Kewen's EDCI 388 Blog

As Mo Amir said in the video, podcasting is not the job that pays his bill, it is developed slowly because of his interests. On the podcast, he will interview the people he wants to interview and talk the content that he is interested in. Instead of focusing on the number of clicks, he will not deliberately cater to the audience and make some content that he is not interested in. At the same time, he also mentioned that without Twitter his podcast would not be in the top 20 in Canada. Twitter has undoubtedly changed his PLN, providing more possibilities for his podcasts, allowing him to connect with more people and share conversations.

Can your PLN be used to help professional development post-course? If yes, how? If no, what limitations exist?

What is certain is that my PLN can be used to help my future career development. I registered an account on LinkedIn and actively improved my career information. At the same time, I am also actively establishing contacts with alumni, colleagues and industry seniors, hoping to expand the PLN. Because I think this will allow more people to discover me and be interested in learning about my professional abilities. At the same time, I will also interact with people, hoping that they will also affirm my professional ability on LinkedIn, so as to increase the credibility of my professional ability.

Can your PLN be relied on to open professional opportunities?

I think I can rely on my PLN for professional opportunities. As Mo Amir said, if we use PLN properly, based on respect and following the right people, we can use social media to gain opportunities and build good relationships with others. Just like his podcast, it is also getting better and better because of the connection on Twitter. In the same way, I also believe that after a period of operation, I will establish contacts on LinkedIn and look for potential opportunities for my future carrer.

References 

Miller, J. (2021, October 25). Mo Amir EDCI 338. YouTube. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LgoDet6pwaI

What is media literacy?

Media literacy refers to a channel for conveying messages (such as audio, Web sites and animation), the crafting of a message for a specific channel, and the effect the media message has on audiences (Trilling & Fadel, 2009, p.66). Based on Julie Smith’s interview, It is also about asking questions about every message, Constant critical and questions about all the media. (Miller, 2021)

Why is it important?

Media has its own language, its own text. People need to know how to use media to write content that is fluent. They need to use the context to effetely produce value and let people understand the content better. So it is important for people to use it and talk about it these days on a daily basis, not just in class. As students need to understand how to best apply the media resources available for learning, and to use media creation tools to create compelling and effective communication products such as videos, audio podcasts, and Web sites. (Trilling & Fadel, 2009, p.66).  

Why is it dismissed?

Media literacy is often dismissed. I think there are two reasons. One is because people often think that only people working in the media production industry need to know how to use media literacy.  (Miller, 2021) So people can only learn from a production class. But now all people are media producers. The second reason is personal bias. People always tend to look at the content that has the same opinion as them and don’t pay attention to the authenticity of the content. Of course, they are even more reluctant to think critically about materials that they disagree with.

Why should you aim for varied views but the factual consensus in your PLN?

Having a factual consensus in PLN is to establish a fair and open platform, and also establish a diverse and inclusive environment for the audience, they can honestly express their opinions. It does not matter whether there are different statements in PLN, and it does not matter whether the source of the statements is true. The important thing is that we can understand different viewpoints and understand why people have different viewpoints. Through critical thinking, people will not be hoodwinked or bamboozled because they don’t know diverse viewpoints.

References:

Miller, Jesse. (2021). EDCI 338-MEDIA LITERACY with JULIE SMITH. YouTube. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=57r3-aEnci0&ab_channel=MILLER

Trilling, B & Fadel, C. (2012). Digital Literacy Skills. Media Literacy Chapter 4, pp. 66. https://learning-oreilly-com.ezproxy.library.uvic.ca/library/view/21st-century-skills/9780470475386/fade_9780470475386_oeb_c04_r1.html#h2

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

Brad Baker mentioned in the video that he is an educator who is committed to promoting the indigenous Education Project and also doing educational activities against racism. In the video, he discussed the role of PLN in promoting the development of personal and future well-being, and even the establishment of a healthy and diverse community. It is also mentioned that social media provides people with a broader voice platform. He discussed that social media, like Twitter, allows him to hear the authentic voice, it allows the real story to be told.  Instead, hearing the information that is second or third hand, it generally loses its meaning at some point. At the same time, Brad Baker was the first indigenous educator in the northland school district, he also discussed the influence of young voices in the community. They brought more changes, and they also influenced various activities surrounding commercial sports culture.

Which social media platforms are beneficial in education?

As mentioned in Alec Couros’s article, tools related to blogging, wikis, social bookmarking, photo sharing, and video sharing are all social platforms that are beneficial to education. For example, Brad Backer said in the video. He believes that Twitter provides a platform where more true stories can be told and heard by people instead of being controlled by the voice of mainstream media. For another example, in the story told by Jess, the young man used Instagram to share photos to let people know that there are such beautiful northern lights in the world. At the same time, in my experience, youtube is also a useful platform for education, whether it is sports, music, culture, professional knowledge, I can search for relevant information on it. More experienced people in the industry share their experiences through videos.

Consider the equality that exists when all have the same platform to engage community dialogues.

I think that when everyone has the same platform, it means that they will have equal access to all kinds of information, resources and opportunities. Everyone will have the same power to speak, let the world hear her story, instead of blindly being imprisoned by a voice. Of course, people can equally choose whether to make a choice for all points of view, and people can equally choose whether to participate in various activities without being judged.

References

Couros, A. (2010). Developing personal learning networks for open and social learning. In Velestianos, G., (Eds.). Emerging technologies in distance education. (pp. 109-128). AU Press. 

Miller. (2021, June 10). Brad Baker EDCI 338. YouTube.         https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=C5z8iHxW2n4

What are the benefits of a diverse and inclusive PLN in social media sharing that understands where you are coming from with messaging that impacts the community?

In current social media, in fact, we are easily limited by the algorithm of the application software in a less diverse PLN, because the software will push you some similar information according to the content you watch. But having a diverse and inclusive PLN has many benefits. The diversity of PLN allows us to understand people of different races, different cultures and various things that happen in the world. Inclusive PLN will also broaden our thinking, accept new things and ideas, and not be confined to our own thoughts.

Markiel Simpson is a Canadian activist and politician. He is a person of color and has a lifelong disability. He uses his personal experience to discuss and share his views on certain issues. In the interview, he said that different people have different views on things, which are related to their growth environment and personal experience. Only when we listen to people’s views can we understand the world better. These people may be friends, family, politicians, activists, people of color or people without faith, and so on. Only when our audience is diverse enough can the content he shared be seen by more people.

He also mentioned that in order to make the activities and content he promoted can be seen by specific people, he will specially post on Twitter, because many politicians or news related to politics are concentrated on Twitter. So his voice is more easily noticed. At the same time, he will also use specific hashtags such as “#togetherwerise” and #strongertogether to make his activities easier to remember and increase influence.

Miller, J. (2021, June 1). EDCI-338 MARKIEL SIMPSON. YouTube.       https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rsoDHGaXNNs

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)?

Public figures or people in a position of trust have the opportunity to reach more audiences in the media space and have the opportunity to establish contacts with more people to open up their own visibility, which is very beneficial to them. But at the same time, being seen by more people means accepting more people’s scrutiny and comments. Once they do things that are contrary to the image they have created to their audiences or say some inappropriate remarks, they experienced a huge backlash and even affect their own work. As audiences might feel that they are unreliable and unprofessional, thereby affecting their reputation. 

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

I think the most important thing in dealing with negative comments is to distinguish the types of criticism. If it is a constructive comment or criticism, it must be thought through. If we made the mistake, then change it; if not, we should remind ourselves not to do this. If it’s brainless abuse, then you don’t need to care about it. Because those people’s opinions are hard to change. If it causes adverse effects, I believe many social media can report and block these negative comments. We must understand that there will be people in this world who don’t like us, so don’t be too harsh on yourself.

How do notable individuals use social media?

Notable individuals should use social media cautiously. Because their reputation is based on their behaviour and opinion. As Judy Vance said, they themselves are their brand. Their opinion and behaviour will affect their brand. Deviations are likely to affect their careers. Of course, they can also actively interact with the audience. So that they can establish a deeper connection with the audience, convey their ideas more effectively, and receive more encouragement and support.

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

The advantage of entering the public eye and owning a PLN is that you will have the opportunity to let more people know you and know what you do. When you have enough audiences, your speech will become influential. Many people will be encouraged because of you, and you will get more support and career development.

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

Through the online tools provided by employers, we can make our communication with customers more professional, and at the same time increase the credibility of the conversation. At the same time, through the employer’s PLN, the content you want to convey can also be spread faster. However, because it is through the employer’s online tool. Our every move is restricted and must be implemented strictly in accordance with the requirements of the employer, so we must pay more attention to the professionalism of the content and the way of speaking.

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

In today’s society, more often people will unconsciously spread unconfirmed news, causing rumours. So it is very important to integrate reliable information and have critical thinking when seeing the news. Listening to reliable, reputable sources is a less error-prone option, and it is also very important to verify the information yourself.

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

Before sharing information, we must ensure the authenticity of the information, not exaggerating or guiding. Then we have to make our own modifications to the content to ensure that the wording is accurate and the expression is complete, so as to reduce the deviation of the audience’s understanding of the information.

If I were to create a PLN prior to engaging a social media campaign on a topic, the first thing I want to determine is who the audience is for this topic and promote it on the social media that the audience often uses. The aim is to increase the chance that the audience will see the promotion and use their PLN to further expand the scope of the promotion.

For example, I want my topic to be related to computer technology. This topic is relatively professional, and the audience is locked in people who are engaged in computer work and people who are interested in computer knowledge. These people basically follow professional forums (Stack Overflow), company websites, emails, and professional social media (such as LinkedIn). First, I will make some posters, post them at the company location, email them to colleagues, and upload them on the company’s website at the same time to increase the audience’s impression of the event. After a while, I will further introduce the content of the event by posting on professional forums, LinkedIn, and so on. Because these social media can be reposted and shared, the audience will share the activity with people who have the same interest in their PLN. When editing posts, I will also use # to mark keywords. Therefore when people search for keywords, our activities will be easier to find.

How diverse is your existing PLN?

My PLN is divided into different uses according to different social media. For example, I will use Chinese social media, WeChat, to communicate with my Chinese relatives, friends, and colleagues. At the same time, I will share posts on it. People on my WeChat account will also divide into different groups to ensure that the audience I am posting is the group I want, thus separating my personal life and work. I will use Instagram to communicate with my friends living in Canada and share my daily life on it. At the request of the intern company, I will communicate with my intern colleagues through the MS team to broaden my network. I will also use LinkedIn to keep in touch with my colleagues in various periods so that we can help each other in professional areas.

In your PLN, are you learning from a variety of voices or are you the loudest in the room?

In my PLN, I tend to be a listener. I don’t like to say my views out loud. I listen to the views of others and then combine my own ideas to internalize the content. On a private platform, I often share some outdoor life and baking content, hoping to attract more friends to learn new interests with me. But in professional PLN, I rarely express my own voice. I don’t think I am familiar with professional social skills yet, so I don’t want to rush to make some immature remarks.

Do you participate in a silo of information sharing (similar themes or wide range of interests)?

This is divided into fields for me. When I am very familiar with a field and have relatively professional views, I am happy to share information. But when I am not very sure of the information to be shared, I am unwilling to share some unverified remarks. I don’t want to be the kind of person who spread rumours, so I am more cautious about the information I share.

How can you use a diverse PLN to broaden your views of inclusion?

I think a diverse PLN is very beneficial. It can broaden our horizons and enrich our ideas. Let us have an open mind to the world so that we don’t rush to refute it just because we have a different view. Just as there are tens of thousands of kinds of beauty in this world, there are also tens of thousands of ideas in this world. Everyone will have a different view of the world because of the growing environment and personal experience. But when we know enough, we can understand our PLN with our view of inclusion.

In your professional setting of choice, do you think inclusion is actively embraced?

My professional field is computer science. During my studies in school, I found that people (including those in the computer science department) often have some prejudice against people in this major. They think that people who study this major are very stubborn and don’t like to communicate with others. Of course, people with such personalities do exist, and there is nothing wrong with them. Also, I believe there are people with such personalities in all fields. At the same time, they feel that women’s accomplishments in the field are lower than men’s because girls are less good at thinking logically. So, I think in this regard, my professional field is not very inclusive. But these prejudices have not been seen in my internship. My manager is very open-minded. He will not make comments without really understanding a person. Therefore, this gives me confidence that my professional field will embrace inclusion more and more.

What is the learning outcome of your PLN and how are you ensuring your exposure to diversity and inclusion?

I will actively expand my PLN by searching for the content I am interested in. For example, by searching for knowledge about baking and following bloggers I am interested in, I have changed from a person who didn’t even use an oven to a person who can make all kinds of cakes, desserts, and bread. I am very satisfied with the outcome. By sharing the desserts, I made with the people around me, they understand that they also can make delicious food that they thought could only be bought in the store.

How has your thinking about inclusion and PLN evolved after reviewing the videos and readings?

After watching the video and reading the article, I have a deeper understanding of inclusion and diversity. I learned that in fact, everyone is different from everyone, and we are all the same after all. When we want others to understand our differences, others want the same.so there comes inclusion and diversity. By keeping those in mind, it will enrich our thoughts and become a humble person.

Reference

“EDCI 338 – 20 Minutes Moore.” Youtube, uploaded by MILLER, May 30 2021. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KeSV0rUl1bA

Moore, Shelley. One Without the Other : Stories of Unity Through Diversity and Inclusion, Portage & Main Press, 2017. ProQuest Ebook Central, https://ebookcentral-proquest-com.ezproxy.library.uvic.ca/lib/uvic/detail.action?docID=4832579

Here is my V&R Mapping. As you can see, I use Google, ZOOM, UVIC email and YouTube for both personal and institutional use. For social media, it is mainly for my personal use, like Instagram and Wechat. I use LinkedIn mainly to build my professional learning networks, and use Outlook and MS Teams for work as my organization requires.

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

In my opinion, LinkedIn is the most widely used software for establishing professional relationships. This software has gathered people in various fields. You can establish professional networks with your alumni and professors, and you can also establish work contacts with your colleagues and employers. By demonstrating your work experience and professional skills, you can get to know the people who have the same connection as you and get more professional connections and support. I also learned that many employers will recruit talents through LinkedIn, so managing LinkedIn accounts has the potential to get better job opportunities.

What could the student consider in expanding their professional learning network?

First of all, we should list our professional skills and experience as comprehensively as possible, because this way when others search for people with similarities, our portfolio will be more attractive and easier to establish professional learning networks.

Then we also need to use the existing real-life networks, such as classmates, professors, colleagues, etc., to turn them into digital networks. So that we can build more connections who have links to you through their network, therefore expand the professional learning network.

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

When we create a digital identity, I think the first thing we need to do is to display the skills and experiences that are beneficial to us in our portfolio. The information must be true and based on projects or assignments we have done before. Because once the untrue and exaggerated information is proved to be fictitious, it will greatly damage our credit.

We also need to establish digital connections with professionals who are already connected in real life, because they are people who have witnessed our professional performance, and they are helpful to increase our reputation as well.

Finally, when we, college students, do not have enough experience of dealing with professional relationships, I think we should be cautious about posting stuff, liking or commenting on others’ posts. Because sometimes we don’t know if these actions will affect our professional identity.

Discover what an employer would find based on your V+R Map if you applied for a job with them?

I think it will be basic that employers will find my LinkedIn account through google search, and they will also find personal projects that I have done in the past through the information I provided. They will also do background checks and contact previous employers for references based on the work I have done before. Through interviews, descriptions of former colleagues, and my previous posts, they will probably understand what kind of personality I am and see if I meet their requirements and are suitable for their team.

Hi guys,

Welcome to my EDCI 338 Blog!

My name is Kewen Zhao, a  4th-year Uvic Student in computer science. I’m a real outdoor person.  I like to try all kinds of outdoor activities, such as camping, hiking, paddle boarding and tennis.  In the future, I would also like to try diving. I also really like cooking and baking, the process of making good really cures my spirit. Please let me know if you have similar interests!

I understand that our future will be surrounded by all kinds of social software and technology. In my opinion, taking this class can help me understand social software better and learn how to use it safely and efficiently. I hope we can get to know each other and exchange opinions through this class. please feel free to leave any comments on my blog!

Thank you!

Personal Learning Networks

What does it mean to network using social media?

Networking is an indispensable skill in our lives, especially today, the frequent use of social software and the network has transferred the network to a new platform. we can expand the scope and depth of our networking through social media.

How are we motivated to participate in networked publics?

I encourage people to use social media to broaden their personal learning networks, to meet all kinds of people to broaden their horizons and get connections with people. Making connections with other professionals supports the development and growth of professionals’ careers (Cross, et al., 2003; Dulworth, 2006; Krattenmaker, 2002). I personally use LinkedIn to develop my professional career, where I have met many seniors in the industry, and their opinions have provided a good guide for my career development.

What are the risks & rewards of public communications?

While social media brings us convenience, it also brings all the negative effects. Of course, when we are exposed to social media, we are more or less exposing our privacy and defects to more people. So, we need to be very careful with our comments and actions on social media so as not to affect our lives and careers. We also need to be careful to identify and prevent online fraud. I know that many people now use social media to meet strangers and hope to develop relationships. But when you don’t know a person, exposing your private life on social media is very dangerous. Because you don’t know why that person approached you. However, as Boyd (n.d.) said in the paper, online privacy is not a problem that has just been discovered now, but the excessive exaggeration of the media makes people panic. In the future, people will be more networked. The key is how to make people share their lives without being disturbed.

References

Rajagopal, K., Brinke, D. J., Bruggen, J. V., & Sloep, P. B. (2012). Understanding personal learning networks: Their structure, content and the networking skills needed to optimally use them. First Monday, 17(1). doi:10.5210/fm.v17i1.3559

Rob Cross, Thomas H. Davenport and Susan Cantrell, 2003. “The social side of performance,” Sloan Management Review, volume 45, number 1, pp. 20–24.

Michael Dulworth, 2006. “Enhancing personal and professional development: The role of peer networks,” Employment Relations Today, volume 33, number 3, pp. 37–41.

Tom Krattenmaker, 2002. “A blueprint for constructing a personal and professional network,” Harvard Management Communication Letter, volume 5, number 4, pp. 3–4.

Boyd, D. (n.d.) Networked Privacy. Surveillance & Society 10(3/4). https://ojs.library.queensu.ca/index.php/surveillance-and-society/article/view/networked/networked

Stoller, E. (2016, November 25). Eric Stoller – What is Digital Identity? [Video]. Youtube. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=u0RryRbJza0