PLNs & Awareness Opportunities

Photo from: https://www.langleyadvancetimes.com/community/video-aldergrove-educators-mark-indigenous-child-victims-with-orange-ribbons/
  • How does a PLN give power to messaging for an individual or community?

PLN empowers individuals or communities to deliver messages, and it allows even “voices to emerge that traditionally might not have a media space.”(Miller 03:07-03:11) As Brad says in the video, professional learning communities are the real support system, community itself is about the users’ own well-being. PLNs are not just about sharing the users’ own stories, but should also include contributing something of positive value to society. When people have a well-established PLN and a healthy community, it will be easier to understand and drive meaningful initiatives.

  • Education occurs in so many environments beyond the classroom, how does social media help expand education and associated needed communications?

As Brad says, professional learning communities are where people not only support each other, but also challenge each other to have healthy and respectful dialogues. I think social media plays a key role in this, providing a platform for these people to communicate freely, and making these communications more efficient.

Social media gives users first access to a large number of different information and people, allowing everyone to participate in the learning and exchange different ideas. In addition, social media allows users to upload videos and pictures, post information while providing visuals to enhance learning, which I think provides a more immersive learning experience than in the classroom, where learners can receive more diverse knowledge and the learning process becomes more interesting and vivid.

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

PLN contributes to the development of thoughts and ideas in discourse by building a network of communities from around the world. PLN helps the development of ideas in discourse by building a community from around the world. Baker mentions Leona Prince in the video, a strong female parent who brings a lot of feeling and emotion to the use of social media. She doesn’t just post and share information and connect with people, but she brings emotional resonance to people, which builds a community. In addition, Baker mentioned another influencer he really learned from was Negon Sinclair, an indigenous leader who is a leader across the country around truth and reconciliation and getting indigenous voices still allowed to come to the table. When there is better inclusiveness in PLN, people’s thoughts and ideas can be better developed and thus move to a higher stage.

  • How does the use of PLN raise awareness opportunities?

Refer to Emerging Technologies in distance Education, connectivism is a “Net aware” theory of learning and knowledge. “Connectivism emphasizes the importance of digital appliances, hardware, software, and network connections in human learning.”(P114) Because of PLN, people are connected, which provides more opportunities to communicate and exchange ideas, and also allows learners to better absorb diverse knowledge.

As Brad Baker says in the video, PLN allows indigenous voices regarding truth and reconciliation to be released and from a credible source. These learning networks allow real stories to be told and spread, thus promoting meaningful initiatives.

  • What are some problems or risks to consider with social media communications when discussing topics that may be uncomfortable but reflect needed change?

There are a number of risks or issues to consider with using social media when discussing potentially uncomfortable topics. As Brad Baker mentioned in the interview “mainstream media is either left wing or a right wing, they only tell what they want to tell.” The information that users receive on social networks may not be true and complete, and every second-hand message may contain the subjective opinion of the previous author. So when viewers receive a piece of information, they need to distinguish its authenticity and remain objective about the topic of discussion. In addition, uncomfortable topics can always lead to two-sided discussions that inevitably lead to conflict, such as comments of a hurtful nature or inflammatory rhetoric.

As Brad Baker says in the video, social media plays a key role in making the world a perfect place. Social media is not just a platform for people to tell their true stories, but to contribute something positive to society. When people are connected and create a healthy community, it’s easier to drive meaningful action and therefore bring positive improvements to society!

References:

Baker, Brad. (2021) “Brad Baker EDCI 338.” Youtube, uploaded by MILLER, https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=C5z8iHxW2n4&ab_channel=MILLER

Veletsianos, George. (2010) Emerging Technologies in Distance Education, AU Press. https://www.aupress.ca/app/uploads/120177_99Z_Veletsianos_2010-Emerging_Technologies_in_Distance_Education.pdf