After checking out the comical World’s Worst PowerPoint Presentations, I found they all had one thing in common: each looked like a party (Purewal, 2010). In other words, there was so much going on it was hard to focus, decipher, and understand all the information—they all looked like a busy intersection. In fact, these presentations lack many design and multimedia principles.Â
Brief explainer video!
First, each PowerPoint presentation violates the signalling principle, one of Mayer’s 12 Principles of Multimedia (DeBell, 2020). The signalling principle states, “humans learn best when they are shown exactly what to pay attention to on the screen” (DeBell, 2020). If these PowerPoints were to align with this principle, they would ensure that the most important thing on each slide would be the most prominent (Phillips, 2014). Currently, these presentations are so scattered it’s challenging to focus. Further, if the PowerPoints were to align with the signalling principle, they would utilize contrast to guide learners throughout the information on every slide (Phillips, 2014). Currently, as I previously stated, the information on each PowerPoint is extremely jumbled together.
Next, the PowerPoint presentations lack the consideration of inclusive design and universal design learning principles, such as optimizing colour in design (Adobe, 2020). Each PowerPoint colossally fails to consider colour choices. For example, many slides use similar colours, such as yellow and orange, and others use colours, such as red and green, which are susceptible to colour blindness. To improve these PowerPoint designs, the designers would need to select colours that are contrasted. As a frame of reference, a good strategy for colour choice is to look at a colour wheel and choose colours that are opposite to one another.Â
Example of a colour wheel.
I took the liberty of creating an infographic. While creating this infographic, I considered the signalling principle and optimizing colour. You will see that I chose a layout with numbers that signal the order of items. Further, the colours I chose are highly contrasted, which allows the design to be accessible for all users.
My infographic on Universal Learning Design!
I hope you enjoyed the read 🙂
Amelia
References
Adobe Express. (2020). 8 basic design principles to help you make awesome graphics. Adobe. Retrieved October 5, 2022, from https://www.adobe.com/express/learn/blog/8-basic-design-principles-to-help-you-create-better-graphics
DeBell, A. (2020, July 24). How to use Mayer’s 12 principles of multimedia learning. Water Bear Learning. Retrieved October 5, 2022, from https://waterbearlearning.com/mayers-principles-multimedia-learning/
Phillips, D. (2014, April 14). How to avoid death by powerpoint. YouTube. Retrieved October 5, 2022, from https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Iwpi1Lm6dFo
Purewal, S. J. (2010, August 17). Top 10 world’s worst powerpoint presentations. PC World. Retrieved October 5, 2022, from https://www.pcworld.idg.com.au/slideshow/366369/world-worst-powerpoint-presentations/
Module 2 on identity, community, space, and place covers topics of digital identity and digital spaces. A concept I found particularly interesting in this module was the theory of connectivism.
According to Siemens (2005), connectivism is “the integration of principles explored by chaos, network, and complexity and self-organization theories.” In other words, collectivism is when learning occurs through connected peers and sharing opinions, views, and ideas—it is a collaborative process. In collectivism, there are four activities: aggregation, relation, creation, and sharing. Aggregation is when “learners access and curate a wide range of resources; relation, in which learners are encouraged to relate content to their earlier experiences; creation, in which learners are encouraged to create an artifact of their own; and sharing, in which learners share their work with others in the network” (Weller, 2020).
I study the discipline of psychology, where collectivism is not used much. Currently, in psychology, professors use learning approaches such as behaviourism and cognitivism. If psychology were to design a course that emulates connectivisim, content delivery would change drastically. Instead of lecture and exam-based learning, psychology classes would have to focus on discussion-based and community education. Further, if connectivism were to be employed in psychology classes, students would need to be provided more opportunities to make choices about learning. More ways that connectivism can be utilized in psychology classes are through group projects, discussions, and engaging with other people. These methods would entirely change the format of psychology courses.
Here’s a brief video for more about the discipline of psychology!
Considering the four key activities (aggregation, relation, creation, and sharing), here is an example of what they would look like in a psychology class. For example, a professor could ask us to write a group essay on a disorder in the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders (DSM-5). To complete this group essay, learners with me to explore various resources (aggregation), relate the information in these resources to our own experiences (relation), create the paper itself (creation), and share our essay with others in our class (sharing) in hopes of creating some sort of discussion.
As I stated earlier, employing connectivism in our learning would drastically change the teaching mode. Rather than using lecture-based classes and giving exams, professors would need to provide opportunities for students to work together on group projects, engage in discussions, and create more opportunities for students to interact with one another and discuss course content.
Further, because students would be engaging in so much group work, professors would need to evaluate us on this work as we would not have much time for other assessments such as quizzes or exams. To create a class that strictly employs connectivism, assessments would need to be based on group work.
Employing connective ism in a psychology class would not be a successful paradigm for psychology. The education of psychologists is held to a very high standard, with many concepts and items we must learn to advance to a master’s degree or a doctorate. Professors need to be sure that we completely understand all of the material being presented to us, rather than just a few items that the assigned group work covered. This is why psychology classes are primarily lecture-based, with exams as assessments.
Connectivism places a lot of emphasis on group work and discussion-based learning, which could pose some potential obstacles to learners, instructors, and institutions. A potential challenge for learners could be that some people just do not learn from discussions. For instructors, a potential challenge could be creating various activities for assessment that employ connectivism. Lastly, a potential challenge for the institution could be that students are not learning what they should be in class because groups are not focusing on all the material presented, just a few significant concepts.
Here’s a short video for more information on connectivity in the classroom!
I chose this learning portfolio prompt because I am interested in learning theories and how people might learn best. It intertwines with psychology as people are unique; therefore, people are unique in how they learn. I also thought it would be enjoyable to relate this learning theory to my discipline of psychology. Finally, this activity made me appreciate how my professors currently run their psychology courses, as I very much enjoy your lecture-based learning and exams as assessments.
This week’s topic is accessibility and equity. Accessibility and inclusion in learning environments are essential in media and multimedia design. As educators, we should continually seek out strategies for adding accessibility to our lessons so that inclusion is built into our media and multimedia learning design.
Inclusive design means that anyone can come together to learn, no matter their ability, beliefs, or ethnicity, can come together to learn. If an inclusive design were to be summed up into one word, it would be accessibility. Many principles and ideas we have explored in this course so far connect to inclusive design. For example, for a design to be inclusive, it must first be engaging, offer multiple presentations of materials, and must allow students to use their new knowledge—these are Universal Design for Learning guidelines (UDL) (Jungles & Patel, 2019). Continuing, for design to be inclusive, it must work to create effective and meaningful learning experiences that Merrill’s Principles of Instruction promote (Jungles & Patel, 2019). For example, Merrill suggests we must engage learners and their learning experience to reap the full benefits of the material (Merrill, 2002). Essentially, we must allow learners to engage with the content, create something based on the content, complete an assessment, or provide an opportunity for group work and discussion. Last but not least, for a design to be inclusive, It must be accessible to as many people as possible. For example, Mayer’s Multimedia Principle states that people learn better when information is presented in various ways, such as text, audio, visual, or physical (Mayer, 2014). Essentially, the more ways that material is presented, the more opportunities people have to learn (Mayer, 2014). For example, some people are not great at learning from pictures but may learn very well from completing a project.
Designs for learning should be made as designs for buildings are made—teachers are the engineers of education, just as engineers are the ones who build our buildings. Just as engineers must create safe structures, teachers must create learning designs and use learning approaches in media and multimedia learning in which students will be accepted and adhere to each of their needs.
To achieve inclusive design, we can explore and experiment with various tools, such as the Web Accessibility Evaluation tool (WAVE) and other tools, such as captions. The WAVE tool Is an evaluation tool to help authors, contact creators, and website designers create a more accessible environment for individuals with disabilities. For example, I used the WAVE tool on my last blog post, and here is some of the feedback: some of the colours were low in contrast, my video did not contain captions, and my sketchnote example would be difficult for someone to read as it includes fancy writing and would not work with text-to-speech tools. There are a host of other tools we can use to create a more inclusive design. For example, we can use captions on videos for those with hearing or processing impairments. Further, in text, we can utilize various fonts and effects, such as bold, italic, or underlined, to draw attention to important information. I love utilizing fonts and effects in my blog posts to draw attention to important information or notable quotes. Images can also be used in an inclusive design, as we can include an alt text describing the picture. I always provide an alt text describing the picture or video for all of the photos and videos I have in my blog posts. Providing an alt text helps those with reading impairments to use text-to-speech tools to ensure they have access to all the information they need to be successful. We must continuously work to recognize exclusion where it exists and work to correct this exclusion, which these tools help us accomplish.Â
Here is a video explaining a little bit more about my quote on teachers as engineers.
Inclusive design should not be mistaken for universal design. Inclusive design is “a methodology that enables and draws on the full range of human diversity. Most importantly, this means including and learning from people with a range of perspectives” (Vinney, 2021). In comparison, universal design is “the design of products and environments to be useable by all people, to the greatest extent possible, without the need for adaptation or specialized design” (Vinney, 2021).
Click here for more on the differences between inclusive design and universal design. Click here for the link to this image.
Creating media and multimedia to suit every individual’s needs is challenging. However, when designed with universal design guidelines, the result is a single solution that can accommodate as many people as possible (Jungles & Patel, 2019). For example, we can work to create an inclusive design for a few learning disabilities, such as those with hearing impairments, and these additions, such as captions, can be extended and helpful to many. Universal designs are curated based on diverse characteristics, such as ability, age, gender, race and ethnicity, to serve as an accessible resource to as many people as possible (Jungles & Patel, 2019). When we try our best to think of our target audience, work to address the needs of our population, and employ ideas and concepts of multimedia learning and UDL, we will be well on our way to creating an inclusive learning environment and design.Â
I hope you all enjoyed 🙂
Amelia
References
Jungles, A., & Patel, C. (2019, June 24). What is universal design for learning?YouTube. Retrieved September 26, 2022, from https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pdmoBl3Z75I
Mayer, R. E. (Ed.). (2014). Principles for Reducing Extraneous Processing in Multimedia Learning, from The Cambridge Handbook of Multimedia Learning (2nd ed.). Cambridge University Press. pp 279 – 315
Merrill, M. D. (2002). First Principles of Instruction. ETR&D, 50, 3. pp. 43-59.
Vinney, C. (2021, August 5). Universal vs. Inclusive Design: What’s the difference? Career Foundry. Retrieved September 26, 2022, from https://careerfoundry.com/en/blog/ux-design/universal-vs-inclusive-design/
This week we covered a few more of mayors principles of multimedia learning, and I found sketchnoting particularly interesting. I’ve used sketchnoting a lot in the past, my high school teachers used to call them super awesome study sheets (SASS), and I never knew they were an actual tool for communicating complex ideas.
This is an example of a sketchnote I made for my introduction to psychology courses.
Sketchnotes are visual, with few words. They include drawings, handwriting, shapes, and many visual elements, such as arrows, squiggles and boxes. Essentially, sketchnotes are a great way of summarizing a lot of information on one sheet of paper. “Sketchnoting For College Students,” by Doug Neil (2016), explained that sketchnoting can be a very useful tool for university students. Sketchnoting allows us to summarize key information and ideas from each course we are in. If we make a sketchnote for each unit for each class, we will have great summaries for studying for midterms and final exams!
Here is a super cute sketchnote about why we should sketchnote (Schwartz, 2019)!
When I use sketch notes in my courses, I find it easy to go back and find all the important information I need when studying for midterms and finals. I would recommend this to anyone, and I highly suggest buying yourself a big whiteboard for your apartment or dorm so that you can lay it on the ground and write down all the key information on one board for each unit or midterm topic. This is how I study for all my university courses; it has been like saving. If I was a teacher planning learning activities for my students, I would have them create sketch notes to summarize the unit once it has been completed. My high school teachers used to do this with me, and I still haven’t gone and looked back at them to this day.
Neil, D., (2016, March 1). Sketchnoting for College Students. YouTube. Retrieved September 22, 2022, from https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=l8qT7zAPcKk
Schwartz, K. (2019, November 3). Why teachers are so excited about the power of sketchnoting. KQED. Retrieved September 22, 2022, from https://www.kqed.org/mindshift/54655/why-teachers-are-so-excited-about-the-power-of-sketchnoting
This week, we learned much about furious learning theories and multimedia learning. A couple of points resonated and stood out to me, such as the coherency principle, which can be used in screencasting.
Here is a screencast I created to sum up my blog post! Here is the link for the resource I discussed: https://waterbearlearning.com/mayers-principles-multimedia-learning/
Mayer’s coherence principle says we should use concise narration, contextual graphics and animation, and appropriate narration to help understand and retain memory when online learning (Wisc-Online, 2018). I could not agree with this principle more, and it surprised me that this is considered in the principles of multimedia learning. I have experienced issues with coherency myself throughout online education. Often teachers and professors throw so much information at you that it’s difficult to keep it organized and even more difficult to understand all the important information. I learn best when lectures and educational materials provided to us by professors are coherent first and then go more in-depth. Just as it’s difficult to learn calculus before you learn how to add and subtract, it’s difficult to learn more advanced topics before understanding the basics.
Here is more about the Coherence Principle!
Further, screencasting is a tool used and multimedia learning. Screen casting sounds like a foreign concept; however, it’s something we’ve probably all seen before. For example, Khan Academy videos are screencasts. It’s very important that screencasts are coherent with concise narration, contextual graphics and animation, and appropriate narration to help viewers understand the information and retain memory about what they learned while watching the video.
Here is an example of a Khan Academy screencast.
Thanks for the read, and I hope you enjoyed 🙂
Amelia
References
WiscOnlineOrg. (2018, October 30). The Coherence Principle. YouTube. Retrieved September 22, 2022, from https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PTyr9P15JhI
After reading the article, “The nature of knowledge ad the implications for teaching,” in the book “Teaching in a Digital Age” by Bates (2022), I started thinking of my own experiences with these learning theories.
As a psychology major, behaviourism is a theory that I am very familiar with because it is mentioned in every class. Behaviourism learning is accomplished when a proper response is demonstrated following a specific environmental stimulus (Bates, 2022). This sounds complicated, but we have probably all experienced this in the vast amount of time spent in school! For example, Behaviourism is when a child misbehaves in class, the teacher takes something away from the child, and then that undesired behaviour becomes desirable when the child stops misbehaving. Just as teachers reinforce the behaviour with punishments, they also use rewards, such as class parties at the end of the week, if the class demonstrates desirable behaviour (Staddon, 2021). Another example of behaviourism I have experienced is when I receive immediate feedback on an assignment or a correct answer to a class question, quiz, test, or exam (Bates, 2022).
Cognitivism is very helpful when teaching more complex and abstract ideas, such as when knowledge can be simplified and applied to different topics and contexts (Bates, 2022). An example of cognitivism that I have encountered was in ED-D 101. This class placed great emphasis on how we receive information, organize that information, store the information, and then retrieve this information. To do so, we completed weekly readings; we were then influenced to create study plans to study to work on organizing and storing the information; then, at the end of the week, we were given a quiz to work on the retrieval of this information. This example uses approaches to learning such as Bloom’s taxonomy (Bloom et al., 1956), which is one of the most popular theories of cognitivism in education (Bates, 2022).
Next, constructivism states that learning happens by creating meaning from experience (Bates, 2022). Constructivism may sound like a foreign concept; however, we use it daily. Every time we reflect on our work, participate in discussion forums or do group work and projects, we learn through personal experience. The constructivist approach also emphasizes problem-solving (Bates, 2022). When we solve problems, we apply everything we have learned to our current experience. Depending on the result of the solution, we may learn what worked well and what did not work well. Bates (2022) discusses how “constructivists believe that learning is a constantly dynamic process.” In other words, This means that we are always building upon what we have previously learned with new information, just as we do while problem-solving. In connectivism, “learning can reside outside of ourselves” (Bates, 2022). An example of connectivism that I, like many, have experienced is
Lastly, connectivism states that “knowledge is created beyond the level of individual human participants, and is constantly shifting and changing” (Bates, 2022). In connectivism, “learning can reside outside of ourselves”, with the help of technology (Bates, 2022). An example of connectivism that I, like many, have experienced is using websites and social media. Various websites, such as Wikipedia, and social media, such as Twitter, promotes group discussion. This discussion, therefore, allows for various viewpoints and beliefs for us to learn and consider for ourselves, and thus learning occurs outside of ourselves.
I have chosen this Learning Portfolio activity prompt as I am a psychology major hoping to continue my education by pursuing my Master of Education in Counselling Psychology. Studying learning theories will be pertinent to my future education and career opportunities. As a behaviour technician and teacher, I am passionate about providing the best education possible for my children. It is important to learn about many types of learning theories so that we can provide the best possible education for our students. All in all, as Ertmer and Newby (2013) and other authors, such as Beauchamp and Parsons (2000), say, no learning theory is better than the rest. An instructor using many learning theories within their instruction will provide the best learning experience for their students—this should be the most important goal as educators.
Ertmer, P. A., & Newby, T. J. (2013). Behaviorism, cognitivism, constructivism: Comparing critical features from an instructional design perspective. Performance Improvement Quarterly, 26(2), 43–71.
Staddon, J. E. R. (2021). The new behaviorism: Foundations of behavioral science (Third ed.). Routledge, Taylor & Francis Group.
Hi there! I am Amelia Riehl (she/her), and I am very excited about this course. I have taken a few EDCI courses in the past, and I loved them, so I decided to sign up for this course. I have also learned a fair bit about open learning, so the title of this course piqued my interest. I hope to learn more about open and distributed learning and how it can be optimized for student potential.Â
I am starting my last year of my Bachelor of Arts in Psychology with a minor in Education. This class fits my studies wonderfully as I am passionate about elementary childhood education and child and adolescent mental health.
Me at home in Manitoba this summer!
Outside of my studies, my interests and hobbies include lifeguarding, teaching swimming lessons and first aid, swimming, soccer, adventuring outdoors, and photography. I also love travelling home to northern Manitoba to see my friends and family.
I used to dislike group work; however, in my recent EDCI courses, I have grown to enjoy it. Group work allows for great collaboration and teamwork, not to mention it’s fun to get to know others and understand their opinions! I have no preference to work alone or with others, as long as the job is completed. I’m a natural leader, so I typically take charge when working in group situations. I love good collaboration, and I also enjoy working alone.
I’m excited to start this course and look forward to meeting you all!
As EDCI 338 wraps up, I would like to share the key points of what I have learned.
Before this course, I did not know what a personal learning network was (PLN). Further, I only thought of social media as a way to communicate and stay in touch with close friends and family. However, as this course ends, I know that a PLN is an online community of people who can have meaningful, like-minded conversations and interactions. Further, I recognize that social media has many uses, such as interacting with people you would not have engaged with, various educational opportunities, and exposure to multiple viewpoints on issues in the world. Therefore, from this point on, I will hold myself to view social media as a networking tool that exposes my interests, history, curiosity, and place in the world.
I would like to include my highlight reel of the favourite things I have learned over the last seven weeks, along with some of my best quotes. Here they are:
“No references are needed to say that ever since the creation of social media, these online platforms provide a private and non-confrontational space for people to spread hatred and negative attitudes.”
I wrote this while discussing our digital identities and PLNs. We must remain digitally aware critical thinkers. What a person says on the internet represents that person. Inappropriate and passive statements can give others negative thoughts about the speaker.
Visitor and Resident Maps
I enjoyed this activity that Jesse had us do. A visitor and resident map is an exercise we can all do to help us better understand how we use the internet. I thought it was exciting to see laid out on paper how I use online platforms and social media. It showed how I engage with others and what sort of PLN I have created for myself.
Here was my V&R map!
Personal Learning Networks
Before this course, I never knew what a PLN was. A PLN is an online community of people who can have meaningful conversations and interactions. They are continually growing and everlasting. Your PLN, like what you post on social media and how you treat people online, will be there forever.
Social Media Inclusivity
Depending on the’ area’ of the Internet you are on, it could be inclusive, or it could not be inclusive (Arfini et al., 2019). I think of the Internet and social media as I think of different places in the world. You will see other things and have different experiences depending on where you want to go. To get to some niches (like the sketchy or illegal ones), you might have to cross some borders (do something to access these different places). There is a wide variety of what you can find online, and some areas are not inclusive. However, some amazingly constructed inclusive and diverse social media platforms are safe spaces for those to voice their opinions and share their stories.
In sum, post-course, I will continue to use my PLN to help with professional development. I plan on going into an education-related field. A solid PLN will provide me with unique ideas, support from other people in my area of work, and a platform to share my ideas, thoughts, and experiences with others who are in the same place as me.
Further, I believe my PLN can be relied on for open professional opportunities. With the way social media and various online platforms function nowadays, finding information on almost anything, including professional opportunities, is effortless.
I’m very excited to put the information and strategies I have learned throughout this course to work in my future endeavours!
Bye, everyone! It was a pleasure learning alongside you all.
Amelia 🙂
References
Arfini, S., Bertolotti, T., & Magnani, L. (2017;2019;). Online communities as virtual cognitive niches. Synthese (Dordrecht), 196(1), 377-397. https://doi.org/10.1007/s11229-017-1482-0
This is a peer review of an interactive learning resource (ILR) about the misconceptions of learners with disabilities that a remarkable group worked hard to make.
My overall impressions are that your document is clean, easy to follow, and intriguing. Your learning outcomes are very appropriate; they are aligned with one another. Further, your assessments and activities allow for your resource to be interactive, and this is a phenomenal subject to teach to students.
Your group wrote, “The current classroom design operates within a linear fashion that only benefits students who can effectively follow it.” I wanted to say that this is a very impactful statement. There are too many teachers that confine students with this linear structure of instruction that your group described. According to Beauchamp and Parsons (2000), education should include children with disabilities in regular classrooms. This is known as inclusive education (Beachamp and Parsons, 2000). Inclusive education helps students and staff understand and appreciate all groups present in communities (Beachamp and Parsons, 2000). We all know that people are different, and instructors should understand that students are inherently different, and some students require accommodations to succeed. To be inclusive, different approaches need to be used for different students (Beachamp and Parsons, 2000). Everyone learns differently, and many learning theories and designs should be used to maximize the potential for student learning!
I also really enjoyed the learning topics your group has chosen. Your group’s learning topics had a lovely flow and built off of one another wonderfully. In my constructive suggestions, you will see that I suggested your group might want to consider switching around topics one and two to further improve the flow and impact of your topics. This will enhance the understanding that your students have a learning disability and the misconceptions about learners with disabilities.
I made a live feedback video for your group to watch. I must apologize; it is long. I didn’t realize I talked so slowly! I suggest adjusting the playback speed to 1.25 or 1.5.
Again, I strongly suggest adjusting the playback speed to 1.25 or 1.5.
Your resource is well-designed, thoughtful, attractive, professional, and user-friendly!
Here is a little summary of my constructive suggestions for the improvement of your resource
Your group might want to consider expanding each lesson topic. What exactly will your group say to the students? How do you expect students to gain an understanding of your topic?
Include a vocabulary list. This textbook-like resource would be straightforward to use and will serve to be very beneficial for your students.
Double-check that your group’s statements are supported with references and citations. Under “Concept Analysis,” many statements were made that were not supported with evidence. To avoid plagiarism and ensure your resource is as valid and reliable as possible, it might be beneficial to include some more citations.
Include descriptions and rationales for the objective of your resource, what learning theory your group is utilizing, what is your learning design, what is the learning context, and what are your technology choices? Further, how is your group designing this resource to be inclusive, especially if you have learners with disabilities learning about learning disabilities!
Your group might want to consider switching around topics one and two. It might be easier to start by explaining to students what a learning disability is and then diving into the background of misconceptions about learners with disabilities.
I also wanted to say your group did a phenomenal job going the extra mile and providing so many additional resources in your ILR. All these resources are places anyone can go to learn more about your topic.
If you want to learn more about education and inclusive education, I highly recommend “Teach from the Inside Out” by Larry Beauchamp and Jim Parsons.Â
Thank you, and I hope this feedback was helpful! Great job!
Amelia 🙂
References
Beauchamp, L, & Parsons, J. (2000). Teaching From The Outside In. (3rd ed.) Edmonton AB: Duval House.
Welcome to my fourth blog post for week five of EDCI 338. I will answer questions about social media use, personal learning networks, and media literacy.
How do notable individuals use social media?
First, a notable individual is viewed as an important figure, and their name might even be a household name. Examples of notable individuals may be prime ministers or presidents, popular content creators, and celebrities. Most of these notable individuals have some social media account, and if they have a social media account, we all most likely follow them. Notable individuals use social media and their mass amounts of followers for self-promotion. For example, successful celebrities use social media to help publicize their brands and keep their names relevant in pop culture. Frequent use of social media helps to keep notable individuals in the eye of the public, ensuring their names are never forgotten.
As many notable individuals do, engaging with a public audience in the media space carries many risks and benefits. The benefits of engaging with the public audience in your media space can be exposure and publicity. Sharing more frequently increases your exposure, giving you more publicity. In turn, more people will come to learn your name and perhaps love your brand. However, risks of engaging with a public audience in a media space can include a difference of opinions among yourself and your viewers and experiencing negative replies and critiques. Having different views among yourself and your viewers can cause negative comments, and experiencing negative responses and reviews about yourself can damage your mental health. Further, experiencing negative replies and critiques can cause you to feel you must reply to these negative critiques. However, addressing comments may not be the best idea when we are in emotionally volatile states.
Here is a collage of some well-known people from around the world!
What are the benefits of being in the public eye and having a PLN?
Being a notable individual, you are most likely in the public eye, which comes with the benefits. Some of the benefits include receiving special treatment, being recognized wherever you might go, being a role model to many individuals worldwide, and having an abundance of new opportunities. Essentially, notable individuals with social media have so many followers that someone will recognize them no matter where they go. Because of this recognition, these people may receive preferential treatment and attention. However, these individuals can use their PLNs and massive platforms for good. Again, a PLN is the network of people we connect with over online media to share opinions, thoughts, and concerns. Having a PLN in the public eye Can help you broadcast important information and spread awareness about topics and issues that are important to you. The more people are aware of these issues you care about, the more people can do something about it! This mass publicity can be life-changing for certain people, organizations, and topics.
Building a community with online tools provided by the employer can be limiting. What are the perceived restrictions and benefits?
Often, employers utilize in-house means of communication, which can have its benefits, but also be limiting and restricting. For example, Establishing an in-house communication platform allows all information to be readily available and accessible to its employees. However, these employer-implemented community platforms serve the people inside the company, and all the information shared over this platform is limited to said company. In turn, there is not much room for diversity.
Delivering information in a connected society requires verifiable resources. So how do you build a PLN to rely on?
Building a PLN requires searching for those who deliver information you agree with and using verifiable resources. People who use verifiable resources are typically viewed as reliable. Following their content and information, you can rest assured you will be informed. Your digital identity and reputation reflect who you are as an individual. Constructing your PLN and the people you associate with in a way that reflects your beliefs and values is crucial.
ABC News suggested 5 more ways to spot disinformation on social media.
How do those, who are veteran storytellers, minimize the risk of sharing misinformation?
Veteran storytellers typically have a lot of followers and subscribers and thus a lot of media coverage. Because so many people are tuning in to what veteran storytellers have to say, these storytellers must share factually accurate information. In the wake of COVID-19 misinformation, UNHCR shared this document of ten tips to minimize the sharing of misinformation via social media. Some suggestions made to reduce the sharing of misinformation follow:
It is important to press pause! Social media moves quickly, and it is essential to take breaks.
Check the source!
Is the message criminal or dehumanizing?
Do you truly understand the material and the issue you are reading about?
Click on this video to watch an awesome crash course on media literacy!
What is media literacy? Why is it important? Why is it dismissed?
Media literacy, simply, is the ability to analyze and understand media messages (Hirst, 2018). Media literacy is crucial because it helps us become wiser consumers of media and responsible producers of our media (Fresno Pacific Staff, 2018). Further, media literacy helps us develop critical thinking skills (Fresno Pacific Staff, 2018). Despite being so crucial, media literacy is often dismissed, but why? As stated by Julie Smith, we tend to be more interested in what we believe than what is actually true (Miller and Smith, 2021). Instead of looking up factually accurate information, we look for information confirming our beliefs. This is known as a confirmation bias.
Further, open dialogue about media literacy and factual information can easily create conflict because of our confirmation biases. Once people confirm their beliefs, it is nearly impossible to change what they believe and show them that the information they have found to verify their beliefs is false. Thus, media literacy is wholly disregarded and dismissed.
Why should you aim for varied views but the factual consensus in your PLN?
Sharing our thoughts and opinions through our PLN will attract people with varied opinions. It is essential to aim for mixed views to consider other arguments and beliefs. We must be cautious and create a factual consensus within our PLN. We want people to trust us and our opinions, and we must use trusted resources and verifiable information.
Further, there are benefits of having a PLN that values media literacy. For example, Creating a PLM that values media literacy will help spread awareness to others that media literacy is an essential skill to understand and assess the messages they are reading on social media.
I hope you all learned something and enjoyed the read 🙂
