This course has allowed me to engage with my PLN by coming more reliable and trustworthy. Before this class, I did not know what a PLN was and why it was so important in today’s society. My PLN developed greatly by communicating with classmates and discussing ideas through zoom and our bog posts. I maintained active on mattermost to gain trust from classmates so others can trust me and want to work with me for the final project. If I was not active, no one would want to work with me. My groups final project elaborated on the course material by discussing questions related to PLN, social media, and media literacy. When I was writing my own blogs, I pulled my own experiences, interests and knowledge to related it to course material. While discussing in a podcast, I was able to hear my classmates opinions and their experiences relating to the class material. This allowed for a more diverse learning experiences and I was able to gain more knowledge and understand the course material better.
After completing this course, the view of social media changed for me. Before, I thought social media was mainly Instagram, twitter, Facebook and tiktok that used to pass time. Social media felt more personal than professional. Now, I realize social media includes zoom, email, online banking and important day to day communication. Without social media, I would not be able to any online classes or communicate with classmates. I also would not be able to connect employers or anyone outside of my city. Overall, I now know social media is more than a few apps on my phone.
As a future teacher, this course has taught me the importance of a reliable PLN. Thus, I will teach my students the risks and benefits of social media so they are aware at a young age. This can allow them to start creating a reliable PLN before it is too late. I will also inform them about the importance of media literacy. Young children on social media may believe everything they see. I will teach them the importance of reliable sources and critically evaluate the information.