EDCI 338

And just like that, another semester has come to an end. Looking back, I have learned a lot in EDCI 338, but more importantly, I have learned how to advance myself as a learner in both academic and personal life. Not only did I learn what a PLN is, but I also obtained the knowledge about furthering my already existing PLNs. As a science student, I am hardwired by the school to look at learning as reading, memorizing, and restating the memorized material. But this course has allowed me to see how learning can be done through socializing and networking. More importantly, it has allowed me to understand that socializing with various people online is me taking steps towards developing a PLN.

Upon learning the material from the course, particularly focusing on how to create a reliable PLN, and reading my fellow classmates’ posts, I practiced open learning and discussing various topics in my school club as a way to further that PLN. And behold! every member of my club participates. Furthermore, the engagement in my club has been higher than ever, all because I started conversations about different topics, reached out to people that shared similar interests and tastes, and most importantly, was genuine in my narrative and what I was sharing.

Because of everything I have learned so much in this course, I wanted to have a summary of our growth in this course. Thus, with my group members, we created a project and divided it up based on the topics that we enjoyed learning about the most and created a podcast of us talking the different topics. I was very excited because thanks to this course, I am truly enthusiastic about PLNs and their positive effects on a person, including myself. When creating the podcast, everything that I say is solely me reflecting on my own learning and understanding from this course. I was very proud of myself because I managed to learn and understand various topics and apply them to my real life. The best part is that I did all that without using my conventional way of learning (memorizing and restating). This just showed me that there is so much learn and so many ways to learn, and how the school can impact your daily life, even down to messaging people on social media.

Before this course, I was used social media a lot for learning. Either I was setting up study sessions, or asking for help on an assignment. But regardless, when using social media for learning purposes, I only focused on messaging one person at a time. But this course and reflecting on the readings, my focus has now changed, as I am beginning to lean towards creating and interacting with groups and communities, rather than an individual person. With the whole cancel culture being so active online, this course was a nice refresher in terms of highlighting the positive effects of social media and its potential towards supporting a learner.

One takeaway from me from this course is the importance of networking and PLN. I am sure to practice developing more PLNs and furthering myself but learning from the various communities and groups that share similar interests and career plans as me.

Consider how you can use the PLN interactions of this course to further your digital identity post-term. 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? Additionally, as you progress through the steps of your career, can your PLN be relied on to open professional opportunities?

Something I have learned in this course is that for years, I had been creating various PLNs and networking with many people online and in-person at my volunteering jobs. However, until I took this course, I did not know that the result of my action is that I am creating a ‘Personal Learning Network’. This course has taught me the definitions of my actions (creating a PLN) and made me aware of exactly what it is that I am doing and suppose to do, such as why creating a healthy digital identity is necessary or why its sometimes easier to understand a person’s personality via online compared to in-person (due to their digital identity being transparent and open).

Due to the awareness that this course has brought, I had elevated my engagement in my PLN whether it is on the matter most or in my club. Upon reading the various readings assigned in the course, I have realized that the most important thing you can contribute to your PLN is transparency, and the most important thing a PLN provides you is confidence. I practice these in all my interactions as I am very clear and direct with my classmates on matters such as how the project should be, and I am also very transparent about my experiences in my weekly blogs. The primary reason that is because my group mates and classmates provide me with positive feedback and agree with my narrative, which provides me the validation that my understanding is accurate. Furthermore, upon doing the readings and connecting the readings with the week’s topic and my experiences, I have been very confident in my narrative and writing as well, which is furthered by the positive reinforcement I receive from my classmates as well.

Having a digital identity in your industry means that one should have an online persona that highlights facts or attributes about you that are in line with the industry/job. This is very important because having an online identity where all you share is highlights of various video games will not attract a scientific prof who is looking to hire an undergrad student for research assistance. It’s like a blend of the two famous sayings, ‘fake it till you make it and ‘when in Rome, do as the Romans do,’ which in this scenario would mean have a digital identity that follows/supports the needs of industry and follow the actions as well as digital identities of those that are already in the particular industry.

Thanks to Twitter, I have networked with various profs and built a digital identity which highlights my desire for doing scientific research. Furthermore, by engaging in various forms associated with medical students and premeds (career goal is to be a physician), I have created a PLN that supports my learning that is associated with my future career. I strongly believe that my PLNs, one associated with professors and others with premeds and med students, will help my professional development post-course.

Lastly, I strongly believe that my PLN can help me obtain new professional opportunities because I have obtained various research and volunteering opportunities thanks to my PLN. For example, my premed discord club told me about a tutoring opportunity and since last year, I tutor English to a student in Mexico and I absolutely love it! Furthermore, as mentioned in my prior blogs, following various professors on Twitter and commenting on their posts highlighted my presence to them which aided me in obtaining various research positions.

So, what exactly is media literacy? Media literacy is the ability to understand and identify the different forms of media. As stated by Trilling & Fadel (2012), media literacy allows an individual to comprehend the message and information portrayed in a media, as well as use various media forms to interact with other people; usage of a media form can be done by developing a product using any media platform. The importance of media literacy is that our daily lives are connected with media whether it is a website we surf online for news or a streaming platform we casually watch movies on. Every time we connect with any media, it can impact our understanding as well as perception, and thus, understanding what you are consuming is crucial (Trilling & Fadel, 2012). Furthermore, media literacy is often dismissed and there are various reasons for this but I believe that most people are not aware of the impact of material they are consuming through various media, the accuracy of the material, and a strong preconceived notion that everything on the media is most likely exaggerated or false.

Using my parents as an example, they grew up in a different era where scientific papers and research, for example, were not prominently available on the web. Furthermore, they barely used the internet when it came out. Due to this, when they read something on the web, they immediately ignore it because they believe that what is shared on the internet and other media is nothing but a pure exaggeration. However, because of the era, they grew up in, they are not media literate in regards that they are not aware of how one can assess the accuracy as well as the authenticity of the material shared on various media platforms, and assessing the accuracy of information shared on media is an important part of media literacy (Trilling & Fadel, 2012). Thus, since people do not know how to ask the right questions in regards to determining the authenticity of the information, they are quick to disregard the material without developing an appropriate justification for their actions.

Furthermore, there are many media platforms that one can use to gather knowledge and information about any topic. As we all have an either witness or learned at some point in our lives, numerous options can often lead to confusion and being overwhelmed. Thus, those who are not tech-savvy and highly literate in media tend to shy away from accessing media platforms because consuming a lot of foreign information and learning media literacy can be a difficult and overwhelming task, and oftentimes, choosing to refuse the idea of being media literate is often the one that brings the least amount of stress and anxiety. I strongly support this because the idea of refusing to become media literate is very prominent with my parents because they find learning about various media to be challenging at their age and very stressful.

In the interview with Miller, Smith (2020) mentions that we, as people, tend to gravitate towards using media sources that are most in line with our views and beliefs however, by doing so, we are limiting ourselves to obtain knowledge and perspective from a very small niche. Hence, to ensure one understands a material accurately and effectively, various perspectives and voices should be welcomed within your PLN. As a STEM student, I have been rigorously taught that obtaining various sources and opinions on a single topic is the most effective way to further understanding that specific topic and the same goes for material and we discuss in our PLN.

Furthermore, Smith (2020) explains how people tend to ignore information, whether it’s articles, news, or even opinions, that one does not wish to hear. This action makes sense because everyone has the right to align themselves and hear/view the material that supports their beliefs however, avoiding something that you do not wish to interact with or hear about hinders one’s personal growth whether it is intellectual or mental. Furthermore, avoiding a topic or two can create a snowball effect resulting in a person completely avoid using a specific media platform. This further contributes to media illiteracy.

In my opinion, PLN’s main goal is to cultivate a mutual learning environment and further one’s understanding of certain or various topics as well as introduce the members to various perspectives regarding a topic or matter as a way to further expand one’s understanding. Media literacy has the capabilities to provide user information and knowledge of his/her intellectual and personal growth, similar to a PLN. However, when combining media literacy and the aforementioned attributes that a PLN brings to the table, the result is a cooperative learning hub that fosters critical thinking.

References

EDCI 338 (2020, Nov 1). Smith, Julie . 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.

With having a PLN, I have gained a lot of knowledge, developed my understanding of certain social issues such as systemic racism, and learned just how much impact online presence and sharing can have within your group as well as others. My PLN powers me to message because during the pandemic, many important things have happened and their relevancy, as well as the support of people, spread like wildfire on social platforms; an example of this can be the Black Lives Matter movement! People used Twitter, Facebook, and other platforms to bring light to issues present in our society but also shone a light on their own experiences, understanding, and opinions. Doing so has no developed a snowballed effect where many people, including me and my PLN, are using social media as the primary outlet to voice our opinions and understanding of a concept! PLN (mine being predominantly online), to me, is not just a circle of friends and colleagues that I can learn from and share my knowledge with, PLN is a safe space where all thoughts and beliefs can be shared without any judgment. Thus, my PLN breeds a safe space, which gives me the power to message individuals or a community. For example, this past week, I have been extremely busy with school and work, doing nothing besides writing quizzes, papers, and studying. On my club’s discord, which is one of my PLN, I shared about how I am overwhelmed and about 15-16 of my club members responded with positive reinforcement and support. This was amazing but what makes this more special is that doing this, sharing your emotions with people you haven’t met face to face before the pandemic would seem super weird! But thanks to social platforms being a place to express oneself safely and my PLN creating a judgment environment, I am empowered to share myself and my feelings!

Social media is extremely beneficial for education as well. As a science student, I have read numerous scientific papers and always used google scholar to find primary sources. But nowadays, there is so much research happening across the world that is impossible to stay on top of a specific field. Therefore, how do I learn about what is occurring right now in reaction mechanisms research? I follow the chem professors that are researching in the field of mechanisms, on Twitter and the accounts with whom they regularly interact. Thus, every day, I read a tweet by the professor(s) I am following, about something new being published or discovered in the reaction mechanisms field of study. Therefore, not only am I connected with recent findings, but I am also furthering my education and using social media to do so. As highlighted by Veletsianos (2010), PLNs can be used to elevate open learning and open education, which can easily be supported by using social media since social media ensures open-end sharing and conversing.

Education, to me, is essentially a compilation of various accepted notions that are passed down to understand, converse, and agree upon or refute. Using the interview between Miller and Baker, both of them are linked by their practices as they both are educators. Baker emphasizes in the interview that how he wishes to understand various points of view associated with various individuals across the world. This goal of Baker’s is very similar to that of a community as members in a community are interconnected based on their views, opinions, and similarities. Baker states this over an interview with Miller, who is also a part of an online education community, and who every week reads various points of views of various students. Their interview is highlighting community communication, 2 different communities, represented by Miller and Baker, communicating with each other and understanding as well as agreeing with each others’ perspectives. Their interviews act as a PLN as they are learning from each other and discussing their understandings. This exemplifies how PLN promotes education discourse as two members converse on topics that are derived/associated with their field and education, as a way to further their and others’ learning and impact their education in a positive manner. Another way PLN helps promote education discourse is by making education and communication of education more universal. Two PLNs represented by Miller and Baker, who are situated in different places, we’re able to come together and learn. This highlights how education is not simply what happens in a classroom or in a building, education can literally be conducted with anyone on the planet.

However, with PLN, assessing the credibility of the source(s) shared in/by/with the PLN need to be assessed. Sharing and understanding false information is nothing short of unfortunate. PLNs in my opinion are something that is often treated like a close, semi-professional, semi-casual friendly circle from which you learn various things. Now, what is shared is false or inappropriate, which will hinder education discourse. Associating with an untrustworthy PLN can now hinder the educational discourse of a different PLN. And as we all have witnessed in our lives, sharing something, especially on social media, has the potential of being spread like wildfire. Thus, sharing untrustworthy material in a PLN is a sure way to hinder educational discourse.

Ultimately, PLNs should be open and diverse. They should welcome new thoughts, understanding, and always have the goal of interacting with new members and the community. We are living in a time that is dominated by online presence and most of mankind is connected with each other in some way through a screen and a social media platform. We must adapt and use our environment for the advancement of our education and PLN, and social media has the capabilities to support this with ease.

 

References

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

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

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)?

The benefits of engaging in a public audience in media space are that you can connect, share, and support as well as engage in advocacy communications. Social media, especially when you are in a position of trust, gives you a platform to “preach” to the masses. Furthermore, your career associated with the position of trust such as being a lawyer can add credibility to your narrative. For example, a lawyer can publicly comment on the impeachment trial on his/her Twitter account (via general statement) as long as he/she is not directly associated with the case. Viewing the J.D. title behind the user’s name ensures the followers and readers that the user possesses legal understanding to comment on a legal case with accurate information.

As Jody Vance (2021) stated, reputation can take a lifetime to develop and create, but only “a heartbeat to break it”. This statement highlights the efforts it took for an individual to acquire a position of trust while acknowledging the impact their words can have, not only on the public but also on their own self. Now imaging the same scenario I presented prior, if the lawyer stating his/her opinion is false, media and followers can judge the lawyer harshly and view his/her credibility to be false and ineffective. His/her credibility is directly associated with his/her education in law, and distrust of his/her credibility projects him/her to be an inadequate lawyer. Furthermore, this incident can hinder his/her respect within the PLN and since one can see/observe/follow others’ PLN, the poor image of one PLN’s member can influence the image of all PLN members. This is one of the reasons why I, myself, am very careful in terms of what I post on the internet as almost anything on the web can either be downloaded or screen recorded, which can impact one negatively.

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

Social media is full of users from different backgrounds and societies. This diversity welcomes various opinions. For example, some people view success as having a lot of money and fame, while others as doing what they love. Sharing about your life on the web can make others post comments about your success, which really are just their opinion of what success is and how YOU do not fit in it. These opinions can make your “success [to be seen as] illusory” (Hirst, 2018). I use this example because, for me, success is me having my ideal life which is being financially independent and belonging in the 1% or upper class. In high school, sharing my perspective of what success means to me, welcomed criticism and statements which were “you will never be happy if you act like that” or “that’s a very materialistic and gross way of thinking about things”.

Upon hearing these comments, I knew I need to defend my own perspective because when one hears something a lot, he/she can be influenced by it and I did not want my ideology to change because others said so or deemed it, but rather if it changes, it should change from my own personal growth and understanding of the world. I handled these comments as always saying I respect their views and I ask that they respect mine and if they don’t, they can kindly choose to no longer associate with me. I truly believe that this is the best way of address negative replies because you always need to remember that you cannot defeat negativity negatively as that will just cause you to be negative – being the bigger person and showing respect is the most mature way in regards to staying true yourself and not giving in to the negativity impacting you.

How do notable individuals use social media?

I follow various celebrities on my social media platforms and all of these celebrities have well over two million followers. Knowing that you have large amounts of followers is directly proportional to the number of people who pay attention to you and your presence online.

In the modern world, to survive, one must have a stable income, and having a large fan base along with being in a position of trust and influence allows celebrities to find ways to influence their followers in hopes of obtaining brand deals for example. In my opinion, for notable individuals, as Vance (2021) said, “opportunity meets preparation” because most notable individuals portray their best image on the web because they do not have to lose their position of trust and influence they have online. By doing so, they create their platform with as large of a fan base as possible, since the more followers they can influence, the more likely a brand is to reach out to them. Furthermore, since they have a position of influence, many followers tend to take the notable individuals and their narratives at face value.

What are the benefits to being in the public eye and having a PLN?

Being in the public eye highlights whatever you do and say. This can be a blessing as you can share resources, thoughts, data, etc that you believe is good for people to know and for the betterment of society such as sharing about the benefits, safety, and efficacy of the COVID-19 vaccines. Furthermore, since being in the public eye gives you attention, you can use this attention to highlight the work your PLN has done for example such as specific projects or expand your PLN.

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

I do not have any experience building community online using tools provided by an employer. However, at my current job, we do have a group chat where all the employees in our department are added. Furthermore, managers are not present, added, or welcomed in the chat because, in a workplace, it is actively reminded that you must act appropriately and at times, in a specific manner, when your managers are around since they hold a supervisory position over you. This creates a very stressful vibe at work. Therefore, the group chat allows as a way for co-workers to let go of the whole “suit and tie” personality and engage with each other as friends. Thus, in our chat, we share memes, funny videos, and occasionally gossip but the only perceived restriction is that you must remember to stay behavior appropriately because just cause your managers can see what you say and do, doesn’t mean no one else can.

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

Disclosure, justification, accurate explanations, and welcome of criticism are crucial to building a PLN that one can rely on. Disclosure allows us and what we share to be seen as genuine which elevates the credibility and trustworthiness that others have towards you. Justification is crucial because in a PLN, for growth and learning to occur, the reasoning behind the theory, for example, must be well understood and justified. Furthermore, justification can only be well accepted if it is provided with logical and accurate explanations. Lastly, PLN and information shared within the PLN can and should evolve over time as the world around us evolves. Thus, with evolution, individuals can develop different understanding and begin critiquing things using the newer or more relevant information. Rather than viewing criticism from a negative and hostile point of view, one must welcome criticism because criticism allows one to see things with a new pair of lens. Also, criticism welcomes growth and evolution which is needed for making a PLN genuine and reliable.

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

For veteran storytellers, it can likely be assumed that he/she has told a or a specific story numerous times. With this, he/she should have an opinion on how the story was perceived and what details about the story were beloved. The thing all storytellers, in my opinion, keep in mind that is they are TELLING A STORY, not their rendition of a story or their opinions about the story. Opinions can welcome strong words which can influence a listener whether intentionally or unintentionally. A professor I had in my second year once said during a lecture, “you must know how to read the room…you must know your audience”. For storytellers, they should know what story to tell and what to share since doing so is the only way for them and their stories to be welcomed and appreciated by the listeners. For example, a storyteller would and should not share a story about nazi propaganda to grade 3 students or share his/her opinions on the communist manifesto to chemistry students.

References: 

Hirst, Martin. Navigating Social Journalism. 1st ed., Routledge, 2018, pp. 142-143.

Miller, J. EDCI 338 – Judy Vance. Youtube, 2021.

I always believed social media is a giant cluster of people sharing their opinions, desires, glimpses of their personality and interest, and more often, hilarious yet overused memes. But upon watching the interview with Markiel Simpson, and comparing as well contrasting the interview with the reading  A New Vision for Public Media, I have realized that social media is a giant bubble that is strongly associated with advocacy and information (as well as some internet behaviors) sharing are connected with this sense of advocacy that is prominent on the web.

It is this sense of advocacy that makes social media such as Twitter, a substantial zone full of individuals sharing their beliefs, thoughts, and opinions with strong passion and charisma. “Open, and digital public media will be an essential feature of truly democratic public life” (Clark & Aufderheide, 2013), and social media achieves precisely this! One of the most prominent features of democracy is the freedom of speech and the right to express yourself, beliefs, opinions, and faith! On social media, using Twitter as an example, hashtags are a medium that allows an individual to search posts and information that are similar, if not the same, as their beliefs and find the information they desire. For example, on Facebook, in my first year when I was enrolled in chemistry and biology classes, I search for ‘UVic Biology 184’, and numerous groups showed up, from which I joined the ones that we were created in my corresponding academic year. And this is the social media practiced the essential components of democracy (freedom of speech) as it allowed us, students, to express our learning in a safe environment and ask questions as a way to succeed and we all benefitted from our correspondence; hence, we succeeded together which is what a democracy aims to do, succeed together!

Furthermore, advocacy communications aim to influence specific audiences. Now, because social media makes it easy to find individuals, groups, pages, and information regarding specific topics (using hashtags), any traffic conducted on social media can impact any user, and this results in a change in the user’s mentality, hence, social media becomes a great platform to not only reach out to individuals and share developing theories and/or recent understandings/developments but also influence the present and future minds that will lead the world. Also, social media shares aids in “educating, informing, and mobilizing users” (Clark & Aufderheide, 2013), and as we all know, education is always changing, for example, look at how we are studying now, and how education has transformed, starting from all in-class learning to conducting discussions, writing blogs, and participating in zoom lectures. Hence, as the material shared on the web is changing and transforming as time progress, users’ mentality who affiliated with social media is constantly changing as well thus, resulting in growth within a society to occur all via virtual manner. Therefore, going back to advocacy communications, because social media continues its stay active regarding its goal of educating and informing users, and the material shared online is constantly evolving, social media, hence, is capable of influencing people, in both broad and tight niches and because of this, social media actively partakes in advocacy communications and the practices of sharing associated with social media further promote advocacy.

One thing to keep in mind is that because you can post ALMOST anything you wish online from opinions to comments to statements, social media can also become a toxic environment. An example of this is the ‘cancel culture’, where people aim to destroy a user’s social image due to a mistake/issue that arises or is known publicly. Furthermore, as online communities such as YouTubers grow, it welcomes certain people and their beliefs to be strongly highlighted by and to the general media. This has both positive and negative impacts on advocacy communications. From a positive point of view, an influencer can use his/her resources and fame to shine a light on matters that are important as a way to progress the growth within the society, but from a negative point of view, sharing any comment or belief by an influencer will gather support from certain public regardless. Thus, in both scenarios, advocacy communication is being supported and promoted, but it is important to know how appropriate a statement that is being promoted is, as failing to do so can result in a negative effect on society and mass media.

I wholeheartedly agree and share a similar experience with Simpson on two matters which he stated during his interview, the growth of his PLN and the attention social media brought to his work. Similar to Simpson, my PLN grew gradually as well. I remember being a student in 3rd year thinking “I will be graduating soon, I should make some connections” and I started conversing more with my friends. The next thing I know, a professor in my faculty emails me asking me to meet with him for a potential research opportunity.

Regarding social media highlighting mine and Simpson’s work, I aimed to create a club last summer as a way to help people socialize since due to the pandemic, many were left lonely. To make a club, you need 10 signatures + V-numbers. I was afraid I won’t get that and posted about my goal on UVic-related groups on Facebook. I checked three hours later and I had 2 signatures… I was sad as I felt like my goal wouldn’t be fulfilled. However, the next day, I had 30 signatures!!! Furthermore, Uvic-related pages and clubs reached out to me to help me promote my potential club on their handles. Ultimately, I had 97 signatures and currently have about 80 members in my club! This story highlights the power of social media and how it can aid in spreading information to vast groups of people and various online communities. Both me and Simpson have experienced this and our experience serves as proof that social media is essential for the growth of an idea, and it can influence people by practicing advocacy communication.

Furthermore, Simpson stated that authenticity aided in the growth of his PLN, and I wholeheartedly support this claim. In my past blogs as well as my communications with my social pod, I have repeatedly stated that to obtain a healthy, developing, and stable PLN, one must be open with experience and communication. I grew my club, and my PLN by associating it with the club members, by being authentic with fellow students on UVic groups about my idea, plan, needs, and goals! Furthermore, because I practice authenticity with my PLN, it creates a chain reaction where my PLN members aim and partake in practicing authenticity which welcomes various opinions, topics, and discussions which is essential for the growth of a PLN. Literally, last night, I was face timing my best friend who still lives in India and he asked me “Can you explain to me why the BLM movement is so important?” Growing up in India, we did not know about systemic racism or had experienced racism ourselves. Because I am open about everything and share anything and everything I desire, my friend did the same and asked about BLM and I educated him about it. This resulted in him learning more and something important which not only promoted his understanding of the world but will also come up in the future during his discussion with his peers furthering their growth (if they didn’t know about BLM). Hence, this now will become a chain reaction!

Ultimately, what I took away from the reading is the importance and practice of advocacy communication and how it allows growth to happen in an online environment, which results in growth within the society. Furthermore, Simpon’s interview highlighted that I and him have shared some similar experience and if we both have experienced it, chances are many others have experienced the same thing with social media. This put the idea of “we are all connected” into perspective for me because we all know that social media allows us to stay connected or makes us stay connected but we only rarely REALIZE that we are CONNECTED!

References:

Clark, J., & Aufderheide, P. (2013). A New Vision for Public Media – Open, Dynamic, and Participatory. In J. Pooley, L. Taub-Pervizpour, & S. C. Jansen (Authors), Media and social justice (pp. 55-67). New York: Palgrave.

Simpson, Markiel. “EDCI 338 – 2021 – 02 – 22 MARKIEL SIMPSON.”  21 Feb. 2021. doi: https://youtu.be/yCSpm1Lx8-A

“A strong PLN is both vital for helping create better learning and […] surprisingly easy to accomplish” (Woods, 2013).

This statement really stood out to me because it highlights the ease of obtaining new knowledge and implicitly deregulates the preconceived notion that some, including me at some point in life, have about how to gain knowledge. Personally, I began developing my PLN through TikTok videos. I was always amused by the idea of owning stocks but did not know where to start or knew anything about economics.

To gain knowledge about this topic, I downloaded TikTok and search “stocks”. I watched a lot of videos that taught how one trades, what platform to use, how to assess a company’s financial standing and growth etc. Tiktok is a great way to share information concisely and efficiently; the users are not bombarded with various theories or data and simply taught facts and quick methods. This was very helpful to me as I was learning a complex topic, stocks, at a fast rate.

Thanks to TikTok and commenting on various posts, asking for clarification and questions, I obtained enough understanding about stocks that I bought a few stocks. Communicating with individuals on TikTok allowed me to lay down the foundation of developing a PLN on this social media platform. Furthermore, engaging with peers on this app started my PLN on TikTok.

Furthermore, I discussed my new profound knowledge about stocks with my best friend, who was also keen on stocks but like me, shied away from the complexity and depth of it all. After weeks of researching, we bought shares in a company associated with cancer medication development, and within a month, we made a significant profit in our portfolio. The reason my friend trusted me and my learning about stocks is that I was candid with him regarding what I have learned, how I have learned it, and that I am willing to trust what I have learned because of the efforts that I had put into my learning. These attributes elevated my reputation and credibility within my PLN.

Something I have noticed is that when it comes to developing your reputation within a PLN (whether you are part of one or about to create a PLN), being active about networking as well as communication and disclosing as well as reflecting about the knowledge, with your PLN is crucial. One must be the change they want to see, and to have a PLN that welcomes new knowledge, topics and has strong communication, you must take part in such behaviors as well.

For building networks with individuals, I make sure that I am welcoming everyone’s perspectives and opinions. Furthermore, something that is crucial to me is that I must, at all times, be open about my interests, knowledge, and experiences. I feel like this is needed for creating a zone of sharing and expanding on one’s understanding with no judgment or criticism.

Ultimately, based on our generation and our desire to learn conveniently and quickly, social media platforms like TikTok allow users to post short videos. This limit to video length and the desire of the creator to share his/her knowledge, fuels this social media platform to be a strong ground for learning.

References:

Woods, Bianca. “Building your own PLN: seeking new insights and ideas? Expand your personal learning network.” T+D, vol. 67, no. 11, Nov. 2013, p. 70+. Gale OneFile: Business, link.gale.com/apps/doc/A348998538/ITBC?u=uvictoria&sid=ITBC&xid=1010abdf. Accessed 18 Feb. 2021.

As an undergrad, I have noticed that we, undergrads, take charge in developing our PLN and are constantly evolving because of it, but the definition or concept of PLN and its usefulness is very rarely taught in all faculties and classes, let alone even mentioned. PLN to me is engaging with others that are in your field via online or in-person mediums as a means of growing your learning in a professional setting. However, as an undergrad, my career and learning conducted in my undergrad have not yet merged, thus, my PLN is not strictly revolving around my studies or profession; however, because I have not limited myself to developing a PLN around my profession/studies, my PLN is extremely diverse. For example, I converse with my friends in India and Scotland (I grew up in India and immigrated to Canada), and conversing with them introduces me to the society, culture, and norms in their respective countries and societies. Knowing about other societies allows me to better understand more about Canadian society and identity as well as understanding how different cultures see different cultures. This elevates my learning about the world and societal interactions across the world. For example, I grew up in India during a very conservative era, in a very heavily conservative society and state. During these times, men and women were not allowed to affiliate with each other besides interacting/engaging with each other in a marriage, due to societal norms. Thus, when going to school in India, I never talked to any girls in my grade as I was simply not “allowed”. Moving to Canada in 2011, I learned that western society and culture are quite popular as the opposite sex are allowed to be friends before marriage, and even date, something that was frowned up when in north Indian society. Thus, this taught me to understand the point of view of conservative societies, religions, and the restrictions one must follow under these entities. Furthermore, as a president of a social club, I also interact with people from various different backgrounds, professions, studies, and interests on a weekly manner. Engaging with them always makes me learn a new thing or two, such as just last week, I learned how to make beats on Garageband with my club member. Taking everything into account, the majority of my mental and skill development has occurred due to my PLN.

To learn from your PLN, I strongly believe that it is necessary to have the perfect blend of being the loudest in the room and hearing as well as learning from a variety of voices. I learned at a young age that being dogmatic, static, and narrow-minded regarding your learning is detrimental to your learning – it can limit your understand of various topics as well as inhibit your growth as a learner. However, for learning to take place, one must ask questions, take charge, share, and when needed, challenge what is being taught. Under these aforementioned circumstances, being the loudest helps me achieve the answers that I seek, spread my thoughts, and engage as well as start conversations that haven’t been discussed or started. Furthermore, as an extrovert, it is easy for being the loudest in the room but I always take time to hear and understand various perspectives on a matter to ensure that I have acquired all the understanding that I possibly can.

In my PLN, my and others goal is to not participate in a silo of information sharing. The reason being as growing up as a science student, I have been taught that growth comes from sharing knowledge, information, and results. Thus, on social media, I and my PLN discuss various topics from what is happening in the media such as vaccine development to discrimination in the world. Taking the BLM movement as an example, I remember when everyone on Instagram shared a black screen as a way to support the movement. On the same day, I was watching Kevin Hart’s Instagram live and I remember him saying “I see these black squares being posted on Instagram and I appreciate all the support but it means nothing cause in a week no one will remember this. Sharing the black screen cause your friends did it means nothing if you don’t know the message behind it. Educate yourself, learn why this time right now is so important”. I reflected on these words and realized that I know nothing about black history in western society, thus I took measures to learn about black history and shared the information with my friends in India, as a way to educate them as well. PLN thrives when you learn and learning thrives when you share.

Currently, PLN is diverse in terms of interests. I have friends with different hobbies, interests, studies, and backgrounds. However, because of such diversity in my PLN, I feel that I am not actively trying to grow my PLN and include others which different interests as my PLN. So far into the semester, I have found matter most to be the best way for me to increase inclusion in my PLN. I take these measures by engaging with 2-3 different classmates every week, reading their blogs, sharing my thoughts, and challenging theirs. Furthermore, I also aim to share different personal examples with every blog as a way to expand the thinking of the reader while expanding on my style as a writer.

As students, we are all primarily engaging in discussion forums and zoom calls to learn, expand on what we have learned, and share our learning. I strongly believe that zoom and discussion forums have elevated and embraced inclusion. Before the pandemic, every class was going to the lecture hall, sitting down, listening, taking notes, and repeating this until the midterm, and then repeating it again till the second midterm, and then again till the final. But now, on zoom, in all my classes, students are discussing non-stop about the lecture and sometimes about things similar to what we learned in the lecture, in the zoom chat constantly. Furthermore, students are leaving and receiving substantial amounts of feedback on their discussion forums and posts. These mediums have allowed every student to take charge in their learning, making it centered around themselves, and express their thoughts as well as opinions based on their backgrounds and/or learning, and this is a strong step in the direction of embracing inclusion.

Pandemic has shown me that how important inclusion is; reading numerous posts on the UVic confessions page or uvic subreddit about students feeling lonely made me realize that as humans, we are social beings but as people, we need to feel included. This was one of the primary reasons I made a social club. Thus, with my PLN, my most important learning outcome is an expression of feelings, understanding, opinions, and most importantly, welcoming foreign information, thoughts, and opinions. I state that because if you don’t express what you have learned, then how useful is learning to you? And if you don’t welcome different perspectives and perceptions, then how will you expand your own? I am always reflecting on my PLN in regards to what we believe, what we discuss, and most importantly, what we don’t discuss, know or understand. And it is for these shortcomings that I focus on expanding, including, and welcoming diversity as a way to ensure that my PLN is always growing and developing.

This week’s readings and videos have made me understand what inclusion and diversity mean in terms of PLN and learning. They have made me reflect and analyze my PLN thus, this week’s blog is primarily a reflection on my understanding and assessment of my PLN me expanding on the lecture’s material for the week. Knowing the importance of inclusion and diversity upon PLN will make me interact with more people and continuously thrive to expand my learning.

What digital platforms are students currently using to develop their professional network?

Due to the pandemic, many students are developing and strengthening their connections via various social media platforms and online tools. The digital platform most that most students are currently using to develop their professional network is LinkedIn. LinkedIn allows you to portray yourself and your achievements as well as professional experience, which can be assessed by other professionals. LinkedIn makes it easy to form connections and relationships with individuals in the same career field as you. Furthermore, as we near graduation, many of my professors have recommended using LinkedIn to develop our careers post-university. Also, Reddit is another digital platform where information on various topics is accessible with ease. Reddit over the years has gotten very popular among students who are seeking concise answers to their questions and planning on learning about new topics/material by themselves. Reddit does not convey primary sources but it is a great way of connecting and developing your professional network by interacting with individuals with similar tastes and interests.

What can you (as a student) consider to expand your professional learning network?

The digital platform that has helped me the most in terms of developing my professional network is WordPress. Using WordPress has allowed me to reflect on my learning, express my thoughts, and with different students as well as professors. WordPress allowed me to connect with two professors who became my referees for my current job. Another platform that helped me expand my PLN is Twitter. Most of my professors have Twitter accounts, on which they share their recent findings and results from their research group. Twitter has aided in my contacting various of my professors and learning about their field of study. Due to Twitter, I can learn about various types of research done in my department (chemistry), and using the information I obtained from Twitter allowed me to successfully join multiple professors’ labs and conduct my own research projects.

In your network, how can you create a digital identity/reputation?

The most crucial thing needed to develop digital identity is using your time efficiently. It is a known fact that whatever you do on the internet can be traced back to you. Thus, it is very important that an individual, like myself, share information and comment/like posts that are appropriate and respectful. My go-to method of developing a digital identity is to share posts about things I am passionate about, such as gaming, reading, making songs, etc. These posts are a glimpse of myself, my interests, and my personality. Reputation can be developed over time and in my opinion, the primary way to develop reputation is to connect with other people, engage in forums and blogs, posts on subreddits, in a regular manner. Frequent engagement shows that you are an active member who associates with their digital platforms regularly. Again! sharing respectable and appropriate material is very important because what you share reflects who you are; sharing appropriate material aids in developing your good reputation online.

Consider what a local employer would do if you applied for a job with them – can they search the content, is it of benefit to the career path, does it hinder the opportunity of employment?

In July 2020, I applied to London Drugs for a pharmacy assistant position. During my interview, I was very explicitly told that the company is very strict regarding its reputation online. Furthermore, I was told that London Drugs affiliates with another company that does a background check on potential candidates which consists of the social platforms of the interviewee. Thus, my social accounts were analyzed/checked up by the company to ensure that no disrespectful or crass material was found that can damage the company’s reputation. Thankfully, due to no vulgar material being present on my social accounts, I was hired by London Drugs and currently am still employed there. This is an example of how what you share online and what you do with your digital identity can impact a job opportunity.

References

Wikipedia contributors. “Digital Visitor and Resident.” Wikipedia, 31 Dec. 2020, en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Digital_Visitor_and_Resident

What is a digital identity?

Social media has been a crucial median for connecting, meeting, and interacting with people. Besides socializing, social media platforms such as LinkedIn, have allowed individuals to develop their careers and gain professional experience. An identity is a collection of “qualities and beliefs, which distinguish a person or a group from other” (who am i). Since we share a lot of ourselves and our taste on social media, such as images, likes and dislikes, opinions, one can develop a digital identity which is predominantly based on the online engagement and activity an individual partakes in on the web. To further my understanding of digital identity, I discussed this matter with my PLN member and friend, Quinton. We both agreed that a digital identity develops by judging, viewing, and analyzing the content an individual shares on the internet; furthermore, this shared data portrays an image about how we are as a person, our likes and dislikes, and our beliefs, resulting in development of our digital identity. Lastly, both mine and quinton’s understanding of digital identity is inline with the definition of digital professional identity provided by Jawed et al., “professional identity which develops through internet-based social interactions” (34).

How do personal versus professional approaches to digital identity affect social media use?

In my opinion, a professional digital identity is essentially a well designed, polished, and heavily edited product. Many websites as well as companies have accounts on social media and hire employees to manage their social media accounts as well as the publicity of the account. Professional digital identity is designed to wow the viewers and attract their attention. This makes social media, for a company, a great platform to gain new customers however, due to projecting a certain and specific image on yourself (in this case, the company) also depicts an inaccurate and disingenuous identity. For example, almost every company’s instagram account is filled with images of their products or statements from their customers regarding how great the company is, but not once does the brand share the negative attributes of the company or incidents of poor customer service.

Personal digital identity makes interactions on social media seem more raw, genuine, and simple. On our personal accounts, we share any desired content without trying to gather one’s attention or portray yourself in a different light. For example, I shared a lot of pictures of the activities I did during this past christmas holiday. I shared these pictures as a way to share my happiness and joy with my followers and friends. Doing so made my instagram account seem more wholesome and normal, rather than being full of advertisements and hastags associated with products, similar to professional accounts. Furthermore, many of my friends and followers reached out to me to wish my Merry Christmas or simply to engage in a conversation upon viewing my pictures. Thus, based on my experience, I can conclude that personal digital identity aids in engaging conversation and allows social media to be seen as a median for engaging with others, which is what it was originally intended to be, rather than being a platform full of accounts ran by various companies who are trying to sell a product.

How do digital identities converge in networked publics – what are the impacts and/or benefits?

Even though social media allows us to express ourselves and share a part of our life, the content we share on the web is linked to us, and what we share on the internet portrays an image of who we are as a person. The benefit of sharing the content of our choice on the internet is that one can engage with another person of similar interests and taste. However, the same content can portray us in the wrong light and develop a biased judgment regarding who they are as a person.

For example, I shared a meme highlight the benefits of online learning during the pandemic, on my club’s Instagram page. Many students shared their similar opinions regarding online school on the post. However, I got a message from an individual that was very rude and he emphasized how sharing a meme supporting online learning portrays me as trying to undermine the negative attributes of online learning and its negative effects on certain students. This incident highlights how sharing something on the internet brings people together but also can develop a bad digital identity. Furthermore, since social media portrays an image of who we are as a person, it is crucial to understand that sharing something private reflects on our digital identity. Also, the more people know about your private matters, the less sense of privacy you have on social media. Also, sharing certain content such as nudity or explicit material can violate social media platform’s laws which can have serious consequences such as a potential lawsuit. Thus, even though social media allows us to express ourselves, we must remain alert and conscious regarding the content we decide to publish on the web. 

Can a digital wallet provide trust in networked publics?

Digital wallets like apple pay are becoming very popular. For the modern generation’s constant desire for convenience, digital wallets provide a fast and efficient method of conducting quick and secured transactions. However, digital wallets are kept protected through various biometric algorithms, ensuring no data or password leaks occur. However, upon conducting a transaction via a digital wallet, the personal information of the consumer is shared with the retailer (“Electronic And Digital Payments And Privacy – Office Of The Privacy Commissioner Of Canada”). Some retailers used third-party companies and databases to conduct a purchase transaction. Your personal information is shared with then also shared with the third party company needed for the transaction, along with the retailer (“Electronic And Digital Payments And Privacy – Office Of The Privacy Commissioner Of Canada”). Thus, just for one transaction via a digital wallet, your personal information is shared by 2 separate companies and your information can also be assessed by brokers and other marketers. Vast sharing of your personal information can result in the potential leak of your private info, which can have huge consequences such as theft. Furthermore, if biometric algorithms fail to protect your private information in the digital wallet, this can also lead to invasion of privacy and violation of human rights. Thus, even though digital wallets are convenient and use sophisticated algorithms, using digital wallets can still lead to a leak of private information, resulting in an invasion of privacy and violation of certain human rights.

At the end of the day, digital wallets, due to their biometrics, can provide trust to an extent ensuring a leak of your private information will not happen. However, to gain trust in networked publics, policies, measures, laws, and actions need to be taken regarding ensuring no violation of anyone’s privacy. Government can track users based on their digital wallet, which can be useful during the pandemic, ensuring no out-of-province travel is conducted, but tracing one’s step in violation of their privacy. In circumstances like these, full disclosure and transparency regarding how one’s personal, and digital data can and will be used, is extremely important in other to ensure and obtain trust and safety in networked publics.

Lastly, digital wallets can also aid in advancements of one’s protection, agency, and inclusion. For example, Canada has issued a COVID-19 app, available for download on the app store, that communicates with individuals and their cell phones in your vicinity via sending signals and binary code via Bluetooth. The app just whether the user has/had COVID-19 and begins to send signals. If an individual is/was around someone, he/she will be notified that they may be exposed to someone with COVID-19. Lastly, digital vaccine ID cards that can be stored in a digital wallet are being considered as the next step of advancing health care and merging the digital world with health care (“Electronic And Digital Payments And Privacy – Office Of The Privacy Commissioner Of Canada”). The digital vaccine ID card can be very useful in assessing whether an individual has received appropriate and required vaccinations, such as a booster shot of shingles or a COVID-19 vaccine. If a person is missing a certain vaccine from their vaccination ID, he/she can be contacted and included in the appropriate clinics to receive the vaccine. These two measures display how digital wallets can be used to enhance agency, inclusion, and health, and advancements in these fields during this pandemic can be very beneficial.

References

1. “Electronic And Digital Payments And Privacy – Office Of The Privacy Commissioner Of Canada”. Priv.Gc.Ca, 2016, https://www.priv.gc.ca/en/privacy-topics/technology/mobile-and-digital-devices/02_05_d_68_dp/. Accessed 29 Jan 2021.
2. Jawed, Saira et al. “Digital Professional Identity: Dear Internet! Who Am I?”. Education For Health, vol 32, no. 1, 2019, p. 33. Medknow, doi:10.4103/efh.efh_232_17. Accessed 29 Jan 2021.