Learning Technologies: Design & Applications

Module 4: Social Media

Personal Publishing & Social Networks

RE: Public or private spaces for learning

Just a few years ago I would not have considered the idea of posting our films on YouTube, due to safety problems.

• Like Noelene, I work in an independent (private) institution. It is an affluent community. So, the risk of being targeted for kidnapping or any other kind of abuse with the objective of receiving money is real.
  • Parents have a very big say on the way we organize the school. They are involved and interested.
• To avoid problems on YouTube, the course asks students NOT to add credits. Their names cannot be found, not the school’s name.
  • They do get “comments” from “strangers”… but I would argue that students usually have other accounts in which they also have a public connection (Facebook; etc.)
• So, if parents complain about their films being on YouTube, I would expect that they have taken the necessary steps to avoid the same problem on other social public media.
• Our school also mandates the creation of e-portfolios (even the ministry of education mandated them at one point). Even though there are ways to make them private, e-portfolios are not meant to be private. They are created to be sent to universities, potential employers, etc. Of course, one can limit the dissemination of the information by sending invitations only…
• As a society, we are becoming more open to this public presence. However, I would venture to say that many professionals are also becoming more aware the public persona that they are creating. For this reason, they pay a lot of attention to what they publish and why.
• For teenagers, it is sometimes a bit of a situation because they don’t necessarily have the experience or the maturity to decide what is appropriate and what might be detrimental in the future. Their persona is in the process of being shaped and their might be different spaces for personal and professional styles. These should be at least separated if not very serious designed.