Category: Weekly Blog Posts

I found this video so helpful as it helped to explain how beneficial PLNs can be to educators, with our networking but also how we can use PLNs as evidence of our Professional development. The podcast encouraged subscribing and engaging in the comments to meet other teachers and become a part of this community building to yours and other PLNs. Along with sharing other groups or networks in the comments to broaden our knowledge and expertise with one another in the comments

Using Your PLN for Growth: How I actively use my PLN and what platforms I found most engaging.

Using my PLN created for connecting with other elementary education teachers I actively engage in various groups and posts to help build my PLN and professional digital identity. I am working to actively engage in routine weekly content where I can problem solve and share and get resources from other members in the field, I thinking with the purpose of continual learning within my community.

I have found the most engaging platforms for my field to be Facebook, Pinterest and TikTok. I have found that particularly TikTok and Pinterest allow for a more creative element where a variety of resources and tips can be shared. I have found Facebook to be the best for finding a solid group or community. Pinterest serves to find fun new lesson ideas, visuals, or craft projects that I could do with my class. I found TikTok helpful as although I am not in a specific joined community I can follow a variety of different teacher creators from many different places where I can find new tips, teaching methods or class projects I would have never thought of along with being able to share my ideas. Similar to Twitter, TikTok has many hashtags to help find the content and creators I am interested in to develop my PLN. For example #teachertok, #teacherlife, #teacherfollowsteachers, and #learning. I have been able to actively join and participate in supportive groups on Facebook that focus on education, being able to discuss with other educators and learn and grow from others’ experiences. I find that by joining a mix of these platforms I can maintain a continuous flow of learning that builds towards a well-rounded PLN.

Photo by Nik on Unsplash

Engaging with Your Community:

Engaging in my PLN community requires me to actively participate in discussions, offer feedback and share content. I haven’t got the most comfortable yet with sharing and discussing as often but it is a goal I working towards. I would be able to share different lessons I have created as well as some UDL adaptions I have made. I am currently in two communities where I occasionally discuss with other educators talking about our experiences and insights. Along with another community that is directed towards special education where I have less experience so I am more looking in and learning from what others are discussing. I have been able to offer a bit of feedback here and there suggesting different sources or materials I have used in hopes of helping support a community member in the group. I am still working to grow my PLN and my engagement so I haven’t had the opportunity to connect online through joint content however in my practicum I worked with my partner and we got to join together our ideas and perspectives. I am hoping with my previous experiences with group work I will one day be able to connect deeper with some members to expand further on a topic we are interested in.

Photo by GuerrillaBuzz on Unsplash

Building a Supportive PLN: what steps I took and how I connect to others with similar interests.

The main step I have taken in building my PLN that is supportive is selective connections. I have identified what I am interested in and tried to find groups and creators who match what I’m interested in learning more about. I think that finding these kinds of communities can help you when starting as having knowledge to add, relate or respond with can help to create a more supportive mutual exchanging space within your PLN. When building my PLN I want to continue focusing on consistent communication, reciprocal relationships and professional development. I think if I focus on more consistent communication I will be able to build stronger connections and show it is a supportive space. Along with I have some created sources that could be used in a professional development setting so sharing those and engaging with others will help to better expand my PLN in my knowledge and reciprocal relationships.

When connecting with others I am trying to engage with posts that contain similarities in interests and goals to connect deeper within my community, in hopes of former deeper connections and conversations. Additionally, I think that my PLN is within a variety of teachers where the large mix of less experience or more experience makes it a supportive space as we are all there to learn and grow. I want to create a space that fosters professional and self-growth with some elements of community and collaboration.

Photo by Alexander Shatov on Unsplash

Expanding Your PLN: long term goals and strategies.

My long-term goals for my PLN would be to become more brave in sharing and engaging in my communities. In hopes to create a more supportive space and learn and grow with my thoughts. Along with I want to continue to deepen my connection with peers of diverse perspectives to stay up to date with education methods and ideas. Then further down the line, I hope that with the deeper connections come collaboration of a project or research within my community. Aside from connecting I want to look into making my PLNs more adaptive as right now, I am acting with general software.

Some ways I could expand my network to international contacts or experts would be to reach out to some past mentor teachers to ask if they would be interested in joining or adding their expertise to my PLN. As well as I also find TikTok to be a great platform to get many different perspectives from many places around the world so I could find international videos or creators to share within my PLN expanding on those varying perspectives.  Or even enrolling in different international communities where I can grow and learn from others’ experiences. Additionally I recently just finished an in-person course that was filled with International Masters students, where each individual had years of experience in the profession in places like the Philippians, Syria, Pakistan, Mexico, Africa and  China. Within this class, I was able to learn so much about different school settings around the world and build connections with each classmate. I think a good strategy would be to reach out to each of them and hear more about their master’s program or experience.

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:

What is digital identity?

Digital identity is essentially your presence online, it is your footprint on the web. Digital identity is the representation of you, with your username, social media profiles and anyone or any content you create or interact with online. Your digital identity is made of how you are recognized with usernames and profiles and the trail of data you leave being your digital footprint. Your digital identity can shape how people personally and professionally view you, affecting personal relationships and career opportunities.

How do you present yourself on social media platforms for personal use? What kind of content do you share? How do you manage your privacy?

For personal use, I always try to present myself with who I am. I like to think about creating and engaging things that I would be proud to share with others. I typically include things I appreciate like my hobbies, friends, families or trips. Making sure it is true to me while still being respectful of others and keeping myself safe. I have a few different platforms I like to share on, mainly consisting of private accounts just to keep my close friends and family updated on my life, including pictures of what I’ve done in the week or little vlogs of trips or activities. Additionally, I like to share my training in the gym along with sharing videos I have filmed and edited. As mentioned, anything where I am posting more personally about my life I am keeping my privacy settings so that I can accept and decline who follows those platforms. With privacy, I am sure to double-check each person who requests to make sure they are someone I want following the account, along with from time to time going through my followers and removing any that are people I don’t know.

What steps do you take to maintain a professional image online?

Some steps that I take to maintain a professional image online are protecting my digital identity, managing my online presence, and building a positive reputation. I am always sure it represents me and not someone else. Trying to use unique passwords to protect myself. I think the most important parts of maintaining a professional image online come from managing your online presence and building a positive digital reputation. When managing an online presence to maintain a professional image before posting I will try to change my point of view to various audiences that may see the post and think would I be ok with it and do I think it is appropriate. Building a positive reputation I am sure to regularly check back in with what I have online to make sure I am still creating a positive space and image.

Photo by Arthur Mazi on Unsplash

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

With personal digital identities, your goal is to have more informal self-expression and social connections with friends or family. Sharing interests, hobbies or what is going on in your life. Whereas a professional digital identity goal is career growth, professional branding or skills. Sharing professional more formal insight, discussions or career achievements. One focuses more on personal life and the other is used more as a networking device. Keeping them separate and private helps to prevent personal opinions or activities from affecting your professional reputation.

Reflect on the challenges and benefits of maintaining personal and professional digital identities. How do you ensure they complement rather than conflict with one another? Provide examples from your own experiences.

Challenges:

• Managing two separate accounts and not letting them get mixed up. Ensuring that you are not posting a personal element onto the professional account by accident. 
• Ensuring that posts are differentiated between each identity. Making sure the professional identity is keeping a more formal approach to information. 

Benefits: 

• Now although having separate accounts may be a challenge and can get confusing it helps to create that separation between work and life. Allowing for more professional standards when needed.
• Creating a professional identity can help you to build up who you are in the field. Along with it allows you to post specific posts that may target a specific audience in your field. For example, I am a dance teacher so on my account, I have a section for my teaching and dance so that when employers or studios follow me they can view my dancing content.

To ensure they complement each other rather than conflict with each other I use different software for different identities. For example, I keep my Instagram for personal use and have a Facebook page created for professional use. Additionally ensuring to keep up to date with privacy settings and controls to keep personal private and professional public. I will also be sure to not mix conversations for either account to help keep those professional standards.

Looking ahead, how do you plan to manage your digital identity as social media continues to evolve?

I plan to regularly check privacy settings and accounts, and keep my personal and professional identities separate while keeping core values throughout both. I plan to continue to share content that represents me and that can aid my professional career. I also plan to continue to stay informed on social media striving for life-long learners to keep up to date.

How will you adapt to new platforms and trends while maintaining a consistent and positive digital presence?

To stay up to date on new platforms and trends as mentioned above I am going to stay a lifelong learner researching and exploring different platforms and content creators to see what is the trend. Along with taking feedback from other professionals to help better develop my professional identity. To stay consistent from the start I am creating a positive brand for myself that I will continue with and adapt when needed as time goes on.