• Which social media platforms are beneficial in education?

Combining the discussions in the learning pod with the course materials provided in recent weeks, I believe social media platforms such as Twitter, YouTube and LinkedIn play crucial roles in education. Twitter creates an easily accessible communication system and an environment where users can seize opportunities to gain professional guidance and knowledge. YouTube has an abundant of great short videos that serve as effective educational resources. Many of them can also helpfully instruct and tutor individuals who pursue self-directed learning. LinkedIn works as a extensive professional networking which provides people with a broad human resource base, avenues for professional communication and various job opportunities. 

  • When working with the vulnerable sector, how does social media fit into professionalism and regulations?

When working with the vulnerable sector such as children, social media needs to be engaging yet professionally administrated. It is essential to for users to be careful of what to share and how to disseminate information on the platforms. Inappropriate content or behaviors are very likely to negatively induce and impact children in the long run. Take, for example, the “electric shaking” posture that once gained lots of popularity on Chinese TikTok. It originated from a foreign blogger who was inspired by a wall painting. The posture was so popular that many Chinese children constantly did it to peers and other people. They followed the tread only due to its popularity while they misunderstood or negatively interpreted its connotations — contempt and mockery. This highlights the importance of users being mindful of the potential impact their online activities can have on vulnerable groups. Moreover, it is important to get familiar with and adhere to the policies and codes regarding to ethics and diversity before engaging in online communities. A healthy surfing environment is established on mutual respect and compliance with regulations.

  • 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?

According to the reading from this week, it is essential for educators to have a strong command of tools such as blogging platforms and photo and video sharing in social media (Couros & Hildebrandt, 2016). Educators should thoroughly familiarize the strengths and shortcomings of these tools before introducing them to students. This ensures that thoughts and ideas can be conveyed positively and accurately in education discourse. Meanwhile, maintaining a vigilant focus on professional information and research helps enriching and validating course materials. Connecting and collaborating with other educators or professionals facilitates the sharing of knowledge, resources, project work and the creation of innovative ideas. However, the abundance of information might be overwhelming for educators as to properly select the most valuable content for teaching. Also, if educators carry biased beliefs and attitudes towards certain topics, it becomes challenging for them to establish or search for correct thoughts or ideas within a PLN. Therefore, it is important for educators to be aware of both the advantages and disadvantages a PLN can have, and to maximize the benefits it can bring to education discourse.

Reference:

Couros, A. & Hildebrandt, K. (2016). Emergence and Innovation in Digital Learning.