Reflection 1.1 Instructions
Think back to the definition you gave for social media in the prior learning survey. (If you didn't do the prior learning survey, think back to your prior notions of social media.) How has the course content (material I post in the module), the readings and resources provided extended, challenged, or deepened your initial understanding? (Cite references as appropriate.) What about educational applications of social media--has the course content (material I post in the module), the readings and resources provided extended, challenged, or deepened your initial ideas?
Think back to the definition you gave for social media in the prior learning survey. (If you didn't do the prior learning survey, think back to your prior notions of social media.) How has the course content (material I post in the module), the readings and resources provided extended, challenged, or deepened your initial understanding? (Cite references as appropriate.) What about educational applications of social media--has the course content (material I post in the module), the readings and resources provided extended, challenged, or deepened your initial ideas?
Before starting this course I was under the impression that social media involved connection with others through the sharing of ideas and common interests. My definition has evolved and deepened as I explore literature around social media and social networking. Social networks are about the people involved and the connections between those people. Visually I imagine a social network to be web-like. One can be part of a network when connecting with someone in the staffroom over coffee or through Twitter across the world. Something links the people together...their mutual love for coffee or their interest in evolutionary psychology, for example. Social media is more about the tools people use to interact about their professional and personal interests. What I find exciting about social media is that it enables people to not only consume new content from diverse perspectives but also allows them to create, remix and build-upon the ideas shared through social media. Through the use of social media, social networks become more complex and far-reaching. All of a sudden the coffee connoisseurs can connect from their staff room to coffee lovers around the world. The conversation deepens. Social media also provides tools to discover people in the neighbourhood who share interests and values that you might never know about. With this hyper-connectivity of course comes risk. Who are we connecting with? Who has access to our thoughts and documentation of our lives? What are the risks of social networking through social media? Is no connection the safest way? When does risk outweigh benefit? How does one use social media to make healthy connections? How do we educate our children to be "social-media responsible" aka digitally responsible? I'll explore answers to these questions as I delve into the world of social media.