I am Learning.....

Month: March 2021

Blog Post 10

Blog Post #10

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

I can use the interactions from my PLN in this course to further my digital identity post-term by staying actively engaged in connecting with my PLN, and showing them what I have to offer as an educator. There is a large benefit for us to stay connected as a PLN. We have all learned a lot from each other in the four months we have spent together as a PLN.

We have learned from each other through many different platforms this semester including Mattermost, social media, and currently on zoom for our final project. I believe there are so many different avenues to engage in with your PLN that we could forever be learning. Together we have become more digitally literate which is “to the awarenesses, skills, understandings, and reflective approaches necessary for an individual to operate comfortably in information-rich and IT-enabled environments” (Oliveira).

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?

Digital identity in teaching is very important, especially the way education has changed due to Covid-19. Last year teaching online was a steep learning curve for a majority of teachers, myself included. I believe I have become much more digitally aware since the change of course due to Covid-19. Since this course I believe I have created a digital identity as a teacher and my PLN has attributed to helping me develop professionally. I have made connections with other teachers in my PLN as well as other professionals and we have made connections that will only enhance me as a lifelong learner.

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

I believe I will rely on my PLN as I progress through my career. I have made connections with professionals who have similar views as I; however, we are diverse in our life experiences. The diversity that my PLN presents I believe is a great learning tool as it gives me the opportunity to grow from various groups of individuals. My PLN provides me with an excellent chance to open professional opportunities as we all have different professional connections.

Works Cited

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

Blog Post 9

– What is media literacy?

Media literacy is the ability to understand, interpret, and create media posts fluently. All most all of society utilize some sort of media in their every day life. However, the media literacy of individuals is very diverse.

– Why is it important?

The ability to understand, interpret, and create media posts fluently is very important because it is the way of the world we live in now. Especially since the pandemic has shown us how we can still be productive and protect our nation by being online. That is why we need to teach the skills needed to be critical thinkers, aware of bias of theirs and the others, and to be able to create their own media posts for people to understand.

– Why is it dismissed?

Change is hard! Our ever changing society has changed very quickly in the last century in comparison to the past. So with that there is an overwhelming amount of the new way of doing things. Learning, not understanding, being fearful, and waiting to observe the outcome are all reasons why media literacy is dismissed. If you don’t know where to start to learn how can you possibly understand the importance of learning how to be media literate. People are still able to go about their daily lives without using all of the benefits to using media to save time, observe diversities, and connect to others. 

Why should you aim for varied views but the factual consensus in your PLN?

The importance of having a variety of views in a factual consensus allows you to share different perspectives that your own bias, beliefs, and values block you from fully be able to teach. To immerse the learner in a full understanding of how to critically think, question, and understand biases you have to be able to model different perspectives. It is very easy to only want to share your way of thinking and we seek out others who withhold the same beliefs as we do but this does not foster a good learning environment for ourselves or others. 

Open dialogues about media literacy and factual information can create conflict, why does this happen?

The answers to the above questions answers this one. We all have different abilities, ideas, and goals about media literacy and being that it is a newer concept people are still developing all of these areas. Which can lead to misunderstandings, confusion, and disagreements about media literacy. So being open minded to the fact that it is an ever changing way and that there may be a new better ways of doing, learning, and knowing. Also, allowing yourself to be vulnerable to try new things and actively listen to different perspectives will help avert conflict about media literacy and factual information.

What is the benefit of having a PLN that values media literacy?

A PLN that values media literacy will help support and guide you as a life long learner and enhance your abilities to share these skills with your students. Being able to share experiences and challenges with a PLN can offer up understanding, knowledge, and different perspectives to help navigate and improve your teaching. A team approach to anything allows for a broader spectrum on the subject and then therefore lessens individual biases and beliefs.

Works Cited:

Smith Julie. “EDCI 338 A01- SMITH, JULIE” YouTube, uploaded by Miller, Nov 2, 2020. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Z_T9RghwJlI

Trilling, B & Fadel, C (2012). Digital Literacy Skills . Media Literacy Chapter 4 pp.66. https://learning-oreilly-com.ezproxy.library.uvic.ca/library/view/21st-century-skills/9780470475386/fade_9780470475386_oeb_c04_r1.html

Blog Post 8

Blog post 8 

  • How does a PLN give power to messaging for an individual or community?

PLN’s give power to messaging both individually and as a community through interactions. When I think about this question, I think about a web, and that we are all connected both on individual basis and sometimes on a larger community basis.

  •  Community communications go beyond blogs and social media shares, how does a PLN help and hinder the development of thoughts and ideas in education discourse?

PLN’s help the development of thoughts and ideas in education discourse because it allows stories to continue. As mentioned in Brad Bakers interview, in traditional textbook style learning we only hear the story from one point of view, which is usually the side of the honored not the side of the oppressed. Therefore, having a diverse PLN is beneficial as it allows us to hear more than one story, and chances are that someone in your PLN has felt like the honored in a situation, and one likely has felt like the oppressed. As a teacher, I often think if what I am doing it beneficial to students, especially when it comes to teaching aboriginal education. I struggle with teaching aboriginal education (which is a large part of Social Studies 9 curriculum) because I feel like I do not know what it was like to be in a residential school; however, I feel as though if I recognize that and show my compassion then my students do not view me as unjustified. There are certain aspects of aboriginal education that I will bring members of the Ktunaxa community in to help me as it is their traditions, and feel as though I would ruin it by trying to educate my students on those certain topics.

This questions makes me think of a TED Talk video called “The danger of a single story”  https://www.ted.com/talks/chimamanda_ngozi_adichie_the_danger_of_a_single_story?language=en

  •  How does the use of PLN raise awareness opportunities in education?

PLN raises awareness in education through many channels and ways of communicating, for example my school that I currently work at has a Facebook page where information is shared, as well as a group email system; therefore, information that needs to go out right away is present in those locations. One example, we had a serious lock down in our school last year, where the building was surround with armed police officers. In minutes, we had phone calls to the school from parents and guardians wondering what was going on. After we got the all clear and could get the information out, we used our school Facebook group and reached out as fast as we could to let everyone know we were all safe and accounted for.

  •  What is the role of social media in education?

Social media plays a large role in education now, from instructional how-to videos to simply connecting with peers. As an educator I have witnessed social media have both positive and negative effects on students.  The positive effects I have witnessed is the ability that students have to connect with the world, whether that is friends, family, or influencers. Students also have the ability to look up or research anything at the touch of a finger, if they know how to navigate properly. However, the largest negative effect I have witnessed in my classroom through social media is bullying online. Students can hide behind their screen and be very malicious to others on social media, as majorities of social media sites have the messaging ability and quite often with social media sites, the conversations can be untraceable.

  • What are some problems with social media communications in education settings?

Problems that can occur with social media communications are often unintentional; however, they can last a lifetime. One problem with social media in education is the ability to misinterpret what an individual has wrote on social media because there is no tone in the context of what they are writing. Another issue that can occur on social media in education settings is the inability to retrieve something once you have sent or posted something that may potentially be controversial.

Social Media influences for Brad Baker:

@leonaprince

@conniewalker

@learnforward

Works Cited:

Adichie, C. (n.d.). The danger of a single story. Retrieved March 15, 2021, from https://www.ted.com/talks/chimamanda_ngozi_adichie_the_danger_of_a_single_story?language=en

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

Blog Post 7

Blog Post #7

 

  1. How do notable individuals use social media?

Notable individuals use social media to connect with the people in their network. Social media also allows notable individuals to expose their strengths to individuals who may be looking to hire them.

  1. What are the benefits of being in the public eye and having a PLN?

The benefits of being in the public eye and having a PLN is the ability it allows you to connect. Although the connection may not be in person, we have social media, Zoom, and other means of connection. PLN’s in the public eye also “help you weather the storm” (Vance). When you are going through a rough time, such as a layoff, you have a PLN to help support you and possibly seek out employment opportunities.

  1. Building community with online tools provided by the employer can be limiting, what are the perceived restrictions and benefits?

After reading the, Navigating Social Journalism: A Handbook for Media Literacy and Citizen Journalism, I would believe the largest limiting factor would be the ability to make money. Although some individuals may be passionate about building a community, they will also find themselves placing earning a living in front of building a community. As Hirst states, “This means it is hard for professional reporters outside the newsroom, and even harder for social journalists to make a living from their passion” (Hirst). A benefit of volunteering is that is opens up networks and possible job opportunities (Vance).

  1. Delivering information in a connected society requires verifiable resources, how to build a PLN to rely on?

I believe in order to build a PLN you can rely on, you approach it the same as a new relationship. Gaining trust of the fellow people in your PLN is the first step in building a reliable PLN, all members need to be open and honest. Secondly, is learning how to best communicate among the members in the PLN. Effective communication can be difficult at times because at times members may not voice how they are actually feeling in a situation.

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

Veteran storytellers minimize the risk of sharing misinformation by being mindful of when to stop (Vance). Jody Vance also stated in her interview that knowing the bottom line allows storytellers to avoid spreading misinformation. Jody also mentioned that knowing the standards of a specific social media platform (reading the fine print before signing the form) will also minimize the risk of misinformation.

 

Jody Vance follows:

@LIZAYUZDA

@ANDYLASSNER

@YASHAR

@J_MCELROY

@VASSYKAPELOS

@ROSIEBARTON

 

 

Works Cited

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

Vance, J. (February 28, 2021). EDCI 338 – JODY VANCE. YouTube. https://youtu.be/dgZOJgJkdyI

Blog Post 6

Blog Post #6

  1. How does social media engage in advocacy communications?

Social media engages in advocacy communications because it allows individuals to participate and discuss topics of importance. The interview between Jesse and Markiel Simpson exemplified how Twitter allowed Markiel to engage in an advocacy communication, which later flourished for him. A racist based bomb threat was made at a high school, which sparked the interest of Markiel to engage in creating and implementing Canadian Black History curriculum which he has partnered with BC Community Alliance which has helped gain the attention of the premiere, as well as, the NDP (Miller). This is just one example of how social media engages in advocacy communications; however, I have experienced how social media engages advocacy among my students (fourteen year olds). When the unfortunate death of George Floyd was largely covered on all forms of media, my students showed a very large interest in what happened and why it happened. As a teacher, it was very interesting to see how my students felt about the situation. In my class, I had some very strong advocates that believe the act was based on racism, and on the contrary, some advocated that he deserved to be arrested. Now, almost ten months later we are currently engaged in Black History Month in our Socials class and George Floyd’s name is a topic of interest for the students.

Social media does allow us to connect and advocate together where we feel heard and supported. Simpson’s two hashtags that he uses are #strongertogether and #togetherwerise (Miller). I feel as though these two hashtags define exactly how social media allows advocacy communications among those interested in the same matters. A group of people has more advantage and ability to be heard and seen, in comparison to one individual trying to make a difference.

  1. How does social media use in public discourse potentially challenge advocacy communications?

As Clark and Aufderheide state social media in public discourse possibly possess a challenge in advocacy communications when looking at “coordination that builds capacity for participation in public media 2.0 will pose a new challenge— distinct from the work of legacy media organizations and untested as yet in the digital era. Functions of a coordinating body would include providing a toolset for public participation” (Clark and Aufderheide). Without a toolset for participation, it leaves the ability to communicate wide open, which can cause major issues. If you are not held responsible for your participation in a social media platform fights and legal issues may arise. I am a firm believer that if you would not say it to a person face-to-face, there is no reason to hide behind a screen and do it.

  1. Does your PLN amplify the views of others?

I believe that my PLN does amplify the view of others. My PLN in this course is supportive of each other and accepting of others views and beliefs. As of now we have not engaged in controversial topics; however, we have had questions brought up where classmates have different viewpoints and so far it seems as though everyone is accepting and willing to learn from each other. As Markiel Simpson stated, “you are the expert in your own experiences” (Miller), therefore, no one has had the exact same experience as another in our PLN but we can all gain something from one another.

  1. The policies of employer social media communication expectations.

When thinking of my employer as a teacher we have a strict social media expectation. Our expectation are stated very clear that we do not have students on social media, we do not post anything questionable ex. drinking or drugs,  and avoid engaging in controversial conversations. While in university, we go through a course that includes topics such as social media engagement, and expectations. There are teachers that have themselves into “hot water” over social media conversations and photos; we are constantly reminded that we need to remember that we are professionals.

  1. How to better use social media to Build PLN

I believe I could better use social media to build a PLN by being more actively engaged; however, I feel with my busy schedule it makes it difficult to always be present. I have interests that I would like to engage on social media to create a PLN which includes, middle school teaching, teen mental health, and teaching as a general topic. When I have completed my course work, and get a better handle on running kids around I will allow myself to engage in PLNs on a more regular basis.

 

Markiel Simpson’s three favorite mentioned Twitter feed to follow:

@Builtjustice

@MatthewGreenNDP

@AOC

 

Works Cited

Clark, Jessica, and Patricia Aufderheide. “A New Vision for Public Media: Open, Dynamic, and Participatory.” Media and Social Justice, PDF file , Palgrave Macmillan, 2011, pp. 55-67.

Miller, Jesse. “EDCI 338 – 2021 – 02 – 22 Markiel Simpson.” YouTube, 22 Feb. 2021, www.youtube.com/watch?v=yCSpm1Lx8-A&feature=youtu.be.