Category: EDCI338

Media Literacy is the ability to recognise varied types of media and to recognize the message they are trying to communicate. We have a variety of media such as TV, radio, social media, advertising and so on. One of the things that they have in common is that someone created it for a reason and as receivers of these information, we need to try to understand their reason. In our digital age, anyone is free to create anything. We need to understand who and why they created this piece of media. Can we trust this source? Media literacy helps us to think critically, to become informed consumers of information, recognize different points of views and understand authors’ aim. It is advisable to be open to varied views in your PLN as it allows you to see things from different angles to develop a better knowledge; to see strengths and weaknesses on different things. However, one has to be careful and be sure whether the information that has been shared is factual or is it merely based on opinions. It is important to analyze any information critically; asking yourself whether the claims are being supported by evidence? Media literacy open discussions can create conflicts are they may cause debates as to which information is factual and what is not factual and how can this be determined. The initial source of certain information may have been changed completely in the process of sharing on multiple occasions. It is beneficial to have a PLN that values media literacy because you want to be sure about information that are being shared by individuals in your PLN.

It can be quite challenging to build a reputation and trust in a connected culture but it is definitely achievable if you follow the right path. With regards to dynamism, you need to know if the individuals in the network that you want to follow are full of energy, vitality, and enthusiasm. Are they constantly seeking new opportunities, experiences, and challenges? Are they willing to take risks in order to achieve their goals?

Concerning reliability, you want to be sure that you are aware of the organizations that the individuals that you follow work in and the type of network that they follow.

In terms of participatory, you would want to follow individuals who are actively posting and engaged in what they do. In addition, you should consider whether they follow useful and relevant network and if they contribute to other peoples posts.

I believe that it is great to help one another. I leverage healthy relationships from my PLN by proactively participating in discussions with my seniors or mentors. I share relevant and helpful thoughts even if the discussion is not necessarily directly related to a topic of my interest.

Prior to engaging in a social media campaign, you should consider connecting with individuals are interested in the same topic of interests as your campaign. You should communicate your concerns and try to find out whether they have similar  opinions as you on the topic.   

Personal Learning Network can be very helpful in connecting people because you are able to share your ideas, resources and offer your assistance to your social network and in turn you can benefit from what others have to offer. However, it can also be problematic because if you tend to follow networks that have the same opinions, values and vision as yours, you may limit yourselves to what you only know or interested in. Thus, if you as an educator are familiarising yourself only with certain network you may be biased and less open to new ideas in your pedagogy. Hence, this can have a negative impact when you are teaching your students.

Social media in education has many benefits. It can help enhancing communication, information sharing, educational opportunities, and networking opportunities.

YouTube, Instagram, and Facebook can be helpful social platforms that students use for learning, especially in the form of video format. Facebook and Instagram even help students share and exchange knowledge through live sessions, messages, and interactive communities.

However, some of the issues that we can face when using social media in educational settings is that it can create addiction, cyberbullying, distraction, and provide false information.

The use of social media in the vulnerable sector can be challenging for various reasons, for example, a vulnerable person may not be fully capable of using social media without the assistance of someone else. They may need to rely on others to assist them and they have to be sure that they can trust this individual. Some vulnerable people may not have a full understanding of how social media operates. In addition, their information may be misused and they may not be able to safeguard themselves.

To curate my social media with a critical public audience, I would be selective about the groups that I am following on social media; I would find out whether we share similar core values and vision. Thus, minimising the occurrences of having to deal with contradicting opinions. I access information on the PLN with a critical eye. I check the sources of information that are shared to ensure that they are reliable. Hirst highlights that “the problem of fake news is one all of us are going to have to face, whether we are consumers, professional journalists or working in the social journalism space” (Hirst, p.99). Fake news have a stake in trying to catch our attention but we have to try our best to critically analyse the information to the best of our ability.

There are some benefits for public figures to engage with a public audience in a media space. If you take the example of a government official, they can engage with more members of the public through social media; showing that they care about public opinion. They can also clarify certain misconceptions. However, the risks is that they can get harassed by people who disagree with them or get trolled. If the government official takes the comments at heart, these experiences could have a negative impact on their professional or personal life.

It can be hard to receive negative replies and reviews, which reflect one’s personal values. However, it is important to take a step back from the situation; one should avoid getting defensive because this can escalate the disagreement which could potentially lead to nasty arguments. Furthermore, we should be respectful of the reviews and replies; we have to realise and appreciate that people are allowed to give their opinions, although it could sometimes be hard or hurtful to accept it. We have to realise that if we chose to share something on social media, we could be subject to these kind of risks.

There are often many restrictions when using certain online tools in the professional setting. Employers set up these limitations to safeguard everyone in the workplace or associated with the workplace. For example, they need to protect data for confidentiality.

Hirst , Martin. Navigating Social Journalism: A Handbook for Media Literacy and Citizen Journalism. -1st ed., Routledge, 2018.

Social media uses various ways to engage people, it is visual and auditory, and we have access to a lot of information through this platform.

However, social media can challenge communications as sometimes information is manipulated. There have been so many cases of deep fake and circulation of false videos or written materials. Sometimes these are done so professionally that viewers will believe the information that is shared without a single doubt.

Social media tend to be inclusive because anyone can communicate through this medium. People from all over the world can post, access and share information that is on social media.

My PLN often highlights the view of others, if I like a post on Facebook, I will hit like to let the creator of the video know that I enjoyed the post. Sometimes, if I think it is useful to others I will even share the post to others who I think will be interested about this topic.

When it comes to policies of employer, the code of conduct has to be respected, one has to be conscious about what is being shared online, one should be cautious not to refer to your employment.

To build my PLN, I choose some people or organisations that I find interesting and I follow them. They often share information on their profile, which could be of interest to me. Then I follow those new people as we share the same interests and I add them to my PLN.  

Inclusion plays an important role in the education system, British Columbia’s vision is “to provide inclusive and responsive learning environments that recognize the value of diversity and provide equity of access, opportunity and outcome for all students including students with disabilities and diverse abilities” (BC government).

Teachers cater for all students by diversifying the learning material, by taking into consideration students’ needs, by facilitating participation and building a rapport with every student. Educators ensure that students feel a sense of belonging by creating a welcoming and safe environment, focussing on increasing and maintaining students’ motivation and encouraging participation.

As Moore stated in her book, I agree that students should be given the option to learn, for example “to choose to work in the hallway, in the library, at desks or at tables – the more choices the better” and this variety help students to become more successful. (Moore, 2016, p.27).

Social media plays an important role in increasing my knowledge and developing my practice as a teacher. For example, I joined several Facebook groups that talks about teaching and learning. These groups are regional, national and international, of different school types and of different age groups. I believe that as educators we can all benefit from learning from one another; the more diverse the group the better, we learn more from people from different backgrounds, abilities, views and experiences. Thus, we can better support our learners.

Social media is such as important tool for our development and our contribution to our society and the world; it helps us to connect with individuals from all around the world. Furthermore, there are variety of social media platforms that we can benefit from, for example: we can use YouTube, which is a great audio-visual learning medium, and we can share our ideas, tips and strategies with the creator of the video as well as with other viewers; learning from one another.

BC . “Inclusive Education Resources.” British Columbia, 31 Jan. 2022, www2.gov.bc.ca/gov/content/education-training/k-12/teach/resources-for-teachers/inclusive-education. Accessed 16 Jun. 2023.

Moore, Shelly . One Without the Other : Stories of Unity Through Diversity and Inclusion. Portage and Main Press, 2016.

Nowadays, LinkedIn and Twitter seem to be among the most common digital platforms that individuals use to develop their professional network. They could also consider creating their own YouTube channels or create their own websites that they could share with their professional network.

Data privacy and security may limit PLN as the information that we share about ourselves are not always publicly available on the internet because we often limit access by setting some parameters for our own privacy and safety online.  On the other hand, organisations who are registered, have been vetted and legal and who agree to the terms and conditions of data privacy and security, they can access our information and be of our PLN’s.

I am considering creating a digital identity by using more professional sites such as LinkedIn or Twitter. To help build my reputation, I could include recommendations from some professionals in my profile to support any claims I make about myself.

 I think my social media presence would not affect my employability. I am mostly a visitor online and use it more professional reasons or as a requirement by some institutions.

Digital identity is our digital footprint; depending on what we share, the results of your digital identity would have different impacts. It could be a great platform to attract; for example, new employers if you are being mindful about what you share;  you may land with a great job offer. On the other hand, you may sometimes face bad consequences if you made the choice of sharing content that you are not necessarily proud of.

As Spracklen states in his article, “the net is a positive space for constructing and maintaining social net[1]works, identity and belonging”; I also believe that social media can help some individuals in feeling a sense of belonging; especially for individuals who find it difficult to communicate in person (Spackle; p. 112).

Personal linking network (PLN) helps to keep individuals and society connected. It gives us the flexibility; we can stay connected at different times, location and in the way that we wish to be connected; we can decide how much information we would like to share. With the increasing economic and social changes, it has become even more important for us to develop our network skills and digital literacies. However we have to be cautious as Boyd states in his article “Our data—and with it, our privacy—is increasingly networked.” We should be careful what data and how we are sharing our data. (Boyd, p.1)

I use social media predominantly for professional purposes. I find that it can sometimes be helpful as I learn new strategies to assist me in my workplace. I always check the sources for their reliability and relevancy. On the other hand, I also have the opportunity to share certain topics or strategies that I have found helpful to other members of my Personal linking network.  I believe it is a great way as it allows us to be life long learners who can share their passion. I always make sure that I respect the privacy of others and I take great care to review any information before posting them.

Spracklen K. “Identity-Making and Social Media.” Digital Leisure, the Internet and Popular Culture, 2015, https://link-springer-com.ezproxy.library.uvic.ca/content/pdf/10.1057/9781137405876_6.pdf. Accessed 4 Jun. 2023.

Networking using social media involves the use of internet-based social media sites to maintain contact with family, colleagues, friends or clients. The purposes can vary, it could be business or social. Examples of such sites may include Instagram, Twitter and Facebook…

The Personal professional networking model figured in the an  article shows that individuals are motivated to participate in networked publics as they see it as an opportunity to build new contacts and when those are maintained, it can potentially activate great results. (Ragagopal, Joosten–ten Brinke, Bruggen and Sloep, 2012)

As well as rewards, there are also risks of public communications. I believe that in his article Social and Surveillance, Boyd highlights a very important point that “what we share about ourselves tells heaps about other people”. Often, we unconsciously include information about other people and this is a breach of their privacy. (Boyd)

Information that we share on the different networks can easily be subject to a variety of interpretations. For example, sometimes only part of an information is extracted and this section is then reused to give a different interpretation.

Personal linking network is becoming increasingly prevalent especially after the pandemic.