Month: July 2023

In today’s world, we are surrounded by media almost all day, and only a few of us possess a comprehensive understanding of media’s profound impact on our society. To distinguish this noise, analyze what we see in media, and determine its accuracy, we can use Media Literacy.

Media Literacy is the ability of individuals to critically analyze stories, messages, and narratives presented in the media and determine their accuracy or credibility ( Allison, 2010). It is not limited to traditional media such as television and radio but includes social media and websites.

It’s important to be media literate so that you can think critically and analyze the messages you receive from media. By doing so, you can better understand the reasons behind the messages and the motives of those who share them. Media literacy also encourages people to question what they see and to seek out sources for the information they consume. This helps individuals be more mindful of their media consumption and achieve a healthy balance between their media presence and their personal life. Moreover, media literacy fosters cultural awareness by encouraging people to learn about different perspectives and cultures. By seeking out credible information, individuals can educate themselves about other cultures and gain a deeper understanding of the world around them.

Media literacy is often overlooked due to a lack of awareness. People tend to believe everything they see in the media without questioning its validity. Additionally, some individuals may refuse to consider alternative viewpoints and instead rely on information that supports their existing beliefs. On a larger scale, the media industry may not prioritize promoting media literacy as it could potentially harm their interests by increasing public awareness.

By incorporating media literacy into my Personal Learning Network (PLN), I am able to develop critical thinking skills that allow me to effectively evaluate diverse situations and information. This skill also promotes the use of logical reasoning to support arguments. With media literacy, I am able to be a well-informed participant in my PLN, which enhances engagement. Additionally, embracing cultural diversity within my PLN by listening to different views and perspectives enables me to foster a spirit of respect and openness among members. This enriches my personal growth and strengthens our connections with one another.

Reference

Allison, M. (2010). Review: Digital and Media Literacy: A Plan of Action (2010). The Journal of Media Literacy Education. https://doi.org/10.23860/jmle-2-3-7

Community communications go beyond blogs and social media shares, how does a PLN help and hinder the development of thoughts and ideas in education discourse?

Personal Learning Networks (PLN) help the development of thoughts and ideas in education discourse through learning from different individuals. Hence, a different perspective because PLN is used by different people where they share their ideas and research. Using this community communication allows people to share these ideas and learn from one another, thus, developing new thoughts and ideas. Moreover, PLN helps engagement and sharing of knowledge. However, PLN can hinder the development of thought when there is an overload of information, and this overload can make it difficult to sort the required information and make it harder to develop information.

How do educators create discourse?

Achieving a successful discourse requires encouraging questions and asking knowledge; this allows engagement in class where students can feel safe to ask questions, allowing students to learn better. Moreover, group work also creates a successful discourse where individuals interact with one another and share their knowledge.

What is the role of social media in education?

Social media help access information where it provides a vast amount of information that students and instructors can access. This allows educators to share their experience and knowledge, as the study by Alec Couros emphasized the influence of the open movement on educators’ perceptions (Veletsianos, 2010), emphasizing collaboration and openness in education. Moreover, students can explore tutorials and online courses, allowing them to learn beyond the classroom. Furthermore, social media allows educators from different parts of the world to share their knowledge of teaching. This can help educators to adopt new teaching styles they learn through social media. My mother is a math teacher, and through social media, she learned new teaching techniques that she used with her students!

What are some problems with social media communications in education settings?

The main problem would be privacy. Almost all social media collect personal information. Thus, educators must use these social media in a way that does not impact the student’s privacy.

Which social media platforms are beneficial in education?

In my opinion, YouTube is very beneficial in education—the vast educational content with a wide range of educational videos and tutorials on almost everything. Moreover, many people learn better through visual learning, and YouTube provides a setting where people teach topics through animation, which help simplify the information and makes learning more enjoyable. In the book Emerging Technologies in Distance Education, Social cognitive theory (SCT) suggests that individuals can learn through observing others and adopt this knowledge positively (Veletsianos, 2010), which can be found through learning from YouTube.

How does social media fit into professionalism and regulations when working with the vulnerable sector?

Working with vulnerable sectors such as children and the elderly need a high level of privacy and confidentiality. The discussion on social media should not include personal or sensitive information; children and older people need to be educated about the privacy issues regarding sharing personal information on social media. Moreover, individuals working in the vulnerable sector should be trained and follow ethical guidelines, which include how educators/professionals need to behave in the vulnerable sector where you need to provide a safe environment to others.

Reference

Picture: https://teacherchallenge.edublogs.org/pln-making-connections/comment-page-1/

Veletsianos, G. (2010). Emerging technologies in distance education. AU Press.

How do notable individuals use social media?

Social media have become an essential part of our daily life. Many individuals, such as influencers, use apps like Instagram to build a personal brand. Influencers engage with their follower by sharing their personal life; this helps followers to connect on a personal level with the influencer. This can build trust that can be used later to advertise a product, and because followers trust this influencer, they would purchase products that influencers advertise. Moreover, notable individuals, such as politicians, can use social media to influence people’s opinions regarding elections. Furthermore, other notable people can use social media to advocate to raise awareness for a cause. Thus, social media is used differently by different people. It is up to the follower to distinguish who to follow.

The benefits of being in the public eye and having a PLN

The benefit of being in the public eye and having a PLN can have several benefits. First, notable individuals can advocate what they believe in and gain so much support because of their strong presence in the public eye. Second, individuals who share PLN can share their expertise, insights with the public who follow them and listen to them. This develops a more extensive network and different perspectives about a certain topic. Moreover, being in the public eye and having a PLN can be a reason to inspire others to follow your leads and continue the work you do since they observe your achievement and success through your PLN.

The limitation and benefits of Building a community with online tools provided by the employer

These tools might be limiting because the platform used by the employer might not be up to date and does not contain the features that are needed to build a community. This can be through using complicated social media that restrict all ages of the community from accessing the information provided and thus limit access.

On the other hand, this can be beneficial in terms of building a community. If the right online tool is used, this can lead to building a community in a platform that can be served as a hub where resources and expert individuals are in these platforms. Thus, this will allow people to develop relationships with people in their field that can help them develop their careers, as Sophie Lui mentioned in her podcast (EDCI 388, 2023). Although it will be restricted to specific individuals who share the same interest or specialty, building a community that can work together on building a network based on shared interests and knowledge can be better. Although it is not for everyone, it still can indirectly benefit the general public.

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

A PLN that people use to get credible information can be achieved by seeking credible individuals who are experts in the field of interest. Sharing the background of the people you cite information allows people to rely on your PLN and consider it credible. For example, although Wikipedia contains many credible sources, it also contains many uncited information. Thus, Wikipedia is considered an untrusted encyclopedia for all branches of knowledge.

How do veteran storytellers minimize the risk of sharing misinformation?

Veteran storytellers minimize the risk of sharing misinformation through research and fact-checking the information before using them. Also, citing the sources they use to obtain the information to clearly indicate this information as a reference shows how credible their work is.

Reference

Picture: https://givingcompass.org/article/the-need-for-aapi-civic-engagement-in-public-discourse

Miller. (2022). Sophie Lui – EDCI338. [Vidoe]. YouTube. Retrieved July 09, 2023, from https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wfcXgKLzOVM.

How does social media engage communications?

Community engagement can be defined as an engagement that brings people together who share the same interest. Social Media engagement can be seen when people create and share their content with others. This content can be photos, videos, or posts. In social media, people can also share helpful information and news about what is happening worldwide. It can provide an analytic tool to engage with others. Thus, social media is both for and by the public (New Vision for Public Medi, 2011)

Social Media Challenge Communications

There are some social media challenges, such as information overload. Great information about the same topic can make it challenging to find accurate information. Many individuals post information about the same topic, but some information can be misleading because it can be based on personal opinion rather than research-based. This can cause challenges in communication as it is difficult to find what you are looking for. Other social media challenges can be if social media is not checked regularly for any discrimination or hate speech; it can lead to inclusivity and negatively affect the communication on that social media.

Thus, it is essential to have policies about the expectation of employers’ social media communication. This includes expecting the employees to maintain high professionalism when they need appropriate language or content on social media, as these employees represent this organization even outside the workplace. A friend of mine was volunteering with Lebonan Red Cross, where volunteers were asked to stay away from politics on their social media platform as this affects the work environment between employees in one way or another.

Personal Learning Network (PLN) can be built using social media. This can be achieved by identifying influencers and communicators in the field of interest. In my case, it is the pharmaceutical industry, specifically drug maintenance. Following influences in this field will allow me to gain valuable insight related to the pharmaceutical industry. Moreover, commenting and participating in live discussions run by influencers in this field will allow me to engage, share my thoughts, and ask questions, thus expanding my network.

My PLN amplifies the views of others.

Although I have not started a PLN yet, I want my PLN to amplify the views of others. My PLN should be based on sharing and exchanging knowledge with individuals with similar interests. This knowledge can be from articles or other ways I have yet to be exposed to. This will expand my perspective on the topic and allow me to build my PLN.

References

Picture: https://medium.com/changelab-solutions/equitable-community-engagement-34d2542f68fd

Clark, J., Aufderheide, P. (2011). A New Vision for Public Media. In: Jansen, S.C., Pooley, J., Taub-Pervizpour, L. (eds) Media and Social Justice. Palgrave Macmillan, New York. https://doi.org/10.1057/9780230119796_5