Research on Social Media and Learning Communities: My topic, platform choice and learning communities I found:

Photo by Growtika on Unsplash

I decided to research powerlifting as it is something I am very interested in. I used the Instagram platform to do my research and I was able to find many different learning communities. I found influencer-type accounts that shared tips and tricks, many coaches from the sport, and the community for the Canadian Powerlifting Union page. Additionally, the learning community I was most impressed by was a Uvic Powerlifting Club page, they provided training tips, and equipment needed for competitions, and they held seminars for learning to lift and monthly group lifting sessions during the year. 

Personally, when looking at these communities it reminded me of some content I created for another class that could help others learn. I used the editing software called CapCut to create an informative video on how to squat, adding music, voiceovers, drawings, slo-mo and pauses. I find informational videos like this to be super fun to watch but also super fun to make. Below I upload the video I created on Capcut that could be shared with a learning community along with a video that shows you how to use CapCut. I hope these resources might help you if you’re interested in using CapCut when creating your PLN.

MY VIDEO:

CAPCUT HOW-TO VIDEO:

Building Your Learning Network (PLN): What platform am I and how does using other platforms help you connect with others?

Originally I started with building my PLN on a Facebook page however I am much more familiar with Instagram so I may look into switching my PLN there, but I am also trying to learn and get the hang of Facebook. 

Social media platforms are a great way to connect you with others in your field, hobbies or life. Social media platforms can act as a way to share and receive information. We can use social media to help build a community with our PLNs and think of them as you will get what you put in. Sharing with more people, having conversations, sharing resources and thoughts to get the same from others.

The platforms help connect with others and stay updated, Twitter helps with real-time updates using hashtag discussions, while LinkedIn focuses on professional networking elements. Facebook offers more specific community-oriented groups and Instagram is great for sharing visuals and creative content. Pinterest offers a great space for educational resources and Reddit hosts in-depth conversations on niche topics. Then YouTube and TikTok focus on the video elements of tutorials or engaging educational ideas. The different platforms are better for different needs, that’s why it would be beneficial to have PLNs on various platforms for different needs you may have. 

Setting Professional Goals and Engaging with the Community: How I am planning to identify the right media platforms, set personal/professional goals and engage with communities.

After reading Leveraging Social Media to Build a Digital PLN from this week I found it very helpful for describing what goals and plans I have for my PLN. Throughout the reading, they asked a few questions that could help in deciding your goals so I am going to use their questions to help guide me answer for this part of my post. Additionally, to answer the questions, I am going to make sure that my PLN states what my professional goal is, stating that I am a teacher, which will make it easier to connect with similar creators in my field.

What do you want out of your PLN? I want my PLN to be a space to connect with others, share/receive resources, ask for advice and build support.

Personal reciprocal relationship important to you? Or are you happy quietly following a group with not much interaction? I am ok with either, I think it depends on the means of that community. I know that creating those personal relationships and being reciprocal with the community is how I will get the most out of it. However, if it is a community I am not fully confident in I think it is ok to quietly be following with the group until you feel you are ready to share knowledge.

Are you strictly seeking resources and inspiration? Or do you also want to share your ideas, practices, and resources with others? Yes, I want to share practises and resources with others and get inspiration. So as of right now, I don’t feel I have much to offer as I have not joined the profession yet but I would love to connect with other teachers and hear their ideas and tips to hopefully better help my future career. As well as although I do not have the most experience I may be able to share new ideas of concepts I have seen in schools or throughout my university classes.

You’ll also need to consider how you enjoy interacting online—do you lean toward visual, auditory, or textual learning and communication? I am more of an auditory and visual learner so possibly looking into content and communities on YouTube or TikTok may be my best option.

Protecting Your Information and Ensuring Ethical Behavior: Protection of information and ethical behaviour.

To protect my information I am using a lot of the strategies that were mentioned in my last blog post, with ideas like regular security checks, using strong passwords, regularly checking the privacy settings of software, keeping private accounts to choose who is a part of my learning network, and keeping personal vs professional accounts separate. For ethical matters, I am always sure to follow engagement protocols of respectful professional content, along with always giving credit where it is due, or using non-copyright music, images etc.

Privacy Concerns and Online Participation: Privacy concerns with joining and sharing with online communities.

Privacy concerns are always something that is sitting in my brain whenever joining a new platform. The main concern is my information and how will the online communities affect the privacy of my learning environment whether that be at school or in my profession. I typically think personal information may be at risk of exposure or misuse so incorporating the least amount of personal information possible is always a goal. Along with this, there is also the concern of not understanding the privacy guidelines within the community or software, so when joining a new community or software I am sure to make myself aware of the privacy settings and controls. When working on my PLN I tried using Facebook and I am quite unfamiliar with Facebook and privacy settings and controls so here is a video that helped me if any of you are interested in using Facebook for your PLNs.

FACEBOOK PRIVACY SETTINGS: