Blog #5 – PLN in Education

Explore the videos provided and reflect on the themes of a PLN in a professional capacity

Some of the themes that are reflected in the video are social media, privacy, and ethics. Social media plays an important role in developing a Personal Learning Network (PLN). Being able to connect with people online through social media is crucial in developing a PLN as we live in the digital age where a large population of individuals are on social media. With social media, the theme of privacy and ethics came up in the videos. These two themes go hand in hand, with the privacy you should be aware that everything you post online can be used against you in the hiring process. So you need to make sure that your privacy settings are set so that unfavourable posts are not viewable by employers. In addition, you should have ethical practices, and make sure that your posts, methods of advertising, and connecting in a professional setting are ethical.

Which social media platforms are beneficial in education?

Most social media can be beneficial in education. For example, Facebook can be beneficial in education by allowing the user to join specific groups that promote learning. In my personal experience, when trying to learn a new language I like to join a language learning group which makes it easier to find a conversational partner. Especially with learning a language, having a partner to practice a language will help accelerate one’s conversation knowledge of the language. Even after spending several months studying textbooks and workbooks, I felt that I only made real progress after finding someone to talk to on a regular basis. YouTube is another platform that is beneficial to education, there is a lot of free educational material available on YouTube that can be better at explaining a topic better than classroom lectures. In some of my Math and Physics classes at University, I watched a YouTube channel called The Organic Chemistry Tutor and found that his explanations helped me tremendously in picking up a topic.

When working with the vulnerable sector, how does social media fit into professionalism and regulations?

The privacy settings on social media should be more robust when working with the vulnerable sector. For example, in an elementary school setting, teachers should limit students’ exposure and reframe from posting personal information or pictures to social media unless there is parental consent. As social media can expose underaged students to the world wide web and can lead to potentially troubling scenarios such are stalking and scams. However, social media such are YouTube can provide splendid educational material for elementary school students which can enhance their learning. There are also parental settings which can block out specific content so that parents can regulate their child’s media consumption. To conclude, social media can be an important tool in a vulnerable sector but should be regulated vigorously through privacy settings as it can potentially lead to dangerous situations.

Discuss in the Mattermost group aspects of education outside of the traditional classroom, include dialogue about how education in the workplace in any capacity can consist of social media & what boundaries should be considered before encouraging discourse in a professional environment.

The use of social media outside of the classroom is a great tool for exchanging information. With YouTube, you are able to learn from experts in their field and have access to an abundance of educational resources for almost any topic you can think of. In my past experience working at the BC Ministry of Health, we often used sites like YouTube when learning a new software program. For instance, in my position, I needed to learn how to use Mural, which is an online collaboration and engagement board. I watched several YouTube tutorials to quickly and effectively learn how to use Mural and apply it to my job. Boundaries about social media should be established before encouraging discourse. Ideally, it would be important to separate work social media from a personal media account. I think that coworkers should only connect on professional social media platforms such as LinkedIn and should ask before adding or following someone on their personal account. In my past work experience, I had a coworker ask to add me on my Facebook which is my personal social media account. The gesture of them asking and respecting my boundaries helped me appreciate and understand how to properly connect through social media in a professional setting.