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  • Explore the video provided and reflect on the themes of a PLN in a professional capacity – how does a PLN give power to messaging for an individual or community?

Brad Baker is an Aboriginal education leader with extensive educational experience. He has a unique educational background and he advocates the advocacy of indigenous culture. So social media means a lot to him. He can share his stories and express his opinions on PLN, which can spread more directly. And there will be no racial discrimination and prejudice on such a platform, and everyone is fair. Another point is that the spread of PLN can expand the audience and better facilitate the spread of culture.

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

Social media is a very fair platform, as Brad Baker said, especially for indigenous people, there is absolutely no possibility of racial discrimination on social media. They can express their opinions, share their thoughts, and express their different opinions. They can draw inspiration more directly. They can share valuable stories based on their unique background. Similarly, more people can hear their stories directly on social media. These are all happening outside the classroom, and there are no teachers and students in the traditional sense.

  • 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?

Because of the impact of covid-19, we have been taking online courses for one year. My personal feeling is that PLN has advantages and disadvantages for us. The advantage is that, first, although we are trapped at home, we will not delay the learning process. Second, by communicating on PLN, it is more convenient for us to share our opinions. Third, PLN is a very fair platform on which every student can share their opinions. But PLN also has shortcomings. First, it makes the communication between teachers and students less direct. Second, teachers cannot urge students in a timely manner and track their learning status as in traditional classrooms.

  • How does the use of PLN raise awareness opportunities in education?

Through PLN, we can participate in their courses in different schools. For example, I am a student of uvic, but I can also join other schools and courses related to my major through PLN, and many of them are free. And not just courses, we can also follow the teachers we admire on Facebook and other social media and learn the opinions they share.

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

Because of the open nature of social media communication, he will also face some unhealthy remarks or wrong opinions from some users. For some social media, there is no strict system for reviewing users, which can lead to this situation. In the educational environment, because the information on social media is too extensive, it is easy for students to be attracted by other information they are interested in when searching for information, which leads to insufficient concentration in the learning process.

Works Cited

Miller, Jesse. “EDCI 338 Brad Baker.” YouTube, 5 Mar. 2021, www.youtube.com/watch?v=dy63SmEpvCw.

Veletsianos, George. “Developing Personal Learning Networks for Open and Social Learning.” Emerging Technologies in Distance Education, Au P, 2010, pp. 109-128.