Month: October 2023

As a future teacher, I have thought a lot about what my social media presence will be. One of the caveats of teaching is that you are no longer a regular member of society with all of the freedoms that come with it, you are a civil servant whose reputation matters. We are held to a professional standard both at work and outside of work. As for many professions, you need to be wary of the reputation you are creating for yourself as this might affect your job. I would like to share an anecdote to further prove my point. This story includes a teacher who we will call John and a student who we will call Jane. 

The year is 2020, John is a teacher at a Catholic High School. He has social media including facebook and Instagram, but they are all private because he was taught during his B.Ed that as teachers, our social media presence needs to be limited and private. Jane, his student, works part-time at a restaurant in town and has become friendly with her co-workers. Jane learns that one of her co-workers knows John personally and Jane asks to see John’s Facebook profile on her co-worker’s phone as John and the co-worker were friends on Facebook. Jane scrolls down the Facebook to many many years back, she specifically lands on a post John had made when HE was in high school, from 2010. The post is making fun of the catholic school system as he was upset he was being forced to go to church in 10th grade. Jane screenshots this post and sends it to her own phone. The next day she goes to John, shows him the screenshot of his own post from 10 years prior, and attempts to blackmail John by threatening to show the principal the post. Luckily, John had some personal relationships within the school board so he was not fired, however, he was told that if it weren’t for those relationships it would have been a fireable offense if it got out because it would reflect poorly on the entire Catholic school district. 

This happened to a teacher friend of mine and this story has certainly stuck with me when I think about my social media presence. There are three big lessons i learnt from this: 

Go through your social media with a fine-toothed comb

As teachers, we need to go through every single social media platform we have created and make sure there is nothing that could be held against our professional standards. This is much more of a task now as many of us have grown up with social media so it’s possible that we have documented the majority of our lives. In John’s situation, something that might have received laughs from his peers in grade 10 is something that could get him fired as a professional. 

Cut down your “friends” or followers to people you really trust

Growing up in the age of social media has resulted in many many “friends” on Facebook and followers on Instagram. Before I went through and “purged” my lists there were people following me whom I met at a tournament in middle school, coworkers from high school, and of course, the random people you meet one time and never again. Although this is fun and creates a large network for yourself, as a teacher this can become a problem. In the past year, I have been very conscious of who I allow to be in my social media world. I like to use social media as authentically as possible which sometimes means not everyone I know can be a part of it. Even posting something like your political views or opinions can get you in hot water as a teacher if it ends up in the wrong hands. 

Remember that your posts and actions don’t only reflect on you, but also on your employers 

As stated before, teachers are civil servants, meaning they are big players in the community and are more so recognized through the profession or union rather than through an individualistic lens. In other professions, your actions might only reflect on you, whereas in teaching your actions represent the school you work for, and the district as a whole. It is a good idea to get to know your school’s and district’s values so that you are aware of the level of professionalism they expect from you on social media as well as in the community outside of working hours.  

Overall, having a Personal Learning Network can be extremely helpful as a teacher since we subscribe to the notion of lifelong learning. If your learning network is online through social media platforms it is very important to keep professionalism in mind. Furthermore, if you plan on having personal social media accounts take extra care of how they could possibly be perceived by students or members of the public. 

For this week’s blog post on community engagement I would like to focus on how PLN’s and social media can contribute to reconciliation in Canada. For years the atrocities that were committed against Indigenous peoples in Canada went unknown by non-Indigenous folks. When considering the question, “how does social media engage communications?” I started to think about how social media gives a voice to those who are otherwise silenced. Since the Truth and Reconciliation Report was published in 2015 there has been more awareness of Indigenous experiences within Canada, however, social media has expanded the audience of folks who are learning more about the real history of their country. 

 A misconception within Canada is that all Indigenous communities and peoples all fall under the same umbrella, which could not be further from the truth. As I discussed in my week 5 blog post, everyone is at a different intersection in life so one Indigenous person’s experience can be completely different from the next, meaning there is so much to learn from every individual. This is why social media can really benefit us as learners because we are not being subjected to a single voice to represent marginalized groups, as we often are within news media or government organizations.

Not only does it allow non-Indigenous folks to learn more about Indigenous experiences within Canada, but it also can create a community for Indigenous peoples who have been displaced due to colonialism. This is exemplified in Jessica Clark and Patricia Aufderheide’s book, A New Vision for Public Media Open, Dynamic, and Participatory when they say “People come in as participants and leave recognizing themselves as members of a public—a group of people commonly affected by an issue, whatever their differences about how to resolve it” (2011). 

Another topic I wanted to discuss was how the burden of teaching non-Indigenous folks about the grim history and continued colonial state of Canada should not fall solely on Indigenous peoples. It is up to non-Indigenous Canadians to learn from other more knowledgeable non-Indigenous peoples as well as some self-directed learning. There are already so many resources out there on social media and on the internet to conduct valuable learning! When it comes to the PLN and being able to offer insight to others, this is where I feel I have been able to teach many of my classmates and peers. During my undergrad I took a minor in Indigenous Studies as I felt it was my duty to learn more about the history and current events of the land I live on and its First Peoples. Being able to teach others and broaden perspectives on Indigenous issues within Canada is very important to me, because as I said before, it should not be the jobs of Indigenous folks to educate us non-indigenous Canadians. More specifically, within the realm of education, decolonizing is a common and daunting word being thrown around. I feel comfortable with this topic as I have a background in this knowledge and so I really enjoy offering decolonized lesson plans or my ideas for creating a decolonized classroom. Overall, social media can be a great tool for Canadians to educate themselves on topics like colonialism and hear perspectives of Indigenous experiences. 

Since taking this class I have started to be more conscientious in making decisions about my Personal Learning Network. Prior to taking this class, I think I was unconsciously seeking out a PLN for myself in many of the conversations I would have. I did my undergrad in English which created personal learning environments for me consistently. I love to read and I love to hear other people’s perspectives on novels and short stories so being in classes that were designed to hear everyone’s opinion was awesome. I would learn from classmates and hopefully my classmates also benefited from my opinions and perspectives. Since graduating I have really missed these discussions with peers. It might be time for me to seek out a book club! 

If I were to look for a book club or create my own, I now know that I would be seeking out dynamic, reliable, and participatory individuals. As I transitioned from my English degree to my PDPP Education program, I am realizing the multitude of  benefits a PLN offers, other than book club type engagements. One of the most important lessons we have learnt thus far in our program is that to be a teacher is to be a lifelong learner. This is an easy task for me as I love learning, so why would I ever want to stop? However I have noticed that there are some individuals who seem resistant to the knowledge our teachers are passing on. The people I tend to discuss and learn with can see the benefits of life-long learning and are also always seeking new ways of thinking or looking at a concept. To me this is what I would call someone who is dynamic. Someone who is not stuck with the idea that they already know everything and are open to hearing various perspectives on a topic. 

When looking for reliable and participatory individuals to include in my PLN I tend to observe while simultaneously trying to be my authentic self to let people know that I am reliable and enjoy participating. I am lucky to be in a class setting with my peers so it is easy to spot folks who are reliable as they would show up to class and group meetings eager to learn. Same with participating, it is easy to observe those who enjoy sharing their perspectives in class and actively listening to others as well. These are the people I am keen on making connections with for my PLN! 

After reading “Building your own PLN: seeking new insights and ideas? Expand your personal learning network” by Bianca Woods, a few more thoughts came to mind. More specifically, I was intrigued by Woods’ description of how PLN connections are reciprocal. One quote that stood out to me was, “The relationships that form your PLN often aren’t the teacher-student structure you remember from school” (Woods, 2013). In the past, students have been viewed as an empty vessel for teachers to impart their wealth of knowledge, however this way of looking at learning has been changing in recent years. For me, I believe that I am going to learn just as much from my students as they will learn from me. This opens up the question of whether or not my students will be part of my PLN. I wonder if there are any limitations to this because as a teacher we do hold positions of power. Does this affect the ability to create an effective PLN? I am not sure but it is something I will continue to ponder and learn about! 

Bibliography: 

Woods, B. (2013, November). Building your own PLN: seeking new insights and ideas? Expand your personal learning network. T+D, 67(11), 70+. https://link-gale-com.ezproxy.library.uvic.ca/apps/doc/A348998538/ITBC?u=uvictoria&sid=summon&xid=1010abdf

 I have realized through this course that most of my learning network takes place in person and not online. I have reflected on this and have realized that I tend to retain and understand information better when it is delivered to me in person and when there is a meaningful emotional connection there as well. I am very lucky to be a part of a diverse PLN as I make my way through my Secondary PDPP program at UVic where I have made many meaningful connections that are extremely valuable to my learning journey. When it comes to diversity, I believe my PLN is very diverse as I have sought out various perspectives from people with different experiences from mine. Since I have been young I have always been so intrigued to learn how others experience the world, so building a PLN is something I’ve been subconsciously doing my whole life! My PLN encompasses people of all walks of life! For example, I have been learning a lot from people with diverse abilities, people whose first language is not English, people who grew up outside of Canada, people with spouses and kids, single individuals, people who are part of the LGBTQ+ community, and many other people! It is important to acknowledge though, that as we expand our PLN and include diverse voices, that these people are not simply whittled down to what makes them unique to your PLN. Everyone has so much to offer and everyone is coming from a different intersection of life, to quote Kimberlé Crenshaw, but this alone does not create an entire identity. Also, it is important to gain many different perspectives from within a community. For example, I am part of the LGBTQ+ community, however it is still so valuable to hear from other members of the community on their experiences as they will have a unique experience within the community. 

There is no real learning outcome of my PLN. I am striving to be a lifelong learner and so I hope my PLN continues to expand my whole life. There will be steps along the way with specific goals that I would like to gain out of my PLN, for example my focus right now is to create connections with working teachers to learn about their skills in classroom management and creating lesson plans. My exposure to diversity and inclusion is entrenched within our cohort, however after I finish this program I will make sure to stay in touch with all of the wonderful people I have met and learnt from through online platforms like social media. I will also continue to put myself in situations to meet more people like attending conferences. Overall, creating an inclusive and diverse PLN is so important for personal growth and especially to become a lifelong learner!

During my time at post-secondary, I’ve noticed many students using Linked In as well as Instagram for professional purposes. This was not something I had ever considered before however, I have had many friends start online stores through Instagram to sell old clothes or their artistry. I think being able to create an online store for yourself with such ease is a great thing for young people to start getting into the professional world. It opens so many doors by taking away the roadblocks that inhibit people from starting businesses like permits and leases. On a personal matter, students use many other forms of social media as well that as they grow up and move through their degree, can sometimes pivot towards being used for a professional reason. For example, Facebook, Twitter, Pinterest, Reddit, Tiktok, or Vsco. On the contrary, other platforms might always serve the purpose of a personal matter. For example, Snapchat, Bereal, Reddit, Tiktok, and others.  Equally important, students must consider who they want to see each of their online presences. For example, my friends who have started online Instagram stores have often advertised for these stores through their personal Instagram accounts. This is a great way to let friends and family know what is going on in your life professionally, but it would become more difficult to distinguish between personal and professional online presences. 

As my Personal Learning Network continues to grow, I’ve begun to think about what it means to have a network of people. Sometimes it seems that in the professional world, it is a competition to have the biggest network, and therefore have the most access to knowledge. To have the largest PLN, you would have to be very visible online which brings in questions of privacy and security. If you are someone who values your privacy more, over the size of your PLN, then you would have better security but fewer outlets for learning. One of the limits of creating a personal network online is the trade-off between growing your network and protecting your privacy. One solution to this is to teach students to create a healthy balance between the two. Being informed on how to stay safe online while networking is very important in this day and age!   Creating a digital identity/ reputation has a lot more nuances to it than creating your reputation in person does. One of the things about networking online is the assumption that everyone has the ability to re-read and think about what they are posting. Because of this, I  think that people take what you post online more seriously than what you might say in person. Everything you post online is permanent, it’s like writing with a sharpie on a dry-erase board. Maintaining and creating a reputation in person allows for more authenticity because we are seeing people as they really are. Whereas when creating an online identity and reputation there is the unspoken rule that everyone is controlling exactly how they want to be perceived. This can be a good thing as it can make you look more appealing to a potential employer. As for creating a good reputation in online spaces, I believe it is important to be authentic and share your values, what you do, and what your mission in creating this digital identity is. When looking back on my own “reputation” online from an employer’s perspective I realized the depth of what a simple search of a name can bring up online. I think that my employer would assess my social media presence as minimal, however, what they would see would show off my personality. This is something that is important to me, I don’t want to come off as disingenuous or like I’m trying to curate myself too much so I try to stay true to my personality on my personal and professional social medias. After looking me up, someone would know my work experience and education, and various hobbies of mine like painting, doing yoga, and dancing.