Author: abashir (Page 1 of 4)

Education is Key to Success!

A key is necessary to unlock doors and, like a ticket, is required to enter new (and more desired) locations through private doors. One of the finest paths to success is via education: employment, finances, personal and recognizable.

I have selected the metaphor ” Education is Key to Success”. The metaphor points out that educated people are successful in life. Meaning if you have an education, you are respected and more productive in society, as well as have the necessary skills needed to do jobs and earn a higher income. as a result, you have the key to success which is education. More education gives you more keys, and without those keys, you wouldn’t be able to unlock as many doors as you could as a result of your increased knowledge. This metaphor appeals to me much, which is why I selected it. My father used to tell me that the only thing that will offer you the key to success in life is education when I first started school.

I think the metaphor is appropriate because your chances of success will undoubtedly increase if you have the knowledge or education in particular fields. For example, I’m studying health informatics and I’m interested in coding, therefore the more education I obtain, the more options I’ll have that will ensure my success.

In light of the metaphor, I believe it is crucial to emphasize the value of education and how it contributes to prosperity and success. It provides as inspiration for certain people, including me, who grew up wanting to succeed in the future. It’s crucial to note, though, that success isn’t always determined by education. If your education is not applicable to your place of residence, for example, it may not help you succeed.

I chose this particular project to investigate the deeper significance of various metaphors and to gain a better grasp of the potential, ramifications, and constraints of particular behaviours, ideas, or instruments. It made me feel quite nostalgic to reflect on the early days of my education and how the metaphor assisted me.

Stress Management through the Use of Meditation

2022-12-04 / MS25 / 0 COMMENTS

EDCI 337: Multimedia Design Project

Maximo Savellano, Abdullahi Bashir, & Akira Onishi

Overview

The final weeks of school can be extremely stressful. Upcoming finals and final assignments can lead to elevated levels of stress and can ultimately hinder performance.

So this This week, we will be learning about Mediation and it’s benefits and how we can use it to manage stress and anxiety.

To help us understand the concept of Meditation – lets begin with an introductory video on what exactly Meditation is.

Let’s begin!

https://youtube.com/watch?v=CmhkmLFc74E%3Ffeature%3Doembed

Lesson Objectives

By the end of this blog you will be able to:

• Describe what meditation is and how it makes a difference.
• List up to four benefits of meditation for mental and physical well-being.
• Recognize meditation techniques that reduce or eliminate stress.

Read/Watch

Watch: The Scientific Power of Meditation (2:59 minutes) – Let’s dive into the scientific perspective of meditation.

Read: Meditation for Stress – Read on what causes stress and how we can use meditation to mitigate stress.

Read: 28 Meditation Statistics: How Many People Meditate? – Read on some statistics of Meditation

Content – Let’s Learn!

Let’s now learn different meditation techniques, how meditation makes a difference and benefits of meditation!

Meditation: A simple, fast way to reduce stress

Since ancient times, meditation has been used to increase knowledge of the mystical and divine energies that govern existence. Nowadays, people commonly employ meditation to de-stress and ease tension (2022, March 30). For the body and mind, meditation is viewed as a type of supplementary therapy. Deep relaxation and mental calmness are the results of meditation. The person concentrates during meditation and gets rid of the constant stream of disorganized ideas that might be causing stress. As an outcome, both physical and emotional well-being is improved. There are several types of meditation. However, most meditation techniques have similar features, including (2022a, April 29):

• A quiet setting
• A comfortable position
• Focused attention
• An open attitude
• Relaxed breathing

Some of the meditation types include guided meditation, mantra meditation and mindfulness meditation (2022b, April 29). Meditation makes a significant difference because it promotes a state of balance, serenity, and tranquillity that is good for one’s mental, emotional, and physical health (2022, May 5).

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Different Meditation Techniques

Meditation comes in many different forms and can be practiced through a variety Meditation comes in many different forms and can be practiced through various techniques. Meditation is especially effective as a classroom practice and helps strengthen self-regulation, boost health, and reduce negative feelings/anxiety (Kuranishi, 2018). When implementing meditation, it is essential to begin with, simple techniques to effectively train the mind to keep focus. Before choosing a meditation technique, it is important to learn how to meditate. The following is an effective guide provided by the Mindful organization on how to meditate:

1) Take a seat

Find a place to sit that feels calm and quiet to you.

2) Set a time limit

If you’re just beginning, it can help to choose a short time, such as five or 10 minutes.

3) Notice your body

You can sit in a chair with your feet on the floor, you can sit loosely cross-legged, you can kneel—all are fine. Just make sure you are stable and in a position you can stay in for a while.

4) Feel your breath

Follow the sensation of your breath as it goes in and as it goes out.

5) Notice when your mind has wandered

Inevitably, your attention will leave the breath and wander to other places. When you get around to noticing that your mind has wandered—in a few seconds, a minute, five minutes—simply return your attention to the breath.

6) Be kind to your wandering mind

Don’t judge yourself or obsess over the content of the thoughts you find yourself lost in. Just come back.

7) Close with kindness

When you’re ready, gently lift your gaze (if your eyes are closed, open them). Take a moment and notice any sounds in the environment. Notice how your body feels right now. Notice your thoughts and emotions.

Provided by (Mindful Communications & Such PBC, 2022)

After learning the basics of meditation, we can now observe the different techniques and how they can help reduce stress and anxiety. There are two main kinds of meditation techniques; guided and unguided meditation. In guided meditation, an instructor guides you through meditation and is usually recommended to beginners to get used to meditation. The other is unguided meditation which is the process of meditating alone. While these two are the basic types of meditation, there are specific types with different benefits and purposes. Here are five types of meditation techniques and their purposes.

Mindfulness Meditation

Mindfulness Meditation is the act of being aware of the present moment. This form of meditation can be done at any time and requires complete focus on what is being done in the present moment—for example, brushing your teeth, washing dishes, and running. Mindfulness meditation is effective for beginners as it takes their minds off external stresses and allows them to be present at the moment.

Body scan Meditation

Body Scan meditation focuses on consciously relaxing different parts of the body. This meditation helps relieve muscle tension built up from stress and anxiety. Being consciously aware of body parts can increase mind and body connection.

Walking Meditation

Walking meditation is the process of focusing on each step in order to be fully present. Focusing on the mechanics and motion of each step heightens situational awareness and increases the feeling of being present. This type of meditation is used by individuals who are jittery and find it difficult to stay still.

Loving Kindness Meditation

Loving Kindness meditation is a form of meditation that focuses on self-love and the cultivation of compassion for others. Loving Kindness Meditation helps with body image and empathy, this type of meditation starts with positive intention for oneself.

Transcendental Meditation

This type of meditation focuses on a phrase or mantra through repetition. Transcendental meditation utilizes the phrase/mantra as the object of awareness and allows individuals to focus and be aware of their surroundings. Choosing the mantra/phrase can also be beneficial, as positive mantras help with positive intention.

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Benefits of meditation

1- Reduces stress:

Stress disrupts sleep, promotes anxiety and increases blood pressure. An eight-week study called “mindfulness meditation” proved that meditation reduced the inflammation response caused by stress (Thorpe, 2020).

2- Controls anxiety:

According to Dr. Thrope, eight weeks of mindfulness meditation helped reduce anxiety symptoms in people with generalized anxiety disorder, along with increased positive self-statements and improved stress reactivity and coping.

3- Increases attention span: 

The Study shows that listening to a meditation tape improved accuracy and attention while completing a task. Similar studies have shown better performance on visual tasks than those without any meditation experiences (Thorpe, 2020).

4- Leads to kindness:

Meditation techniques, such as Loving Kindness Meditation, increase positive feelings. Another study of 50 university students showed that practising Loving Kindness Meditation three times a week improved positive emotions, interpersonal relationships and understanding of others after four weeks (Thorpe, 2020).

Activities

Actvity 1 – Shark Fin Exercise

Now that we have learned about different meditation types, let’s do a beginner meditation exercise so you can begin your meditation journey!

Activity 2 – Concept Map

Create a concept map outlining at least four aspects of your school-related stress and how you were able to handle it?

Quiz

How well do you know your Meditation Statistics?

hint: complete your Readings!about:blank

Reflection

• When you tried practicing meditation techniques provided, Did it make any difference?
• How did you handle school related stress before? have you ever tried practicing meditation to reduce stress? What was the result?
• Are there any other benefits experienced or noticed when used the meditation techniques provided?
• Do you think you will use the meditation practices provided whenever you face stress?

To Do This Week

1. Complete the Read/Watch Section
2. Complete the Let’s Learn Section
3. Complete and participate in the learning activities
4. Complete the Meditation Statistics Quiz
5. Complete the reflection questions

Theories and Principles

Merrils Principles of Instruction

We utilized the three following principles from Merril’s Principles of Instruction to teach learners about the topic of Meditation:

Demonstration

It is stated in this phase that educators must show vs tell. To effectively introduce the concept of meditation, we utilized the demonstration principle in our content by introducing learners to different videos and demonstrations of meditation. During this phase learners observe how meditation works and how it can be applied in real life. 

Application

In the application process, Merrill believed that relying on memory was not sufficient enough for applying learning. Merrill believes that learners should actually do what they learned to understand the content in a real-life aspect. Although we created a multiple choice exam in our lesson, we also implemented interactive activities that allow the learner to perform meditation techniques and recognize the process of meditation.

Integration 

Lastly, the integration principle is where learners must transfer their knowledge into  practice. We utilized this principle by allowing the learners to reflect on their experiences and gave them opportunities to teach what they learned and most importantly practice what they learned. Our focus on integration was to help the learner create a new habit which will ultimately help them reduce stress and anxiety.

Mayer’s Theory of Multimedia Learning

We used some of Mayer’s principles, such as the Cognitive Load Theory, by structuring our lecture with distinct, bold headers and removing everything that would distract the student. Additionally, the multimedia material that calls for interaction provides explicit instructions for how to use it. The coherence principle,  by only adding relevant materials and activities to our topic and avoiding irrelevant information and destructing materials. The signalling principle,  by ensuring the key information is displayed clearly with headers and highlighted to make it simple to identify and access.

Other Design Principles

Universal Design for Learning

We have employed some of the UDL theory in creating the lessons. For instance, we have provided multiple means of engagement to increase the effectiveness of learning, we have selected different methods, materials and media to address  learners variability. In addition, we set a learning goal to  guide students as they work through the course, and to assess their learning progress.

Final Lesson Plan and Final Project Plan

References

Kuranishi. (2018, October 28). Pause, Refocus, Assess: Meditation in the Classroom. edutopia.org. https://www.edutopia.org/blog/pause-refocus-assess-meditation-classroom-adam-kuranishi

Learning Science Made Easy: Merrill’s Principles of Instruction | WBT Systems. (n.d.). https://www.wbtsystems.com/learning-hub/blogs/merrills-principles-of-instruction

Meditation – Mayo Clinic. (2022, May 5). https://www.mayoclinic.org/tests-procedures/meditation/about/pac-20385120

Meditation: A simple, fast way to reduce stress. (2022a, April 29). Mayo Clinic. https://www.mayoclinic.org/tests-procedures/meditation/in-depth/meditation/art-20045858

Meditation: A simple, fast way to reduce stress. (2022b, April 29). Mayo Clinic. https://www.mayoclinic.org/tests-procedures/meditation/in-depth/meditation/art-20045858

Mindful Communications & Such PBC. (2022, February 5). Mindful – healthy mind, healthy life. Mindful. https://www.mindful.org/

Smith, L. (2022, November 11). 28 Meditation Statistics: How Many People Meditate? The Good Body. https://www.thegoodbody.com/meditation-statistics/

Thorpe, M., MD PhD. (2020, October 27). 12 Science-Based Benefits of Meditation. Healthline. https://www.healthline.com/nutrition/12-benefits-of-meditation

Welch, A., & Laube, J., MD. (2022, March 30). Meditation: A Guide on How to Meditate for Stress Reduction and More. EverydayHealth.com. https://www.everydayhealth.com/meditation/

Group Participants and Contributions

Final Project Outline

Introduction 

According to Whitby (2013), a personal learning network (PLN) “is a tool that uses social media and technology to collect, communicate, collaborate and create” with people all around the world. In our EDCI338 course, we learned that with the help of public communication on social media platforms, such as Instagram, Twitter, LinkedIn, Facebook, and more, individuals are able to build knowledge on various topics and strengthen personal or professional relationships by participating in shared discussions. Public communication and networking on social media platforms are instantaneous and infinite and provide a sense of feeling connected with others. We will discuss our learnings of PLN platforms, practices, concerns, and education from our EDCI338 course below. 

PLN and Social Media

By creating a strong personal learning network (PLN) through social media, it equips individuals with the right tools to make meaningful connections through shared online discussions. According to Shirley Tang (2018), personal learning networks (PLN) and social media platforms “are the collaboration process of a shared interest” as social media platforms promote personal and professional connections through discussions surrounding shared resources. Social media offers a unique experience which allows individuals to connect with others on a global scale, without distance or time, and “enables individuals to actively reflect on the resources” viewed (Tang 2018). Some widely used social media platforms include Twitter, Instagram, and LinkedIn. Twitter, with over 100 million users, “increased student’s engagement” to the viewed content through shared discussions, emphasizing the idea of active reflection (Evans, 2014). 

According to Przybylski & Weinstein (2012), social media platforms are valuable to a PLN as it efficiently promotes personal and professional relationships and quickly increases exposure to new concepts or ideas that would not normally be covered in a traditional classroom. For background context, Twitter and Instagram are social media platforms that allow users to post images or videos with text, and these posts can be commented on, shared, or liked by others. Individuals such as Sophie Lui separates her personal and professional PLN by using Instagram to document her personal life and Twitter to engage in discussions with her professional connections (Miller, 2022). While Twitter and Instagram can be used for personal and professional connections or both, LinkedIn is more geared towards professional uses. LinkedIn offers individuals the platform to build professional relationships, find jobs and required skill sets. Despite the wide range of values these social media platforms add to PLN, there are some disadvantages such as privacy risks and fake news. However, individuals can carefully curate their digital identity and PLN to prevent risks related to privacy and fake news.

By Kate Ueda

Key Characteristics of PLN

Personal Learning Networks is the sum of all “formal and informal networks of individuals with similar goals and interests who interact using digital tools to share information, learn from each other, problem solve and collaborate” (Ferguson, 2010; Nelson, 2012; Perez, 2012; Trust, 2012) while continuously building a stronger network that share similarities in interests, short term goals, and long term learning of similar topics. As opposed to learning by yourself and searching through libraries or search engines to gain better knowledge at a certain topic of interest, PLNs bring everyone that share similar interests in certain topics together by algorithms used like in Instagram feeds, Facebook feeds, Twitter feeds, and forum hashtags like Reddit. This exponentially increases the amount of useful information shared by filtering out the best posts automatically by the amount of traffic brought onto the post. Of course it is easy to be distracted by useless content that the platforms also have to offer if a PLN is not managed or used properly. For example, Facebook and instagram have many posts and shared content that are useless and try to draw traffic to them to users even if it only poses as a slight similarity to the topic users are interested in.

A PLN should be created with the intent of doing what it is supposed to do. If it was for recreation or social media it is okay to just create one at random and to use it for one’s own joy. However, if a user wanted to create a PLN to learn about how stock trading worked they would create a completely new account on all platforms of interest and filter only content related to stock trading. Why the need to create new accounts? This is in order to connect with others who are also interested in the topic because a “successful PLN is also characterized by participants who are highly self-motivated and curious” (Green, 2020). Having to successfully build a PLN around stock trading a user would first:

• Create accounts on all platforms of interest like Twitter, Instagram, Youtube, Linkedin, Finviz, Weibull, and Reddit
• Follow those who share stock trading content
• Reshare and comment on only the content related to stock trading
• View and watch videos, posts, and stories that are related to stock trading or content that helps grow knowledge in the field
• Create a network with other people by following, adding, communicating and commenting on topics that both of you are interested in
• Slowly increase the number of users you know that all share the same curiosity and motivation in learning the content.
• ONLY use the accounts for content related to stock trading, IF you need to use them for other videos and content use your leisure account to not affect the algorithm of the sites that selects what is shown on your feed.

It is important to “[engage] in different communities with different areas of focus will provide a rich environment for learning” (Green, 2020) by incorporating informal learning, formal learning, and social networking all together to achieve a better understanding of your set goal. This means

By Becky Zeng

Digital Identity and Reputation

The amount of human activities that depend on digital technology has increased at an alarming rate.  Computer downsizing, falling technological prices, and the ease of human-computer interface have made digital devices accessible to everybody. Furthermore, mobile Internet connectivity has become commonplace in many nations throughout the world (Literacy 6: Digital Identity, Safety and well-being: Digital Skills: Project “digital literacies”, n.d). This enabled us to communicate and connect with one another since social media and technology, in particular, have erased physical boundaries that formerly existed.

 A person’s digital identity is described as their online presence; it includes anything they publish and share on social media or the web, such as tweets, blogs, images, conversations, videos, and more. The way a person acts and how others perceive them in both personal and professional contexts shapes their online identity (What is digital identity?, 2021). 

Individuals embrace technology in a variety of ways to improve/develop their digital identity/reputation. Technology enables us to communicate with and exchange resources with others who are engaged in distance learning and establishing a diverse PLN. Technology also allows us to readily access, generate, publish, and share information, as well as find any information we need by using social media or google. Finally, technology is critical in order to develop a diverse and inclusive PLN that allows individuals to learn and progress while also receiving trustworthy information and resources. For example, I have a digital persona in various Reddit groups that I use to engage with people and learn from them. My objective is to work in the data science field, hence “Data Science” is one of the groups I joined and utilize in Reddit. I made friends from different countries that shared their journey to becoming data scientists. When I have a question or need guidance with something, I just submit a question and receive immediate replies or suggestions. I would not have been able to interact with them and learn from their experiences if it had not been for technology.

As we develop and improve our PLN, some of the social factors that we should consider in our PLN include our network’s heterogeneity and openness as this helps us to obtain an awareness of the many thoughts and perspectives of different people. In addition, because our online reputation is based on the people and sites we follow, the content we post, like, or share, and the comments we make, it is critical to be cautious and respectful in all of these areas. Furthermore, It is critical to consider providing one’s own information and expertise since a PLN would rapidly stagnate if no one contributed, and hence no one wants to hang around on a Facebook page where the last post was months ago (Green, 2020).

One of the traits that distinguishes a person as a leader or notable person in a PLN is the use of the PLN to develop significant value and potential, as well as to provide comprehensive and high-quality information since this attracts a huge number of individuals who want to learn more. He creates educational videos on YouTube on evidence-based methods and tools that may help individuals be more productive and create the life they want. He also provides classes on the skillshare website, teaching people about different things such as productivity maximization, video editing, how to be happier and more. Because people liked his educational videos on YouTube, he became extremely successful, with over 3.5 million subscribers (Abdaal, n.d). Furthermore, he creates free Weekly Productivity Insights where he shares actionable productivity tips, practical life advice, and high-quality insights. Some of the insights include how to read 200 books a year, break the Procrastination Cycle and more (Abdaal, n.d). I am so grateful to have been following him for a while now as I have learnt a lot from him.

Individuals employ a variety of strategies to develop a positive reputation/presence on a social media platform. First is choosing a suitable platform to build the PLN and to communicate and interact with others. Second, being staying active and consistent contributors in their PLN as this is very essential in maintaining a healthy digital reputation. Third is to provide comprehensive and high-quality information as this attracts a huge number of individuals who want to learn more and expand their PLN (Baldwin, 2022).

By Abdullahi Bashir

Privacy & Data Security

Digital identity grants us safety on the internet by making everyone transparent online. It also makes public services much easier. Nowadays, we can do a lot of things such as pay bills, order on Amazon, and study online. These are all possible because of digital identity. The downside to this is that everything is so transparent that identity theft starts to become a problem. This is why people are now working on identity protection so we can protect our information. However, do keep in mind that transparency and privacy are two opposite ends. This means that if we want to maximize online efficiency by making all our information accessible, we will also drastically decrease our data privacy.

Besides the balance between convenience and privacy, there are also other ways to protect our data such as using strong protection softwares to decrease the risk of identity theft. This method is greatly limited by our technology, better softwares are developed as time passes by. However, we have to remember that technology is always a double-edged sword, meaning that bad people such as hackers can also utilize advanced softwares to steal our data. By looking at the current trend of technology, there is no clear evidence that our internet security is much better than before, hackers are motivated and they will always come up with new tools to access other people’s privacy. This is precisely why many people still keep valuable information on paper instead of uploading them electronically.

Lastly, in the current Big Data Era where everything is online, there are only a certain amount of things we can do as individuals. Keep in mind that big companies such as Google, Apple, and Microsoft, are always watching you to a certain extent. Therefore it is impossible to achieve 100% privacy as long as you appear online. If the government wants to find you, they can do that in a split second. However, the good news is that they will not target us personally as long as we live by their laws. Extreme methods are only taken in action if we break the rules. 

By Adam Li

Connections to Course Themes

Comparing and contrasting connections to course themes:

Leveraging social media to build PLN is a great way for us to expand on and keep building our PLN, in the article provided by first Monday: “Understanding personal learning networks: Their structure, content and the networking skills needed to optimally use them.” It teaches you how to build a good PLN, it has been provided that we should build PLN thru people we feel comfortable with building for better communications and learning processes, this concept is known as benevolence. “Another factor that plays a crucial role is benevolence or the general “good contact” between an individual and a new contact (Rusman, et al., 2010). People connect with others whom they like or trust, or with whom they feel a particular connection. (Rajagopal, et al., 2012) To find benevolence, social media is a really good platform for it since you already have your circles within it and you know who you bond well and are comfortable with within your network of people, therefore it would provide a head start into helping you select who to bond with to opt for benevolence while building your PLN.

How will you know that your PLN is a success?

PLN needs to be influential in a good way which is that people follow you and take in the things you shared as valuable, and also at the same time, PLN needs to be inclusive, make sure you use that influence of your PLN to spread out the inclusivity that you are building. In the video shared by Brad Baker, he has stressed about the importance of promoting learning through an inclusive PLN, in which he had mentioned that in building a healthy community, to bring understanding to how to contribute positively to the community to bring harmony to the community within people of different backgrounds.

Have an interactive PLN follower, Shelly Moore has also shared her thoughts in the interview video when she realized her followers were not only followers, but effective learning partners she could share her life and learning thoughts with and build effective long-term learning relationships thru sessions with.

What features & characteristics of existing media technologies make them effective for personal learning?

The connectivity it brings, in the video “The Benefits of Growing your Network & PLN!”, Amy storer and Dyann Wilson Have talked about how they met so many people thru platforms and build their communities of learning where they have deeply emerged with the people that they met on the social media, and they also felt familiar with people they met online at conferences and bonded very well with them. Amy Storer discussed how her first learning meetup is thru Twitter, where she connected to someone she’s never met before thru a common learning topic on social media, a lot of these topics remain open on social media for anyone who wants to join and connect around the topic. Therefore, I would say existing social media technologies have connectivity and openness for people to reach out and form learning communities.

By Bruce Song

Conclusion

In conclusion, this EDCI338 course has taught our group that we can effectively leverage social media platforms, such as Twitter, Instagram, Facebook, and LinkedIn, to create a successful PLN that promotes knowledgeable discussion and insights. Our group has also learned that using social media platforms for our PLN can come with disadvantages such as data and privacy concerns. However, by carefully curating our digital identity, such as by separating our personal and professional social media platforms, we can further control what information we can share with our PLN. This EDCI338 course has taught us that the more diverse personal and professional connections we make, the more we can learn from the world. Despite the Covid-19 pandemic shutting down the physical world, the digital world thrived, strengthening the advantages of PLNs and social media platforms to connect globally.

References

Whitby, T. (2013, November 18). How do I get a PLN? Edutopia. Retrieved from https://www.edutopia.org/blog/how-do-i-get-a-pln-tom-whitby 

Evans, C. (2014). Twitter for teaching: Can social media be used to enhance the process of learning? British Journal of Educational Technology, 45(5), 902-915.

Thang, S. (2018, July 9). Using Twitter as a Personal Learning Network. Technology and the Curriculum Summer 2018. Retrieved from https://pressbooks.pub/techandcurriculum/chapter/personal-learning-networks/ 

Przybylski, A. K., & Weinstein, N. (2012). Can you connect with me now? How the presence of mobile communication technology influences face-to-face conversation quality. Journal of Social and Personal Relationships, 30(3), 237-246.

MILLER. (2022 June 6). Sophie Lui – EDCI 338 [Video]. YouTube. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wfcXgKLzOVM

Rajagopal, K., & Sloep, P. B. (2012). View of understanding personal learning networks: Their structure, content and the networking skills needed to optimally use them: First Monday. View of Understanding personal learning networks: Their structure, content and the networking skills needed to optimally use them | First Monday. Retrieved November 22, 2022, from https://firstmonday.org/ojs/index.php/fm/article/view/3559/3131

YouTube. (2021). Brad Baker Edci 338. YouTube. Retrieved November 22, 2022, from https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=C5z8iHxW2n4.

YouTube. (2021). Edci 338 – 20 Minutes Moore. YouTube. Retrieved November 22, 2022, from https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KeSV0rUl1bA.·       YouTube. (2022). The Benefits of Growing your Network & Pln!YouTube. Retrieved November 23, 2022, from https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SEa8JgAE_qM.

Literacy 6: Digital Identity, Safety and well-being: Digital Skills: Project “digital literacies” (n.d) Literacy 6: Digital identity, safety and well-being | Digital Skills | Project “Digital Literacies”. Available at: https://digitalskills.unibas.ch/en/literacy-framework/literacy-6-digital-identity-safety-and-well-being/.

UoGLibrary (2021) What is digital identity?, YouTube. UoGLibrary. Available at: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OGV5OBa938I&ab_channel=UofGLibrary .

L. Green, C. (2020) Personal learning networks: Defining and building a PLN, Learning in the Digital Age. Oklahoma State University Libraries. Available at: https://open.library.okstate.edu/learninginthedigitalage/chapter/personal-learning-networks_defining-and-building-a-pln/.

Abdaal. A (n.d), YouTube. aliabdaal. Available at: https://www.youtube.com/@aliabdaal/videos 

Abdaal, A. (n.d) Ali Abdaal. Available at: https://aliabdaal.com/.

Baldwin, C. (2022) Improve your digital reputation with social media and content, WSI. WSI World. Available at: https://www.wsiworld.com/blog/improve-your-digital-reputation-with-social-media-and-content.

Jessica Orchard Research Fellow, & Ben Freedman Director External Affairs and Group Leader Heart Rhythm & Stroke Group. (2022, November 14). Should you really use your smartwatch or fitness wearable to monitor your heart? The Conversation. Retrieve from https://theconversation.com/should-you-really-use-your-smartwatch-or-fitness-wearable-to-monitor-your-heart-194060 

Hale, R., Bywater, J. A. and A., D’Avanzo, M., Krems, K., Corporate Compliance Insights, Silverman, M., Balser, D., Simmons, R., Reports, S. and W., Costa, J., Millar, B., Hann, T., & Stirland, J. (2022, October 12). Instead of crying over spilled data, shore up your governance practices. Corporate Compliance Insights. Retrieved from https://www.corporatecomplianceinsights.com/category/data-privacy/ 

What is data privacy? SNIA. (n.d.). Retrieved November 23, 2022, from https://www.snia.org/education/what-is-data-privacy 

Trust, T. (2012). Professional Learning Networks Designed for Teacher Learning. Journal of Digital Learning in Teacher Education, 28(4), 133–138. https://doi.org/10.1080/21532974.2012.10784693

Ferguson, H. (2010). Join the flock! Learning & Leading with Technology, 37(8), 12–15. Retrieved from http://www.iste.org/learn/publications/learning-leading/issues/june-july-2010/join-the-flock! Nelson, C. J. (2012). 64 Knowledge Quest | Personal Learning Networks, 70–74.

Perez, L. (2012). Innovative professional development. Knowledge Quest, 40(3), 20–22. Retrieved from http://ezproxy.georgetowncollege.edu:2048/login?URL=http://search.ebscohost.com/login.aspx?direct=true&db=a9h&AN=82563981

” Can your PLN be used to help professional development post-course?”

Because I learnt a lot throughout the course, I believe I can use my PLN to further my professional development after the course. I have learned that employing diversity and inclusivity in my PLN enables me to expose myself with many perspectives and different views from various resources and people with different background and culture.

” Can your PLN be relied on to open professional opportunities?”

Yes, I believe I can rely on my PLN to open professional opportunities because I have already received some offers of professional opportunities through my PLN and connections I made on social media. As a health informatics student, I always try to expand my PLN and network as having many connections/networks in professional level facilitates us in opening different gates.

To access the Pod #6 Google Doc: Click here

Overview:

Hello there, Abdullah, Ehtesham, Lai, Samara, and Cy. Thank you for submitting your interactive learning resource draft about “Stress in the Workplace and its Management Techniques.” I truly appreciate the topic you picked since stress management is critical in the workplace. When I was doing the Co-op, work was difficult and stressful sometimes, and it was vital to handle the tension. In the following sections, I will try to provide any feedback that I have following the structure you have created in your draft.

Description and Rationale:

I loved how you explained why it is important to create a learning resource regarding workplace stress management topic. However, correct me if I’m wrong, but I couldn’t locate the description and rationale for the learning theory (whether it’s behaviourism, cognitivism, or constructivism) and the learning design (whether it’s inquiry, project-based, direct teaching, etc) on which your resource will be based. I think It will be useful to provide a learning theory and learning design that will be based on your resource, as well as explain why you choose that theory and design.

Learning Context:

The resource appears to be lacking context on the specific audience being targeted; I couldn’t establish the particular age or demographic it was aimed towards. Perhaps targeting a specialised demographic would be preferable, as the working class is vast and cannot be targeted everyone at once. Knowing your audience helps you decide what information to include, how to arrange that information, and what type of supporting elements are required for the reader to grasp what you are presenting.

Learning Outcome:

I appreciated the important questions you presented. However, I believe it is critical to explicitly explain the Learning Outcomes since the Learning Outcome declarations define what students are supposed to know, accomplish, and value as a result of the learning. They direct the development of instructional techniques, resources, learning activities, and assessments. They also assist students decide what and how to study throughout the course.

Interactive Activities:

The various interactive activities available in the resource are amazing. For example, I loved the thought of employing a concept map activity since it helps students to see the broad picture and visualise interconnections while also developing higher cognitive skills.

Assessment Plan:

Both formative and summative assessment plans given in resource are incredibly useful and impactful as they drive students to focus, learn and improve .I really appreciate you taking the time and effort to design these activities.

Diverse Inclusion:

Correct me if I’m wrong, but I couldn’t identify anything in the recourse regarding your approach for inclusion in the context, such as colour blindness, English language learner (ELL), or hearing loss. I believe it is critical to consider varied inclusion because it benefits both students with learning differences and students who do not have learning differences by making them more aware, tolerant, and understanding of one another.

Technology Choices Rationale:

I’m not sure if you offered any specific technologies that will be employed during this course and the rationale for selecting them, but I believe it will be extremely important to highlight in the resource so that students are aware of it.

Presentation:

Overall, the learning resource looks pretty good considering it to be a draft and not complete. However, I would suggest incorporating different formats and visuals rather than just relying on paragraphs. In addition, I would recommend utilizing online tools such as Notion to present your recourse as it allows you to have numerous formats and add new visuals.

Conclusion

I particularly appreciate the topic you chose as well as the learning resource you developed. You did an excellent job connecting all of the information and developing all of the activities. I believe your learning resource is nearly complete and only requires a few more details to be perfect. Excellent work, and I eagerly await your final version.

“Provide a short description of the MOOC – what was the topic? how was it organized? what interactions were available? how were you assessed?”

I chose Coursera as the MOOC provider site, and the selected topic was how to “Build a Professional Resume Using Canva”. The course is organized into different sections or categories[1];

• Project-based Course Overview: Provides instructions for the course objectives, course structure, project structure, and introduces the teacher and platforms to be utilized.
• Guided Project: A third-party technology called rhyme is employed to enhance the learning experience and promote active hands-on learning. The platform enables the video lesson and work area to be displayed on the same screen. This guided project is broken into five tasks, each with its own video and activity.
• Quiz: Graded quiz to assess project comprehension. A grade of 80% or above is necessary to pass the course and receive a certificate.
• Course end survey: Feedback about the course.

The course provides discussion forums that allow students to ask questions, debate ideas, and find classmates who share their goals.

“How did this learning experience compare to ‘traditional’ courses? Consider any of the following factors:”

In terms of “connection with peers and instructor(s),” the learning experience of the finished course is a bit similar to traditional courses. However, unlike traditional courses, which allow us to physically meet with peers and the teacher, the connection is made online by using discussion boards to communicate with the instructor or other peers. In terms of “assessment and evaluation,” the completed MOOC incorporates virtual quizzes, which are quite similar to regular courses with the exception that they are not supervised.

” Do you think this MOOC would be considered an xMOOC or a cMOOC?”

I think this MOOC would be considered an xMOOC as it has a combination a pre-recorded video lectures, computerized testing such as quizzes and discussion forums that allows students to interact [2].

Self Reflection

I chose this specific assignment to learn more about and explore MOOCs after hearing about them for the first time in this class. I’ve used sites like Coursera and edX before, which provide free self-paced classes on any area of interest, however I did not know the courses they provide to be called the term MOOCs. The exercise was relevant to my learning objectives since I now understand what MOOCs are and the different varieties of xMOOC and cMOOC. My overarching objective is to always learn something new, and this activity helped me attain that goal.

References:

[1] https://www.coursera.org/projects/build-a-professional-resume-using-canva

[2] https://www.meetingone.com/blog/turn-your-adobe-connect-room-into-a-cmooc/

“What is media literacy?”

Media Literacy is a framework for accessing, analyzing, evaluating, creating, and participating in communications in many media ranging from print to video to the Internet. Media literacy fosters a grasp of the function of media in society as well as the critical inquiry and self-expression abilities required of democratic individuals. It is people’s capacity to detect and utilize media correctly, which is their ability to comprehend, interpret, and assess media and media messages. [1].

” Why is it important?”

People need media literacy to grasp the messages that are being transmitted to them. With so many sources of information available today, media literacy may assist consumers in identifying trustworthy sources and filtering through the noise to find the truth. People who are media literate can identify biases in the media and how they may influence their impression of an event or topic.

” Open dialogues about media literacy and factual information can create conflict; why does this happen?”

Open dialogues about media literacy and factual information can create conflict because most individuals do not consider media literacy to be a consideration while using social media and do not want to exert additional effort to check the information they get as long as it corresponds to their beliefs and desires. This creates conflicts because people will ignore factual information if that does not align with their beliefs, desires or agendas. Nowadays, media employ tags, advertising, and caches to target audiences that are likely to agree with their news and information, even if it is not true, and the media will do this just for profit.

“What is the benefit of having a PLN that values media literacy?”

Having a PLN that values media literacy has a lot of benefits including:

• It enables us to absorb factual information or news from our PLN because they respect media literacy and are trustworthy, as opposed to the general media, which seeks to profit from their information.
• Lets individuals have access to a wealth of knowledge that may help them learn more and improve.
• Allows us to have constructive dialogues that will lead to individuals meeting halfway and making necessary modifications.
• People may use their PLNs to double-check information or news and confirm the trustworthiness of the information they receive.

To avoid fake news and disinformation that travels swiftly in this internet age when everything gets everywhere quickly without being fact-checked at all, it’s critical to have a PLN that values media literacy.

References:

[1] https://www.medialit.org/media-literacy-definition-and-more