PLN’s, or better known as professional learning networks, are networks of individual who engage in collective learning with the main goal of professional growth. the themes of PLN’s from the previous videos are continuous learning, collaboration, and sharing information.

One of the primary goals of a PLN is to encourage ongoing opportunities for professional development. this can be achieved through attendance in educational events such as seminars, workshops, etc. Their hope is that people are continuous seeking education and leaning. PLN’s can also be a platform in which you’re spread your knowledge, experiences, and opinions. This helps foster a community of individuals willing to collaborate, share ideas, learn and grow. Lastly, collaboration is a huge part of PLN’s, they want individuals to collaborate to work together on projects, research, and else. The goal of this is to bring a sense of community.

There are a few platforms that are beneficial in education. I personally have used Facebook to form group chats for group projects. Linkden is a great way to connect with your co-workers and classmates. On YouTube you can find tons of educational videos, and I’ve even often used the private function to upload assignments in a video format. Another great platform can be Tik Tok, this solely depends on how you use it, but content is catered specifically to what your interests are and who you follow. when learning a new task I use Tik Tok because there are so many educational videos to be found.

When working with the vulnerable sector, it’s extremely important to maintain professional standards and abide by regulations. Your social medias presence can create unique challenges, as social medias such as Facebook, Instagram, Tik Tok, and Twitter have a blurred line between professionalism and personal conduct. As highlighted in the videos assigned this week, it’s important to consider what you put out on the internet, most likely your job is watching. There has been many incidents where people have lost their jobs because of their behaviour on the internet. I have worked for many different companies, many times I have been required to sign off that ‘I will consider my digital footprint and keep my socials appropriate’. For me this was just a company asking me to keep my socials clean, just to inform me. In other positions, it can be way more intense. For example, My dads’ company is so strict about his online presence that he prefers not to have one. he only have one public account on linkden, otherwise he has small platforms with less then 10 followers. It is super important to remember that your online presence and yourself in general are representing the company you work for, your family, and your friends.

What to consider before posting on the internet?

1. What are my privacy settings; is your media public?
2. Who am I ok with seeing this? Check your followers, and understand that just because they don’t follow you doesn’t mean they won’t see it.
3. Would I be ok with anybody seeing this? This is an important ones because no matter what your privacy settings are, once its on the internet it’s out there and anyone can see and reshare.