Blog 7 – Themes of a PLN

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

Brad Baker goes into detail on the many ways a PLN can be utilized in a professional capacity to your own benefit. I found that the most important aspect he mentioned was how your PLN acts a support system for you to further your own well-being if you engage in healthy, respectful dialogue with your peers. A PLN gives you access to an outlet where you are able to express yourself and get your opinions across to people who will actually take the time to digest what you are saying and engage with you in a respectful discussion. That being said there is also room for criticisms within that dialogue as your PLN should challenge you to a degree so that you are able to benefit by actively learning from those in your network.

Which social media platforms are beneficial in education?

Personally, I would say that social media platforms such as YouTube, Twitter, and Google are beneficial in education. Many classrooms utilize twitter to connect with students/parents outside of the classroom through posting reminders and having class discussions through the platform. YouTube can provide great supplementary lessons for students as there is a wealth of knowledge that is made available to teachers and students. Prevalent YouTube channels that have helped me in my studies are “The Organic Chemistry Tutor” and “Khan Academy” which have helped me in areas where I may need some extra guidance or clarification on a specific topic. Google classroom in particular is a great resource for teachers in lesson planning and delivering educational materials for students as it allows for easy access to those materials at any time as everything is hosted online and is cloud based (integrated with Google Drive).

Consider the equality that exists when all have the same platform to engage community dialogues.

When everyone has access to the same platform it results in there being equal opportunity across the board for participation in discussions, access to educational materials, and other educational/professional opportunities. It also facilitates the sharing of discussions as well as there are those who may be afraid/less-inclined to speak their minds in a classroom setting and may be more comfortable with contributing in an open-forum environment for example.