Month: November 2023

Prompts:

• Can your PLN be used to help professional development post-course?
• Can your PLN be relied on to open professional opportunities?

I believe that your PLN can definitely help in professional development as well as create professional opportunities. Post-course, your PLN can be a great source of resources, mentorship, and learning opportunities. The learning opportunities within your PLN are endless. There are opportunities to get feedback from mentors, connect with others through networking events, and participate in professional discussions. These are all important opportunities because it can help you further yourself, your network, and your professional opportunities. There are opportunities for continuous growth by engaging actively, leveraging knowledges and experiences, and meaningfully contributing to your PLN. These are all ways to build and nurture your PLN.

From the experiences shared between you and your PLN, you can create connections that can further help you along in your career. By making these connections with other professionals, you may be able to leverage your connections, ask for referrals, and gain access to influential individuals in the field. There are plenty of situations where your PLN can help you either secure a job or introduce you to one. Additionally, there are opportunities to collaborate with those within your PLN which can be helpful to introduce you to other individuals further expanding your PLN. To reiterate, you can leverage your PLNs for professional opportunities as long as you actively engage and are enthusiastic about the field. There is endless potential for individuals to use their PLN to open doors into the professional world.

Discussion Prompts:

• How likely are individuals are going to continue with their created content and their network? 
• Are the skills that they developed applicable in professional practices?

When reflecting on the group discussion, it was discussed that there are a variety of factors that lead to the continuation of content creation. Factors such as commitment, time, interest, money, and support all play a role in whether an individual decides to continue to participate in content creation. The reason to make content varies on a person to person basis. There usually needs to be some level of extrinsic motivation and high levels of intrinsic motivation to continue. The skills that someone gains from developing their network and creating content can easily be applied to the professional world. These skills are “soft skills” but they are easily applicable to a variety of situations. Examples of these skills are communication, creativity, flexibility, digital skills, networking skills, and time management. These skills are often overlooked but they are vital to creating a strong community and collaborative workspace.

Prompts:

• Open dialogues about media literacy and how factual information can create conflict. Why does this happen?
• What is the benefit of having a PLN that values media literacy?

Open dialogue about media literacy and factual information can create conflict due to a variety of factors. Such examples include misinformation, echo chambers, confirmation biases, and trustworthiness of sources. Misinformation, whether inadvertently spread or intentionally disseminated, often leads to conflicting beliefs and perspectives among individuals. Confirmation biases cause individuals to align information with their existing views, while echo chambers within social media isolate individuals into like-minded communities, fostering polarization when exposed to contradictory factual information. Disparities in trust towards information sources also significantly impact disagreements about what information holds credibility and reliability.

A Personal Learning Network (PLN) that values media literacy offers valuable solutions to combat these conflicts. These networks nurture critical thinking by encouraging individuals to assess information sources, effectively discerning between factual data and misinformation or biased content. The diversity within a media-literate PLN exposes individuals to a range of perspectives, which help in understanding different viewpoints and enabling discussions that alleviate conflicts originating from misinformation. Additionally, these networks promote techniques for verifying information, create environments for collaborative learning, and facilitate resource sharing, all contributing to a more knowledgeable and unified community proficient in navigating and resolving conflicts triggered by misinformation. PLN are valuable tools that can allow individuals to combat the conflicts that arise from open dialogues surrounding media literacy and factual information.

Prompts:

• Which social media platforms are beneficial in education?
• When working with the vulnerable sector, how does social media fit into professionalism and regulations?

I think that most, if not all, social medias can be beneficial in education. The benefits can all be realized through understanding the purpose and features of the social media. Social media platforms are designed to encourage sharing and connection. Thus, making it a perfect space to develop one’s PLN.

Specific social media platforms that I think are beneficial in education are Instagram, LinkedIn, and YouTube. These are my chosen platforms because I believe that they are useful for not only students but also instructors. Instagram can be used to share information, communicate with peers, and develop your own content. This demonstrates how Instagram is diverse in its abilities. Additionally, LinkedIn is another platform that many can gain from using. This platforms allow individuals to communicate and connect with other individuals. By connecting with other individuals within your community and those outside of it, individuals can gather lots of information. Youtube is another great resource for students to gain information and interact with others through comments but also a space for educators to share their knowledge to a wider audience. This platform allows students and educators create a space to learn and share together on specific channels.

Social media can also be used when working with the vulnerable sector. By engaging with those within the vulnerable sector, we can create more inclusive environments for these groups. Vulnerable groups include children, the elderly, and those with disabilities. We can allow these individuals to create more connects and enable a positive environment where growth is encouraged. Social media is a powerful tool that has the ability to provide individuals the tools to access more information. When we talk about regulations and professionalism, it is important to remember that when interacting with the vulnerable sector there may be additional precautions that must be taken. For example, when engaging with children it is important to set boundaries between you and the child.