Emma's Archive

Attached below is our final project slideshow and the written script. Enjoy!

Avery’s Slide: What is a Personal Learning Network? 

So, first, what is a personal learning network? 

A Personal Learning Network is a collection of people, communities, and online resources that help us learn, share knowledge, and grow professionally. Unlike learning in the classroom, a Personal Learning Network lets us keep learning throughout our lives. Lifelong learning is becoming increasingly important as technology, workplaces, and society are constantly changing. So, people must continue to develop new knowledge and digital skills. For example, as someone hoping to work in public health, it will be important to stay educated on new research, technologies and practices throughout my career. 

Effective personal learning networks are built by creating and maintaining relationships that support learning (Rajagopal et al., 2012). Strong connections lead to collaboration, and weak connections introduce us to new ideas. 

How are these relationships built? People build professional relationships based on several factors. This includes things like shared interests, trust, reputation, and potential for learning. Something important to touch on while talking about Personal Learning Networks is digital identity, as the two are closely connected. Digital identity is the information, interactions, and content that represent us online, including both what we share ourselves and what others share about us (Stoller, 2016). Our digital professional identity develops through our online interactions and professional contributions (Rajab et al., 2020). 

Today, Personal Learning Networks are built through participation in online communities and social media, such as commenting on others’ work and creating content. Personal Learning Networks provide much more information than what can be found alone. People are able to connect with a number of people much quicker than we would be able to do years ago (Green, 2017). For someone like Emma, she was able to connect with people throughout the world during COVID, and these relationships still continue today. 

Personal Learning Networks also help us learn from diverse perspectives, give us opportunities to connect and find support, and share our own ideas and experiences with others (AlphaPlus, 2025). For Joshua, there is a sense of belonging and identity you feel when you share with others, and absorb the content others share with you. 

There are many ways to build and grow a personal learning network, many of which will be explained throughout this presentation. Building a personal learning network is an ongoing process, and not everyone’s personal learning network will look the same. 

To build a PLN, you have to be motivated and have a passion for learning, and you need to be able to identify your learning interests (Green, 2017). Once you know what you want to learn, you can start finding people, pages, and groups related to these interests. You also need to be motivated by social connection, as well as the opportunity to share who we are with others, according to Priya’s first blog post. For someone like Reid, motivation comes from a drive to make connections with others, so that it is not uncomfortable to ask for advice in the future. You can then explore who those people follow, to discover more people with similar interests (Eduro Learning, 2021). It is also important to seek out diverse perspectives and people that might challenge your thinking rather than only following people who share your existing viewpoints. Through social networking tools, you will be able to reach a wide variety of people and organizations. 

Although, a strong PLN requires active participation, not just observation. You need to connect with these people by asking questions, as well as sharing ideas, experiences and resources. A key thing to consider when building your personal learning network is to focus on the quality of your connections, rather than the number of followers. Simply being vocal online does not mean you will gain attention, you have to have strong networks and have formed meaningful connections with those around you (Herminda, 2015). 

There are also benefits of participating in different learning environments when building a PLN. Research describes the importance of combining both formal and informal learning when building a PLN (Czerkawski, 2016). Online learning environments allow formal education and informal social learning networks to work together, creating opportunities for collaboration and experimentation.

A quote I really liked from Green (2017) that explains how personal learning networks are ongoing, is to think of your personal learning network “as a garden. Sometimes planting, sometimes weeding, sometimes harvesting but always tending the garden so that it grows and is productive. Occasionally a resource may stop being useful so remove it. Other times a new, interesting resource can be added.” This describes well how a PLN requires ongoing attention, rather than being something you build once and forget.

Priya’s Slide: What are the Benefits/Negatives of Discussed Social-Media Platforms? 

Starting with LinkedIn, this is probably the platform we most clearly associate with professional networking. It allows us to connect with colleagues, employers, organizations, and other professionals, while also creating a professional digital identity. Anderson explains that social networking allows people to “connect, develop rapport, share interests, create community, and collaborate with peers” (2010, p. 72). LinkedIn takes these ideas and brings them specifically into the professional world. For a PLN, this means that our learning doesn’t have to be limited to the people at our school or workplace. We can connect with professionals in different fields, follow organizations, discover opportunities, and learn from people we may never meet in person.

However, LinkedIn also raises questions about digital identity. Dyer (2016) discusses how we perform our identities differently depending on the online environment and audience. On LinkedIn, we tend to present a much more professional and polished version of ourselves than we might on Instagram or another platform.There’s also the issue of time. Building these connections will not happen immediately. Couros acknowledges that “developing a PLN requires a significant time commitment initially” (2010, p. 127). Meaning, LinkedIn can be valuable, but only if we’re willing to actually engage with and maintain that network.

Another platform that can contribute to a PLN is blogs. Blogs are a little different because they provide more space for reflection and deeper discussion. Instead of communicating through a short post, someone can explain their thinking, reflect on an experience, or share detailed professional knowledge. Blogs are actually an important part of Couros’s model of the “networked teacher.” In his course, students didn’t just write their own blogs; they were encouraged to engage in “reading, reviewing, commenting, and subscribing to blogs from outside of the course community” (Couros, 2010, p. 122). I think that’s an important distinction because a PLN isn’t just about putting information out into the world. It’s also about interacting with other people’s ideas and learning from them. 

However, just because something appears in a blog doesn’t automatically make it credible. Anyone can publish one. Trilling and Fadel (2009) argue that information literacy requires us to access information effectively, evaluate it critically, and then use that information accurately. This is where we come back to media literacy. Blogs can be incredibly valuable sources of professional knowledge, but we still have to consider the author’s credibility, possible biases, how current the information is, and whether the claims can be supported elsewhere.

Moving onto Twitter, or X, this platform works very differently because it focuses much more on immediate conversations and quickly sharing information. Couros specifically identifies Twitter as a microblogging tool within PLNs (2010, p. 125). In fact, when he asked educators in his PLN questions through Twitter, he described it as his “most responsive method for surveying the connective knowledge” of his network (Couros, 2010, p. 124). Instead of searching for every answer independently, you can put a question out to your professional community and receive resources, ideas, diagrams, and perspectives from other people. This also connects back to Sophie Lui. In her EDCI 338 interview, she discusses how social media platforms such as Twitter have become important for staying connected to current conversations and information (Lui, n.d.).

But the speed that makes Twitter useful is also one of its biggest weaknesses. Information can spread extremely quickly, sometimes before anyone has actually verified whether it’s true. That’s where media literacy becomes really important. Trilling and Fadel argue that we need to be able to “evaluate information critically and competently” (2009, p. 65). So, when something appears on Twitter, we should be asking: Who posted this? Where did they get this information? Is this source trustworthy? And can I verify it somewhere else? This is especially important because, as Spracklen (2015) discusses, the openness of the internet can also create spaces for misinformation and harmful or inaccurate ideas to spread.

Facebook and Instagram serve another purpose within a PLN. These platforms are often more focused on maintaining relationships, finding communities, and connecting with people who have similar interests. Anderson explains that Facebook allows people to form virtual groups around shared interests and backgrounds (2010, p. 72), while Spracklen describes Facebook as “a great way to maintain contacts and social networks” (2015, p. 101).

For educators, I think Instagram and Facebook can be especially useful for finding teacher communities and resources. We can follow other educators, educational organizations, and accounts that share lesson ideas or classroom strategies. In that way, something we might normally think of as personal social media can also become part of our professional learning network. 

However, this is also where the line between our personal and professional identities can become complicated. Spracklen (2015) discusses being conscious of what he posted online because he didn’t want to put himself “in a difficult position with students” (p. 100). I think this is especially relevant for educators because even if we consider an account personal, students, parents, colleagues, or future employers may still see it. There are also serious privacy concerns. Spracklen argues that platforms such as Facebook can “turn our personal data into a commodity to sell to others” (2015, p. 4). 

Something else I found interesting was looking at how my peers use platforms that we might not immediately think of as professional learning networks. For example, in her EDCI blog, Teniola describes Discord as more of a “working space than a public profile.” But she also says that “it’s still a big part of my PLN because it’s where real problem solving and support happen” (Olukareh, 2026). I really like this example because it shows that a PLN doesn’t have to be public. A platform can still support professional learning if it’s providing a community where people ask questions, solve problems, exchange ideas, and support each other. YouTube is another example. Emma explains in her EDCI 338 blog that she uses YouTube for “researching different teaching practices/lessons” (Turner, 2026). For educators, it can provide demonstrations of teaching strategies, lesson ideas, professional discussions, and examples from other classrooms.Again, though, accessibility doesn’t equal credibility. We still have to evaluate who created the video, what their qualifications or experiences are, and whether the information they’re sharing is supported by reliable evidence.

So, when we put all of these platforms together, I think the biggest takeaway is that there isn’t one perfect platform for building a PLN. But across all of these platforms, we keep encountering the same concerns: credibility, misinformation, privacy, digital identity, audience, and the amount of time required to maintain our networks. That’s why I think media literacy and PLN development really have to go together. Having access to thousands of people and resources isn’t necessarily helpful if we don’t know how to evaluate what we’re seeing.

Ultimately, I don’t believe building a strong PLN is about being active on every social media platform. It’s about being intentional about which spaces we participate in, who we connect with, what information we trust, and how we present ourselves within those communities.

Reid’s Slide: What Features & Characteristics of Existing Media Technologies Make Them Effective for Personal Learning? 

As we all know, technology is an essential aspect to all of our lives and livelihood. But oftentimes we forget to ask, why is this? What makes technology so worthwhile and effective when it comes to learning? Well, this is exactly what I am going to be breaking down, and looking into the specific characteristics that make social media and technology such an impactful learning tool. I’ll be looking into three different categories to get a better understanding of this concept, which will be learning on your own time, finding and saving information, and learning through networked connections.

• Learning through networked connections is essentially a longer way of saying connectivism. Connectivism is a new theory of learning, created by George Siemens and Stephen Downes in 2005 which is built for our new digital age (Alam, 2023). The main claim of this theory is that knowledge isn’t kept in just one person’s head, but rather it’s spread throughout all kinds of different networks of people, technologies, and organizations (Alam, 2023). So what makes this kind of technology so effective? Well, it connects you to a huge network of people with different opinions, challenging your own and making you think more critically than you would have prior to networking (Duke et al., 2013). You’re exposed to all kinds of different information coming from new creative minds, so instead of learning alone, you have access to hundreds of other brains and whole new concepts. This connects with what it really means to build a PLN as you create your own web full of people and sources to learn more and deepen your understanding in a meaningful and engaging way.

Learning on your own time: 

• As a student growing up in such a fast paced period, I’m always running out of time whether it be for studying, working, or spending time with friends. Technology allows users to completely overlook this limitation and lets you learn at any given point. Rather than being forced to go to a library for information during their open hours, technology allows you to learn at any point in time whether it be at 4pm, or 4am. Having this asynchronous space allows you to slow down, reflect, and look back on work, not having to cram everything in a store’s open hours. And it’s not just about the convenience, but learning on your own time means you can revisit the challenging areas and tweak any areas that were challenging before (Alden Rivers et al., 2014).

 Finding and saving information: 

• When we compare current social media to “the old days” the first topic that always gets discussed is how hard it would’ve been to find what you’re looking for than it is now. For instance you couldn’t just search up an article online and have a reference, you’d have to go into the library, search through thousands of books just to find the one you’re looking for, and then cite information from that source. I speak for myself when I say that I’m constantly taking the ease of navigation for granted and taking a step back to realize how lucky we all are to have social media is a must. Social media and new technology allow users to find any kind of information with ease, as one search normally gives you about a thousand other options you might be looking for, as well as hashtags, bookmarks, and just happening to scroll into it on your discovery feed. But finding the information is only part of the help social media provides to learning. Having all of this information in an organized, saved collection is also a huge part of learning, which researchers say is a real skill that helps you learn (Mihailidis & Cohen, 2013). When you decide to save information, you’re consistently building your own collection of knowledge that you can return to whenever and remember the information, rather than just hearing a teacher explain it once in class and never hearing it again. Overall, social media is one of the most important tools for learning, and when used to its full capacity, finding information as well as knowing where it lives afterwards is an extremely resourceful tool.

Joshua’s Slide: How Does the Discussed Technology Allow You to Enhance/Develop Your Digital Identity/Reputation? 

Social Media technologies help us to build, communicate and strengthen our digital identity.

It is through the connections we make through our questions, responses and interactions with each other that models the ways we can positively support and build trust with one another.

Our digital footprints communicate who we are, what we value, and what interests us. The content we share, the conversations we participate in, and the connections we make help others understand who we are or our developing professional identity. By sharing our experiences and learning from people with different perspectives and backgrounds, we grow as lifelong learners and contribute to a more connected learning community.

As lifelong learners, we can strengthen our professional global presence by regularly sharing ideas, resources, experiences, and reflections with others. Meaningful contributions to a Professional Learning Network (PLN) help build credibility, trust, and connections. When people in the world find value in what we share, they are more likely to engage with our ideas, learn from our experiences, and collaborate with us. Over time, these contributions strengthen both our professional networks and our relationships within online communities around the globe.

Joshua’s Slide: What Are Social Considerations That Should Be Accounted For? 

When participating with these technologies in our Professional Learning Network (PLN), it is important to consider how our interactions affect others and contribute to the community.

Be open-minded, respectful, and willing to connect with people who have different experiences and perspectives. Strong professional relationships are built on trust, encouragement, and mutual support.

Meaningful learning happens through discussions and active listening. As Magic Johnson said, “you have to listen and be ready to be humbled.” Being humble and listening to others helps us grow and learn from their expertise.

Actively contribute to conversations, share ideas, and support the learning of others. Inclusive participation helps create a welcoming community where everyone feels valued and respected.

What we share online can reach people far beyond our immediate network. Before posting, commenting, or sharing information, we should consider how our words may affect others. Thoughtful and responsible participation allows us to positively influence our PLN and contribute to learning on a global scale.

Emma’s Slide: How Does Technology Track and Use Your Data?

We’ve all seen something like this pop up when we access a website before. This is a cookie collection notice, which sounds yummier than it is. Google defines cookies as pieces of website data which remember information about you and your visit (Google Privacy and Terms, n.d.).

So when we agree to cookie collection, what data is being collected and how does this affect our PLN?

Data tracking, as defined by Loth (2024), is the process of a company identifying, collecting, and analyzing user data in order to “identify trends, better understand customer behaviour, [and] improve the customer experience.” By gathering information about the user, the company can adjust algorithms to better suit the user, therefore keeping them on the website for longer.

Technology tracks your data consensually through cookie collection and app policies. This data goes beyond just the things you click on, but includes your location, your phone’s movement and angle, and even the automatic scanning of private messages. This data is often shared through parent companies and other third-party platforms.

This data is used to adjust the way the website works, personalizing your experience by individualizing your advertisements and algorithm. Many companies also sell this information to data brokers and advertisement companies. Freedman (2018) reports that the data broker market is expected to profit over 500 billion dollars by 2033.

Emma’s Slide: How Does This Benefit a PLN?

While data tracking may sound scary or off-putting, it can actually be rather beneficial to our Personal Learning Networks. 

Individualized algorithms allow us to view and interact with media and content that is relevant. The ball is in your court: through seeking out and interacting with useful and informative content, you can force your algorithm to continue showing you content that benefits your PLN.

Data collection can also help to build connections within your PLN through suggested creators, groups, and people online. Sites like Facebook and Instagram will use your information to promote people with similar professions, interests, or experiences, allowing you to make connections.

However, it is crucial to understand that this personalization of algorithms can also limit your PLN by pushing the same content at you, creating an echo chamber.

Emma’s Slide: What Are Privacy, Security, and Acceptable Use Policies on Social Media Platforms?

Social media platforms often ask you to consent to their privacy policies/cookie collection when using their site. While it is easy to just trust the company and select agree, it is shocking just how much information you are agreeing to give away. 

Privacy policies outline how user data is collected, used, and shared. In Meta’s Privacy Policy, it outlines that it collects the content you interact with and how you interact with it, your device information (like battery level, available storage, and how strong your signal is!), and information from third-party services, like the apps you use and the ads you see.

Security policies are a set of guidelines created to protect both users on the platform and the platform itself. This involves the requirement of strong passwords, 2FA, and suspicious login alerts. Meta also employs the use of sensitive content control, and eating disorder/self-injury resources.

Acceptable Use policies define how a user may use and behave on the platform. This involves the prohibition of hate speech, threats, impersonation, and anything unlawful, including violating or encouraging others to violate any of the above terms.

Having a social media account means you agreed to the set of rules laid out by the company. Being media literate means you understand what those rules are and how they may be helping or hindering you.

Emma’s Slide: Strengths and Weaknesses

Privacy, Security, and Acceptable Use policies can bring forth both strengths and weaknesses.

These policies give users more control over their data, including what information is shared publically, the ability to manage ads, and the opportunity to view and delete user data. Tools like 2FA and login alerts make networking safer, while community guidelines help to ensure social media is a safe environment.

However, these policies are lengthy agreements that the vast majority of users do not fully read before consenting to. Social media platforms collect so much information, with users not being fully informed on what data is being collected. Community guidelines do not hold up in practice, with Lockhart (2025) reporting that online hate speech is on the rise in Canada, especially among marginalized communities. Data collection is also in the company’s favour, and they tailor an individualized algorithm designed to keep you scrolling, which can in turn trap you in an echo chamber.  Lastly, your data is shared between members of parent companies. Have Instagram? Facebook has your data. Have LinkedIn? Your data is shared with Microsoft.

While social media can be a beneficial way to make connections, it is important to understand the risks associated with using social platforms.

Priya’s Slide: Provide Examples of Individuals Who Have Used a PLN to Become Leaders in a Field of Interest and Discuss Their Presence on the Platform. 

Two leaders who used a PLN in their field of interest are Oprah Winfrey and Sophie Lui. Oprah’s career as a media figure, TV show host, entrepreneur and philanthropist shows how a PLN can be built through meaningful professional relationships, even before social media became such a major networking tool. Whereas, we can examine Sophie Lui, a longtime Canadian journalist and anchor with Global BC whose PLN shows a great evolution of networking in journalism and media through the years. 

I think Sophie Lui is an interesting example because her career shows how networking has changed with the growth of social media. In her EDCI 338 interview, Lui talks about how, earlier in her career, networking was much more direct and intentional. She would actually cold call people and personally reach out to make connections and find opportunities. As social media became more popular, platforms like Twitter, now X, gave her another way to connect with journalists, sources, professionals, and the wider public (Lui, n.d.).

Twitter is especially relevant to journalism because so much of the profession involves staying aware of what is happening in the world and what people are talking about. For Lui, it can be a space to follow developing stories, engage with other journalists, and maintain a much larger professional network. But something important that she emphasizes is that seeing information online doesn’t automatically make it trustworthy. Journalists still have a responsibility to verify information before sharing it (Lui, n.d.).

Early in her career, Oprah actively developed relationships within the media industry and connected with people who could open doors for new opportunities. One significant example was her connection with producer Quincy Jones, which led to an opportunity to audition for The Color Purple. That opportunity helped expand her public profile and contributed to her growing career in television and media (The AI Job Search/OS, 2024). But what I find particularly interesting about Oprah’s network is that it isn’t just about knowing powerful or influential people. In a LinkedIn article, Mavilach (2025) describes successful networking as “building authentic relationships that provide mutual value over time.” I think Oprah’s career really demonstrates this idea.

Throughout her career, she has developed long-term relationships with people like Gayle King, Michelle Obama, and Deepak Chopra. But she also uses her own position to elevate people within her network (Mavilach, 2025). For example, through her television programs and Oprah’s Book Club, she has introduced authors, experts, and their ideas to audiences they may not otherwise have reached. So, in that sense, Oprah’s PLN is reciprocal. She isn’t only benefiting from her connections. She learns from and collaborates with people in her network, while also using her own platform to create opportunities for others.

Comparing Oprah and Sophie Lui, they are two different individuals with connected approaches to building a PLN. Sophie Lui demonstrates how digital platforms have expanded professional networking, while Oprah demonstrates the importance of maintaining authentic, mutually beneficial relationships. 

Avery & Reid’s Slide: How Do They Use Social Media Platforms to Build Their Reputation/Presence? 

There are many different ways and different social media platforms that people can use to build their reputation. 

People like Mark Zuckerberg use social media, including platforms like Facebook and Instagram, to communicate with a variety of people and keep his personal learning network updated. He connects with people like other entrepreneurs, developers, and social media users. He also has to use social media platforms to stay connected within the world of technology and be aware of any advancements and trends. This presence and activity contributes to how people view him as knowledgeable and trustworthy within the technology industry. 

Sara Blakley, another entrepreneur and the founder of Spanx, uses social media to share her experiences as an entrepreneur, such as her successes and challenges. By being open about her experiences, she presents herself as authentic and relatable, which can strengthen her connection with her audience. 

Brian Chesky, the Co-Founder and CEO of AirBnB, is seen as having a strong presence on X and Instagram, and builds his online presence by communicating with others involved with technology, employees, and customers. 

People like Oprah Winfrey use their online presence, such as Instagram and YouTube, to share recommendations, ideas, reflections, and interviews. She is seen as credible, a trusted communicator and as a prominent media figure online. Having her PLN include people like other trusted authors, journalists, and celebrities also strengthens her credibility among audiences and followers.

Lastly, Sophie Lui, the Anchor of Global News at 5 and Co-Anchor of Global News Hour at 6, uses different social media platforms for different purposes. She shares more personal parts of her life on Instagram, which makes her seem more authentic to an audience. Sophie uses X in a more professional way, communicating with her audience and sharing news and other professional information. By changing the way she uses each platform, Sophie is able to maintain both a personal connection with her audience and a professional online identity, helping to build both a personal and professional reputation.

In an era of AI and fake news after every second swipe, a person’s reputation is becoming one the most valuable and trustworthy traits out there. Because of this, learning about what makes a reliable and trusted reputation is a skill getting more valued every single day. First and foremost, I want to clarify that a reputation doesn’t just grow because someone has social media, but rather because they actively participate and communicate with others online and work hard towards making a positive appearance and back their work up with reliable information. For instance, if someone joins a discord group that is focused on a math course saying they can help tutor, but when it comes down to it they have no clue how to do the work, going forward no one will trust when they say they’re available to help because their reputation is now built on a lie. These practices on how to build a positive social media reputation apply to everyone, especially including higher followed pages and celebrities. Essentially, having a larger fan base and audience leads to viewers trusting in your authority much more than others, leading to the belief that you are in fact a trustworthy source they can rely on. Social media has created this sense of “pre-relationship” feeling, meaning that by the time someone follows your socials, buys your product, or even enjoys watching a video of yours, they immediately feel as though they can trust the information you give and that they know the “real” you (Bahn, n.d.). 

Everyone: How will you know that your PLN is a success?

How will we know our personal learning networks are a success? What does success mean to us? 

Joshua: Having a successful PLN means we are respectful relationship builders, humble listeners, active contributors, and thoughtful communicators who recognise that our online interactions can have a lasting impact on others.

Emma: To me, a successful PLN will look like a continuously-expanding, diverse network of relationships and connections which invite me to actively learn from unique perspectives in a holistic way. Success means that my PLN will challenge my thinking and make me a more informed educator and a more reflective and reflexive person.

Priya: I will know my PLN is a success when I have built a community of relationships with people from diverse backgrounds, each with a different perspective and a strong sense of passion, respect and care for what they do. Success is knowing that these meaningful relationships are ones I can rely on and look to for support when needed, and can make a positive impact on my life and equally their life. 

Reid: Having a successful PLN in my opinion means to have created a full spider-web link with all kinds of different people, areas of subject, and overall opinions. A PLN to me, is something that can always be improved as there will always be other minds and more opinions that could benefit yourself, so I don’t believe my PLN will ever be a complete “success” but rather something I can always improve and work towards. 

Avery: For me, success in a Personal Learning Network is not measured by how many people I follow or how many platforms I use. Instead, it means that I am continuously learning and discovering new perspectives, actively participating and asking questions, and applying what I have learned to my own work. As a learner and future professional, if I can look back and see that my PLN has helped me gain new knowledge and connect with others, then I know it has been a success.