from the interview with Vance. I think she describes greatly the vital roll your network plays in your professional life and how every communication and conversation within it can lead up to where you end up. She demonstrates that your PLN is working for you (positively or negatively) behind the scenes (without you even knowing) because people are talking about you and watching you.

“I have benefitted so much from the foundation of my network and from being open to the connections that you have with the people who may float by you and not know they may become a huge piece of your network. Ex: How I Volunteered for Greater Victoria Open. I was sitting at a table with some of the biggest heavy weights at the industries I wanted to get into. I didn’t know this. Volunteering really helps network bc people know you want to be there.Things are happening behind the scenes- people are talking about you” (Vance, 2021).

Citation:

Vance, Jody & Miller, J. “EDCI 338 – 2021 – 03 – 21 JODY VANCE.” 03 Mar. 2021. doi: https://.youtube.com/watchv=dgZOJgJKdyl&feature=youtu.be

Hirst, M. (2018). Navigating Social Journalism: A Handbook for Media Literacy and Citizen Journalism (1st ed.). Routledge. https://doi-org.ezproxy.library.uvic.ca/10.4324/9781315401263