In the course ECI 831, “Open Education and Social Media,” I learned a lot about open education, social media technologies, and the connection between social media and activism. I explored various open educational resources (OERs) which promote collaboration, accessibility, and innovation in education examining various social media platforms and tools that can be used for education was a big element of the course as well. I investigated, podcasts, microblogging sites like Twitter, and video-sharing sites like YouTube. I learned via this investigation how these tools can improve communication, encourage collaboration, and raise participation in educational contexts. The use of social media in activism was among the most interesting subjects we looked into. I studied the ways in which social media platforms have developed into effective tools for people and groups to spread knowledge, plan campaigns, and mobilize support for diverse social causes. I gained knowledge of the value of digital literacy, internet security, and moral issues when using social media for activism. Overall, ECI 831 gave me a thorough understanding of social media technologies, open education, and their potential to promote activism, information sharing, and collaboration in the digital age. I gained valuable knowledge and skills from the course that I can use to improve my teaching methods, interact with online communities, and have a good influence on the fields of education and social change. I want to thank you all for your help and the information I have gained from each of you.

Below is the summary of my journey in ECI831. I gained a lot of knowledge in this course and understood the part that social media can play in education. Thank you, Katia and my fellow classmates, you made this journey memorable. Hope you enjoy my video.

This class has been nothing short of wonderful, engaging, and thought-provoking. It’s allowed for so much reflection and critical thought regarding how we, as educators, can use social media and technology to engage our students in various capacities.

This video, as my final summary of the course, discusses what I’ve taken away from this class. The course content has impacted several aspects of my work as an administrator – everything from extensions, to appropriate use of social media, to social media activism, as well as the potentials of AI – there has been so much knowledge acquired.

Thanks for following along with my journey in this course. It’s been a slice!

Summary of Learning

Here is my summary of learning in relation to social media and open education!

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2p8NI_unKxs

References:

McDaniel, D. S. (2023, April 25). As digital activists, teens of color turn to social media to fight for a more just world. The Conversation. https://theconversation.com/as-digital-activists-teens-of-color-turn-to-social-media-to-fight-for-a-more-just-world-201841

Usher, N. (2023). Professors Are Grappling With an Excruciating Assignment. Retrieved 2023.

Vogels, E. A., Gelles-Watnick, R., & Massarat, N. (2022). Teens, Social Media and Technology 2022. Retrieved 2023.

Why Open Education Matters. (2012). Vimeo. Retrieved June 26, 2023, from https://vimeo.com/43401199.

Wikimedia Foundation. (2023, May 18). Edublog. Wikipedia. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Edublog

I wasn’t sure how I would summarize my learning. We have been using blogs all semester, however I have been integrating them into my classroom as well for my major project. It seemed fitting, however I did not want to be too repetitive.

I took the same limitations my students had (google slides) to design my blogs and chose the article “Ten Reasons Every Educator Should Start Blogging,” by Kathleen Morris, to base my presentation on. I took 8 of the 10 reasons (specifically the ones that applied to my students blogs) and attached my thoughts about our journey to each reason.

With that in mind I wrote 8 short blogs (which I have posted below) and then edited them into a video with some tracking to try and make them more visually appealing. A few additional images and text, along with digital themed transitions were added as well. Then I realized those transitions were behind a paywall and the giant water mark….so I now have a student subscription to Wondershare (democreator). Although I do have to say this is the one editing software I have used that I didn’t have to fight. I hope you enjoy my simple video, I look forward to exploring your summaries as well. Have a great summer!

I would like to extend a warm welcome to everyone as I present my summary of learning, marking the culmination of EC&831 and my second ED tech class with Katia. Throughout this course, I have had the pleasure of exploring various aspects of technology integration in the classroom. The potential of social media for promoting collaboration, engagement, and knowledge sharing in educational settings has been a central focus of my learning. For creating my summary, I opted for Canva, a tool I became familiar with during my previous ED tech class with Katia, and I have shared the video on my YouTube channel. I would like to express my gratitude to Katia, Alec Couros, Alan Levine, and my classmates for their guidance, teaching, and valuable feedback, which have been instrumental in my growth.

Sit back and enjoy!

Welcome to my final baking learning project! Throughout this project. I delved deep into the science and art of baking, covering key methods, components, and recipes that helped lay a solid foundation. I looked at the fundamentals of baking, including how ingredients work, how crucial precise measures are, and how the chemistry of baking reactions works. I was able to successfully manage various doughs, and batters,  after becoming proficient in fundamental procedures like creaming, folding, and kneading. I had the chance to try a variety of baked delicious foods, including cookies, cakes, and pancakes. Along the way, I developed my problem-solving abilities, discovered how to solve typical baking problems, and fell in love with the satisfaction of giving each item a special touch. This initiative has sparked my interest in baking and given me the knowledge and abilities to become a skilled baker. Each session offered detailed directions, advice, and tweaks for making delicious goodies. I gained troubleshooting abilities, learned how to solve typical baking problems, and fell in love with the satisfaction of giving each item a special touch along the road. My love for baking has been sparked by this initiative, which has also given me the knowledge and abilities to become a skilled baker. So let’s take a look back at this fun baking adventure I had, cherishing the memories I made and the delectable cookies I made with love and dedication.

I found Instagram, Pinterest, and YouTube to be incredibly helpful resources during my culinary endeavors of cooking pancakes, cakes, cupcakes, and cookies. Instagram gave me access to a visually stimulating platform that let me discover different tasty recipes, inventive displays, and cutting-edge flavor combinations. I was inspired to experiment with different pancake shapes, cake decorations, and cookie flavors by the colorful food photographs and videos on Instagram.

I  also started gathering and organizing a tonne of recipes, advice, and recommendations on Pinterest. For the purpose of saving and reviewing recipes, I made boards for cookies, cakes, pancakes, and cupcakes. I was able to alter my creations and give each dish a unique flair by using the wide variety of concepts and methods I found on Pinterest.

With its comprehensive step-by-step instructions, YouTube has proven to be a valuable educational resource. I was able to improve my understanding and culinary abilities in the kitchen thanks to the extensive visual instructions on YouTube, which covered everything from perfecting pancake flipping techniques to complex cake decorating techniques. When watching the instructional films, I found it especially helpful to be able to pause, rewind, and replay them to make sure I was following each step correctly.

The first week, I baked cupcakes without eggs. It was a fun and worthwhile experience. I carefully measured and combined the ingredients in accordance with a straightforward cupcake recipe to get a nice batter. The most thrilling aspect was giving each cupcake a unique touch by decorating it with strawberries and blueberries. I encountered various challenges. It was difficult to get the batter to the appropriate consistency because the texture would change whether it was over or under-mixed. It was challenging to measure the materials precisely because the proper quantities depended on it. I discovered the value of accuracy, repetition, and patience in baking, which helped me to develop my abilities and my understanding of the craft.

Making an eggless cake was one of the great moments of the second learning project. Exploring different components and methods to make a wonderful cake without eggs was an interesting and rewarding experience. I carefully replaced eggs with components like yogurt, applesauce, or flaxseed meal to offer moisture and structure, adhering to a specific eggless cake recipe. But Getting the ideal texture was one challenge I faced. Due to overmixing or overbaking, my cakes occasionally came out dense or dry. However, I was able to overcome this difficulty by persevering and learning from my mistakes.

I decided to take on the challenge of baking eggless cookies during the third week of the project. I experimented with different ingredients and baking methods to replace eggs, which was an exciting and creative baking experience. Finding the ideal ratio of moisture to the structure without using eggs was one of my challenges, which is why I was unable to give the cookies the necessary shape. This experiment helped me increase the variety of baked goods I can make and inspired me to try more eggless recipes in the future.

I made the decision to take on the challenge of cooking eggless pancakes for my fourth-week project. It was fun and creative to experiment with different ingredients and methods to make fluffy, delicious pancakes without using eggs. Making eggless pancakes was the start of a delicious and inventive culinary journey. I carefully gathered my components and made the batter according to a specific eggless pancake recipe. I produced a smooth consistency by combining the dry and wet ingredients. I watched the pancakes with excitement as they began to bubble, then gently turned them over to reveal a golden-brown color.

I’m glad I decided to make baking my major learning project. I think this was an excellent opportunity for me to investigate something I’ve always thought about trying. I enjoyed the opportunity to challenge myself to try something new that was still connected to my passion for baking. I gained a lot of knowledge, including how to make pancakes, cookies, and cakes. I’m hoping to find the time to keep improving various baking skills.

My Journey with Social Media and Mastery in Skill

I want to share my post on my general social media experience. Most of the time, I avoid using social media. Despite this, compared to the other master’s-level courses I’ve taken, the social media and online education course have a different impact on how I learn about social media and how it affects both my professional and personal lives. Despite this, the first week was quite intriguing and I learned a lot. Although I had heard of vlogging, I was unaware about blogging and how we could share our blogs with others through our websites. This seems to be a completely new experience for me. Despite the fact that I must share my webpage with my friends and Family.

In the first week of my finished networked learning project, I discussed my relationship with social media and its effects on both my personal and professional lives, both positively and negatively. I shared more about my personal trip to Vancouver and how I use my favorite social media, like Whatsapp, to share my memories with loved ones. I also talked about how professional social media, like Linkedin, helped me obtain a position as an educator in Regina. As a result, it had a tremendously beneficial impact on my personality and I learned the role of social media in my daily life. On the other hand, I start my first week of major learning project by learning Martial Arts. When I was a teenager, I was highly interested in learning that skill, but social media and online courses gave me the chance to learn and share my martial arts experiences. Through my post, I’ve shared the basic procedures I used to practice with my directors’ daughter.

I have a chance to learn about Twitter during the second week of my networked learning post. Despite not using Twitter, I created an account there and learned about hastags, sharing quotes, and retweeting. Even so, I have discussed my own personal and professional experiences with Twitter, including both its advantages and disadvantages. On the other side, my second week of talent mastery seems to be a lot of fun for me. I advanced by taking intermediate steps after taking beginner ones. I’ve gained knowledge about postures, balance, and power maintenance through jogging, exercise, and continued practice.

The third week of my experience with social media taught me the value and advantages of social media activism. Even though this word is new to me, I have told friends about how one might use social media to seek redress from any unfair practice’s. On the other side, learning new skills with the aid of YouTube videos teaches me how to use my strengths and limitations for the body’s optimization’s.

The final week of my networked learning post discusses open education and sharing cultures. I’ve discovered via this issue that open education benefits not only students but also teachers in the classroom. The previous week, on the other hand, was frantic but nonetheless followed by mastery of postures, power, and balance, learning about body optimization’s, and control. I had studied many martial arts and learned how to position myself before kicking an opponent. This week has been both a busy and enjoyable one.

Finally, I’d like to express my gratitude to everyone for their comments on my post and for continuing to encourage my talent. Sharing my personal stories through posts has been a lot of fun for me. The importance of social media and fitness in our daily lives was made clear by this fantastic experience.

However, using the Discord community software also teaches us the importance of discussing important resources with our classmates.

Thanks for reading.

Open Education is centered around reducing barriers to education for students including access, financial costs, accessibility, and spaces. Open Education supports social justice, sustainability, equity, diversity, and inclusion. The global pandemic has altered the way we think. As the world becomes smaller and more connected, so does education. Digital assets are becoming more crucial than ever. This is an opportunity to shift education towards more inclusive, open-minded ideas. Open learning has the potential to stimulate innovation. In a broad sense,  open education refers to pedagogical strategies, academic practices, teaching methods, and open educational resources (OER) that support flexible, collaborative learning. This may entail collaborating on the development of learning experiences with students and teachers, taking part in online peer communities, using, producing, and disseminating open educational resources (OER) and open knowledge, and exchanging professional experiences. 

Benefits of open education 

Access is one of the main advantages of open education. It gives people in impoverished regions, developing countries, and marginalized groups the power to go over obstacles that might otherwise prevent them from pursuing an education.  Moreover, Open education lowers financial barriers and levels the playing field by providing free or inexpensive alternatives to conventional textbooks, promoting a more fair society. A  Fantastic video on open education was produced by Blink Tower. The video  “Why Open Education Matters” emphasizes the value of open education in ensuring that all people have equitable access to high-quality learning resources. It emphasizes how open educational resources (OER) can break down economic and geographic barriers, enabling students all around the world to access free resources. The collaborative character of open education and its capacity to promote customization and creativity in teaching and learning are both highlighted in the video.  Customization and adaptation in learning materials are also encouraged by open education. Teachers are free to alter and customize OER to fit their own teaching philosophies and the unique needs of their students. For their students, educators can design compelling and pertinent learning experiences by embracing a variety of perspectives and cultural contexts. Innovative teaching methods and learning experiments are supported by open education. In order to encourage creativity and participation in the classroom, educators are given the freedom to experiment with novel teaching strategies, technology, and techniques. This innovative culture advances educational methods and improves the quality of the learning process as a whole.

 

My experience with open education and resources 

I used educational resources for the first time when I was a 6 to 8-year-old teacher in India during COVID-19. My experience with open education in the classroom was very revolutionary. I was able to give my students an exciting and inclusive learning environment by embracing open educational resources (OER). Increased accessibility was one of open education’s biggest benefits. I removed the obstacles caused by pricey textbooks by incorporating OER into my instruction. High-quality educational materials were available to all students, regardless of their financial situation. My students were inspired to develop their own learning styles through open education. They had the chance to research subjects outside the scope of the curriculum and pursue their own areas of interest because there were so many open educational resources available. Moreover, My teaching style has been completely transformed by the flexibility of open educational resources. OER made it simple for me to adapt the curriculum to my student’s individual needs and interests. Because of this personalization, I was able to develop lessons that were more relevant to my students’ varied backgrounds and learning preferences.

Challenges I faced with open education 

When using open education during the COVID-19 outbreak, I faced a number of difficulties. Access to technology and dependable internet connectivity was one of the biggest challenges during COVID-19. To fully interact with open educational resources, many students faced obstacles because they lacked access to laptops, computers, or reliable internet connections. I also had a tough time immediately adjusting pedagogical methods to the online learning setting. It was necessary to modify courses, assessments, and activities in order to successfully use open educational materials when moving from conventional face-to-face instruction to remote learning. I had trouble coming up with new lesson ideas, delivering notes to the students, and creating assignments that were appropriate for the student’s levels.

In conclusion, Open education is an innovation because it increases accessibility, lowers prices, and fosters cooperation. It emphasizes lifelong learning, empowers students from all backgrounds, and supports creative teaching methods. Embracing open education, in my opinion, prepares the path for a society that is diverse and knowledge-driven in the future.