Blog Summation

My initial learning goals for the term were to increase my knowledge about social media and how to build and use my PLN. I don’t think I realized the many different ways social media can be utilized, as well as the positives and negatives that come with it. In terms of my starting point of knowledge, I knew what the basic social media platforms were and how they were used, but I didn’t realize how much I could utilize them, especially in the education world. I am a big TikTok scroller, and I have seen lots of teacher inspiration videos, which made me think about how I could use TikTok more intentionally by searching for specific ideas and finding inspiration for my future classroom.

Growth & Reflection

In terms of my intellectual growth, one of the things that I enjoyed learning about most was how we should be teaching students, teachers and those with computer jobs about AI literacy. This was something I hadn’t really thought of before and I enjoyed expanding my knowledge about that topic. In terms of professional growth, I learned that it is so important to watch what you are posting online because the digital footprint is permanent and can come back to negatively impact you when you are trying to get employed, In terms of my digital literacy growth, I learned the importance of being able to distinguish real vs. fake media and tips of how to see the difference and fact check. I also learned about how the digital privacy laws are working. I didn’t even know that was a thing!

One specific course activity that I feel contributed to my learning was getting to read and respond to other classmates’ blog posts. I found this helpful because it offered a chance to read different perspectives and also see what others thought of the same articles we were reading and videos we watched. I found that most of the time, I would be reading and go hmm… I didn’t think of that! Going with this, it was super helpful to get comments on my blog from my peers. Kind of the same thing but sometimes they would say things that I hadn’t thought of before. One of the pieces of feedback Jesse gave me was to, if referencing a video, highlight specifically which section of the video you’re referring to with a time index and also keep in mind that academics like being referred to by their last name rather than their first. I feel like I applied this feedback and also gave it as feedback to my peers as well. 

Forward-Looking Goals (Identify three specific goals for continued learning or professional development.

My 3 goals for continued learning and professional development are: 

  1. In my future classroom, use one of the platforms my group researched (instagram, tik tok, facebook) as a platform to communicate and share what we are doing in the classroom with parents
  2. Use AI tools responsibly but also continue my learning of how to identify false information
  3. Continue developing and actively participating in my own PLN to connect with other educators, share resources, and support my continued professional growth

This course helped me better understand how social media, AI tools, and a PLN can support teaching and professional growth. I also learned the importance of using digital tools responsibly and how important it is to check information carefully. It has shaped my professional identity by making me a more reflective and open-minded educator who is willing to use technology thoughtfully to support student learning and communication.