Blog Post #5 – PLN in Education

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

Brad Baker, a district principal in North Vancouver, is also the first indigenous educator in his district. He is in charge of indigenous education programs, safe and caring school programs, and the anti-racism committee. Mr. Baker acknowledges that social media plays an important role in today’s society rather than authentic sources. He mentions, for example, that young indigenous leaders from the Squamish nation have posted on Twitter in the past five years. This provides students and learners with more options for obtaining related information. He also states that we should challenge each other in order to create a healthy community.

Consider which social media platforms are beneficial in education.

Social media has long been an important tool in not only daily life but also educational activities. Traditional social software includes Twitter, Facebook, Instagram, YouTube, and Skype. In the post-covid era, more social software has been used for education, including Zoom, Microsoft Teams, TikTok and so on. Compared with traditional teaching by teachers, social media can quickly update, obtain and collect the latest information in time, bringing the classroom up to date with reality. Besides, social media has increased the visibility and readability of the classroom, making the previously simple classroom lively and interesting. The HyFlex approach is now used in some UVic and Camosun courses. This means that students can choose to either attend class or review the online page for all lectures and materials.

When working with the vulnerable sector, how does social media fit into professionalism and regulations? Consider education, healthcare, and messaging to minor children via social media/gaming.

Social media contains a wide range of messages, the majority of which are positive or educational, but a few are negative or offensive. Cyberbullying refers to the use of the Internet to cause malicious harm to individuals or groups of people. The anonymity of social media platforms creates a safe harbour for cyberbullying. Not only do students turn on one another, but some parents even use social media to attack teachers. Therefore, when confronted with vulnerable people or minority groups on the Internet, individuals should be more aware. On the other hand, social media or gaming companies should strengthen supervision, and more consent and privacy clauses should be issued.