Jesse’s Posts
ME: Feeling great about the past 3 months of EDCI 338
April 2nd, 2026 – END
Week 13 and the final wrap-up.
Hi Everyone! What an absolute pleasure to connect with you all this past January to April in 2026. I have a few closing notes, and we have our last blog update. Here is the video close of the course. Your final assignments should be completed and submitted via your individual personal blog, a Mattermost post, and your group channel. I should be able to go into the history of the group work and see how your project progressed, and I will ask any clarifying questions over the next week or so.
Your blog is yours to keep. Please treat it as a portfolio, and I encourage you not to make any further edits. If I have any individual questions, I will reach out via Mattermost or email. A note: Mattermost will be shut down at the end of April. If you have any items you’d like to retain in the chats, please collect them now.
Here is our blog assignment to close the course. Send me your feedback as you see fit, and please remember to complete the UVIC course surveys.
WEEK 13 – Blog Summation
- Summarise your initial learning goals for the term.
- Briefly describe your starting point in terms of knowledge, skills, and PLN
engagement.
Growth & Reflection - Discuss your intellectual, professional, and digital literacy growth.
- Reflect on key challenges and how you addressed them.
- Highlight specific course activities (blog posts, audits, PLN work) that
contributed to your learning. - Include Canadian context where relevant (e.g., digital privacy laws, education
policy, media literacy initiatives). - Reflect on the peer and instructor feedback you received.
- Describe how you applied feedback to improve your work or understanding.
Forward-Looking Goals (Identify three specific goals for continued learning or
professional development. - Include actionable strategies, such as:
o Expanding PLNs or participating in professional communities
o Engaging with new AI tools responsibly
o Deepening understanding of Canadian policy or ethical frameworks - Summarise your overall learning journey and key takeaways.
- Reflect on how this course has shaped your professional identity.
ALL THE BEST MOVING FORWARD! – JM jessemiller@uvic.ca
ME: EXCITED TO SEE YOUR FINAL PROJECTS
WEEK 12 – Collaborative Review – CLASS VIDEO HERE
This assignment requires students to audit a peer’s blog post with the goal of providing constructive, actionable feedback.
Students will focus on:
- Assessing content accuracy, clarity, and critical thinking.
- Providing positive critique and encouragement.
- Suggesting collaborative resources and enhancements to strengthen the
original post
ME: Wondering if people said “Let Us Go!”, dropping the contraction, would it be as popular of a phrase?
WEEK 11 – Privacy Compliance – Class VIDEO HERE
In Canada, privacy regulations like PIPEDA (Personal Information Protection and Electronic Documents Act) govern how organizations collect, use, and disclose personal information in the private sector.
However, educational exceptions and patchwork provincial laws mean that data practices in PLNs often fall into unclear jurisdictional spaces. Take a look at this video to learn about PIPEDA – 2 MINUTES https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8_MaDSnBNJM
Educators and institutions must ask:
- Is personal data being collected without explicit educational purpose?
- Are third-party analytics compliant with Canadian privacy standards?
- Do students have meaningful control over their information?
- Helpful READING https://dais.ca/reports/generation-ai-safeguarding-youth-privacy-in-the-age-of-generative-artificial-intelligence/
- Blog Post #9
- Consider that Personalized Learning Networks offer transformative potential for professional learning and collaboration. However, these benefits come with embedded systems of data harvesting and third-party collection that have ethical, educational, and social implications. A critical, reflective, and policy-informed approach is essential especially in the Canadian context, where privacy expectations intersect with digital learning innovation. As educators and learners, we must not only partake in PLNs but also understand and challenge the data systems that underlie them.
Create a blog post reflective of the questions above and try to incorporate these themes into your final project.
ME: Not Doom Scrolling.
WEEK 10 – AI and Social Media
– What are the specific risks and opportunities AI introduces for digital citizenship
within Canadian education?
– What role does media literacy education play in empowering learners to critically assess AI-generated content, misinformation, and extremist narratives online?
– How effective are current Canadian policies and educational initiatives at addressing
AI-driven misinformation and online radicalisation?
READ: “Wait… What?” Media Literacy Week highlights growing concern
over AI-driven misinformation https://mediasmarts.ca/about-us/press-centre/wait-what-media-literacy-week-highlights-growing-concern-over-ai-driven-misinformation
https://dais.ca/reports/submission-to-the-consultation-on-canadas-renewed-ai-strategy/
https://dais.ca/reports/human-or-ai/
WATCH: https://youtu.be/U-u8JN357sw
Blog Post #8
Describe an example of AI-amplified misinformation observed on Canadian social media, explain its potential impact on public opinion, and link your reflection to one of the resources above. Propose and justify a media literacy curriculum segment that teaches learners/employees to assess AI-driven social media content critically.
Support your thoughts with Canadian policy or research evidence.
Resources: https://thetyee.ca/Bios/Rachel_Gilmore
https://thewalrus.ca/can-canadian-culture-survive-the-age-of-ai-slop/
https://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/whitedate-canada-military-9.7117307
ME: Feeling optimistic about what we are doing here in Victoria, frustrated with experiencing another unprecedented timeline of world events – offering care and support to those impacted.
WEEK 9 – Your PLN and the Evolving Internet Reflect on how PLNs and AI influence equity, accessibility, and professional growth. Consider how you would demonstrate the ability to synthesise academic research with personal experience and professional practice using social media tools.
READ: Estaiteyeh & Mindzak — Building AI Literacy in Pre-Service Teacher Education in Canada
Direct access – LINK
Page 148 *hint to bring it all together.
“A recurring theme was the duality teachers now face: to use GenAI responsibly within both the positions of a student and a (future) teacher. Across both cohorts, a common thread appears where TCs recognize the apparent inevitability of GenAI in educational contexts, yet remain uncertain about its overall usage, value, and how to navigate its pedagogical and ethical implications. Such ideas and concerns are not peripheral as they reflect a fundamental shift in the epistemological and operational structures of teaching, whereby knowledge production, assessment/evaluation and content-area expertise and pedagogy are increasingly mediated by algorithmic systems and forms of AI. These perspectives align with broader debates in the field of AIEd, where there is currently little consensus on best practices, frameworks, or guidelines for implementation (Holmes et al., 2022; Zawacki-Richter et al., 2019), and TCs’ responses across both years of the study reflected this uncertainty. Concerns about student misuse of AI were frequently raised, including fears of plagiarism, superficial engagement, and diminished critical thinking (Kumar & Sharma, 2025). At the same time, TCs expressed interest in practical strategies, such as using AI to design assessments or support marking, as well as in tools to detect misuse.” pp148
Blog Post #7
Reflect on your current PLN: which networks, tools, or communities you engage with (e.g., BlueSky, LinkedIn, EdTech communities, provincial teacher networks). Reflect on how these networks support your professional learning goals.
Include at least one Canadian source that discusses PLNs in the Canadian educational context (e.g., provincial or national teacher professional development).
HINT * (Find the blog of Chris Kennedy – Supt. West Van Schools)
Critically assess the strengths and weaknesses of your PLN and the inclusion of AI. Consider aspects such as diversity of perspectives, relevance, accessibility, and quality of resources.
WATCH:
WEEK 8 and FINAL ASSIGNMENT
ME: Catching Up!
February 26th, 2026 – March 5th, 2026
Group Project: Building A Personal Learning Network (PLN)
For the final project, you will break into working groups to expand your PLN.
As our class learning cohort is somewhat uneven, I want to allow you to create your group for the final.
Open the conversation to invite participants into a Final Project group via Mattermost – I am asking that each group have a minimum of 4 participants and a maximum of 5, and as you create the group, you consider asking those who want to collaborate with you to address their schedule and availability – do not leave others in a lurch to finish this assignment – I will be asking your classmates about your group participation after submission. Their feedback will be noted in the final grading.
The assignment is structured around Building A PLN – I am looking for a creative dialogue between the group that reflects the themes of our course, the shifts that we have seen in learning, work, and communication, and the structure of a professional PLN.
Brainstorm with your group and keep me updated with your approach to creating either a written or media response to the assignment.
In previous terms, some students have created a podcast-style final project using ZOOM, an animated creation using Toonly, or a written submission – I will be available to guide and help with project structure throughout the next two weeks if you’re looking for help with the assignment.
Keep in mind, we will have a few more blog assignments during the term (including this week) and a flexible closing week for the final assignment and course feedback.
The final assignment will be due on 2026/03/28 in conjunction with your final blog submissions & PLN Analysis due on March 30th, 2026
STEPS:
Let me know via Mattermost who is in your Final Project group, and I will create a Mattermost Pod for your team. If you use a third-party tool (messenger, iMessage, WeChat) to collaborate on notes, ensure you keep a record of how participants contributed, and please make this available if asked.
I will audit your assigned Mattermost Final Project group periodically throughout the remainder of the month to assess participation and project development.
FINAL PROJECT OUTLINE:
Group Work Contract Expectations:
Your team should enter into a working contract divided into four major sections:
- Establishing team procedures
• Identifying expectations
• Timelines and milestones
• Specifying the protocol and consequences for failing to follow procedures and fulfil expectations
Assign tasks to be as specific as possible, and include a timeline and who is assigned to do each step.
Inform your instructor (Jesse) of who is in the final project group, and begin a conversation outside of the current course group work. The expectation is that your blogs will continue until the end of November, where weekly participation and commentary will be part of your 35% Final Grade for Blog Content, and 25% will be reviewed for PLN Support and Participation.
The Final Project reflects 40% of your final mark.
Inform your instructor within a week of the assignment announcement who has been chosen for your group, and a Mattermost pod will be created for your final project team.
- Share your dialogue about how your group will work together via Mattermost for observation from the instructor.
FINAL PROJECT OUTLINE:
Building A Personal Learning Network (PLN)
Delivered via written submission, video creation, animation, and alternative media delivery (e.g. Podcast over Zoom).
The final assignment will consist of your group creating a walkthrough of PLN themes, platforms, and practices that you have explored during the term. Students should include a variety of discussions about how a PLN should be created, managed, and engaged, including dialogue about how a PLN interacts with social media platforms, highlighting aspects that were the most meaningful during their course trajectory, and any instances of personal experience devoted to a PLN within a professional capacity.
Marking will be based on evidence-based examples, the use of professional and engaging language, and the quality of presentation delivery. You will include descriptions of the process and steps that a person would need to take in order to build a personal learning network (PLN) using a variety of social media platforms that would best support your professional and personal learning goals.
Your completed media project should be between 10 and 15 minutes long, supported by a written outline and project discussion themes and goals. If you are choosing to submit a written submission, you will need to outline how group participants contributed to each written section.
Things to Consider:
- Describe the key characteristics (benefits/negatives) of any discussed social media platforms.
- What features & characteristics of existing media technologies make them effective for personal learning?
- How does the discussed technology allow you to enhance/develop your digital identity/reputation?
- What are social considerations that should be accounted for?
- What are the ways the technology tracks and uses your data – how can this be used to benefit a PLN?
- What are the strengths and weaknesses of the privacy, security and acceptable use policies for social media platforms?
- Provide examples of individuals who have used a PLN to become leaders in a field of interest and discuss their presence on the platform.
- How do they use social media platforms to build their reputation/presence?
- How will you know that your PLN is a success?
- Provide references and resources to your opinion and the team consensus.
FOOTNOTES TO BE INCLUDED:
- How has each group member contributed to the PLN project (please complete peer review once the project has been submitted)
- Reference list of any mentioned articles, studies, or notable social media instances.
- The end goal of this project is to engage the PLN you have created in this course and open discussion and engagement about the connected world we live in. Do not hesitate to include your learned and lived experiences with social media, gaming, professional development, media production, social commentary, and online engagement with others.
- The more you share and provide connections to course resources, social themes, and considerations of positive community engagement, the more your final project will reflect the learning outcomes of the course. Feel free to reference blog content from yourself or a classmate, reference course materials, or third-party materials that you think are of note.
You, as a group, decide how you want to shape the final project – we live in a media-driven climate where PLN plays a large role in how we curate, engage, and participate in mediated communications, and being reflective of your blogs will help open themes of conversation that may resonate in the project.
Although a written submission will be accepted, consider the modality of this course and consider creating something that reflects the media-connected experience we are all sharing this year.
This term, as an asynchronous class, we took time to support one another in a variety of mediums, and my effort to use my PLN to bring resources in for learning and discussion reflected what a PLN should be relied on to do – open dialogue, ask for time, and rely on another person with faith that they will accommodate and help. Not a single guest speaker asked for reciprocal time or financial remuneration to meet with us virtually – consider how you will develop a similar PLN in your professional endeavours, and give examples in your group discussion about your understanding of PLN from that vantage point.
WEEK 8 – BLOG 6 ASSIGNMENT
WEEK 8 – Who Needs To Know About Your PLN?
Do you continue with your current content and your network?
How do you use your skills in professional practice?
READ: Digital Leader: 5 Simple Keys to Success & Influence Ch. 16 Qualman, Erik – Empower Others https://learning oreilly.com.ezproxy.library.uvic.ca/library/view/digital-leader- 5/9780071792424/ o
Recommended Library Reading: Tell Everyone Why We Share & Why It Matters – Hermida, Alfred http://voyager.library.uvic.ca/vwebv/holdingsInfo?bibId=3259154
Blog Post #6 Reflect on your experience in the course, your development of PLN, your use of social media platforms and networked publics, and any changes in your perspective of social media in professional settings and personal use.
ME: In an Olympic mood, give me until Monday next week.
February 19th, 2026 – February 25th, 2026
WEEK 7 – Blog 5
PLN & Education
Community communications go beyond blogs and social media shares. How does a PLN help and hinder the development of thoughts and ideas in education discourse?
• How do educators create discourse?
• What is the role of social media in education?
• What are some problems with social media communications in education settings?
Watch: Incorporating & Accounting for Social Media in Education – Course YouTube Channel
Read: Developing Personal Learning Networks for Open and Social Learning / Alec Couros- Chapter 8
Blog
• Explore the video provided and reflect on the themes of a PLN in a professional capacity.
• Which social media platforms are beneficial in education?
• When working with the vulnerable sector, how does social media fit into professionalism and regulations?
ME: Feeling great about your work and participation.
February 5th, 2026 – February 18th, 2026 – *a little extra
Alright! As we enter Week 5 and lead into Reading Break, please use this time to catch up on any work, submissions, comments, or Mattermost dialogues that you feel you can refine for participation credits. Let’s then dive into Media in the Public Lens.
Intro Video for the Week and Required Listening Interview with Myself and Sophie Lui from Global BC
There will be a break for Week 6, but I will be available for you.
WEEK 5 – Public PLN – Balancing PLN, Media Literacy, & Public Discourse
• How do notable individuals use social media?
• What are the benefits to being in the public eye and having a PLN?
• Building community with online tools provided by the employer can be limiting. What are the perceived restrictions and benefits?
• Delivering information in a connected society requires verifiable resources. How to build a PLN to rely on?
• How do those (who are veteran storytellers) minimize risk in sharing misinformation?
• What is media literacy?
• Why is it important?
• Why is it dismissed?
• Why should you aim for varied views but factual consensus in your PLN?
Watch: Media Literacy – Media Smarts Facts Matter – Course YouTube Channel
Read: 21st Century Skills – Learning for Life In Our Times Trilling, B & Fadel, C – Digital Literacy Skills – Media Literacy pp.66
Watch: In the Public-Eye – Social Media and Evening News – Course YouTube Channel
Read: Navigating Social Journalism: A Handbook for Media Literacy and Citizen Journalism by Martin Hirst, Chapter 4. The Political Economy of Fake News – pp.78
Blog Post #4: Explore the videos provided and reflect on the themes and questions above, reflecting on how you would curate your social media with a critical public audience.
- Identify the risks and benefits of engaging with a public audience in a media space
- Consider what the risks for a public figure or person in a position of trust (educator, lawyer, government official) may be?
- How to best address negative replies and critiques reflective of your personal values and your employer’s social media policy?
- Open dialogues about media literacy and factual information can create conflict. Why does this happen? o What is the benefit of having a PLN that values media literacy?
BIG REMINDER – LISTEN TO THE INTERVIEW WITH SOPHIE LUI, TAKE NOTES, FIND HER REFERENCE POINTS, CONNECT THE VALUES AND PULL FROM MEDIA LITERACY RESOURCES PROVIDED. TAKE THE EXTRA TIME AND USE IT WELL.
ME: Feeling optimistic and a tad patriotic – Did you see this speech from PM Carney?
January 29th, 2026 – February 4th, 2026
WEEK 4 – Your PLN – Inclusion & Community Engagement. – Course Video – MUST WATCH
• How diverse is your PLN?
• Are you learning from a variety of diverse voices, and are you expanding your understanding of the views of others?
• What is a learning outcome of your PLN, and how are you ensuring your exposure to diversity and inclusion?
WATCH: PLN DIVERSITY, INCLUSION, AND SOCIAL MEDIA – Course YouTube Channel Dr Shelley Moore
Inclusion is not Assimilation: Understanding communities of identity and diversity
READ: One Without the Other: Stories of Unity Through Diversity and Inclusion, Shelley Moore and Leyton Schnellert, Introduction & Part 1. HERE
WATCH: Community Communications – Course YouTube Channel – President Barack Obama – Stanford University // President Obama addresses disinformation in speech at Stanford
READ: Media & Social Justice – A New Vision for Public Media Open, Dynamic, and Participatory Jessica Clark and Patricia Aufderheide – Chapter 4
Blog Post #3 – How has your thinking about inclusion and PLN evolved?
Create a blog post on inclusion in a professional setting of your choice – reflect on how social media can play a role in helping you establish messaging and themes that are inclusive and diverse. In the context of employment, having a PLN that is public and engaging requires risk assessment and policy understanding.
Consider the following:
• How does social media engage communications?
• How does social media challenge communications?
• Is it inclusive?
• Does your PLN amplify the views of others?
• Where/how does disinformation play a role?
• The policies of employer social media communication expectations.
*Hint– What are the benefits of a diverse and inclusive PLN in social media sharing that understands where you are coming from with messaging that impacts the community?
Me: Beyond interested in your stories, enjoying learning about learners.
January 22nd, 2026 – January 28th, 2026
Hi All,
Thank you for you first blog submissions, I’ll be reviewing both in realtime and over the week to provide feedback to each of you on your submissions and your replies to your fellow learners.
Here is the assignment for Blog #2 – Lecture Video at 12PM PST https://youtu.be/Y26kND1f_ns
Personal Digital Identity vs Professional Digital Identity
Read:
PLN space through Social Media platforms (Developing awareness)
Privacy, Ethics & Security in Digital Spaces Developing Awareness of Privacy
https://digitaltattoo.ubc.ca/quizzes/privacy-and-surveillance/ Regan, P., & Jesse, J. (2019).
V and R Mapping
What is a Visitor/Resident (PDF)
Visitor & Resident Maps
Blog Post #2 – Share your Visitor & Resident Map with your group.
*Feel free to create your map from the provided PDF using Canva or similar, clipart, or hand-written (take a photo and post) on .
Each participant must respond to a minimum of one other person in the group.
Consideration Questions:
What digital platforms are students currently using to develop their professional network?
What could the student consider in expanding their professional learning network?
Consider in your blog submission how an employer would respond if you applied for a job with them and they assessed your social media presence via your digital identity.
Me: Feeling a little lonely as we progress, but making some new connections, I feel optimistic.
January 15th, 2026 – January 20th, 2026
Hi All,
Mattermost is slowly taking shape. We have a few outstanding individuals, and a whole bunch who are awesome and have connected, are ready to go, and are eager to move forward. Here is the first blog assignment and associated video (link pinned in Mattermost).
PLN & Public Communications & Digital Identity. You will participate in a class discussion using MATTERMOST on Personal Learning Networks and digital identity, based on the readings below
As well, you will work within your network group (Mattermost), and complete a digital identity exercise exploring the following:
• What does it mean to network using social media?
• How are we motivated to participate in networked publics?
• What are the risks & rewards of public communications?
Digital Identity
• What is a digital identity?
• How do personal versus professional approaches to digital identity affect social media use?
• How do digital identities converge in networked publics – what are the impacts and/or benefits?
You are encouraged to reflect on your controlled and uncontrolled social media presence – this requires you to privately source and identify your social media content that you have either created or have had shared – this discussion exercise is reflective and designed to help you curate a professional digital identity while controlling private content (note – if any content is uncomfortable to explore or discuss openly, please consider reaching out to myself or support networks).
WATCH: ERIC STOLLER – What is Digital Identity? https://youtu.be/u0RryRbJza0](https://youtu.be/u0RryRbJza0
The Value of Digital Identity for the Global Economy and Society https://youtu.be/1-V7lyxrOmw](https://youtu.be/1-V7lyxrOmw
*FUN ADDITION – Share a song that you are loving currently. If you don’t want to share with the group, send it to me directly, and I can post on your behalf.
January 6th, 2026 – January 11th, 2026
Welcome to the first week of EDCI 338 A01 with Jesse Miller.
I trust the winter break and the lead-up to the start of the spring term have been somewhat restful. I will have an intro video to share as I confirm our class list and curriculum – feel free to watch it at your leisure once sent out. We will be communicating using Mattermost; our class link is here
Please sign up via computer or mobile device (available in the app store) and message me @jessemiller when you have set up your account; I will add you to our EDCI338 AO1 group.
| In the first week, you will start to connect with your classmates as you begin to form your personalized learning network with the participants of this course. You should also take some time to reflect and consider the themes of this course and complete some readings to introduce yourself to the concept of Personal Learning Networks (PLN).Review course outline & overview (once received)Review privacy and confidentiality expectationsBlog setupOpen Ed – Clone EDCI338 TemplateEstablish Mattermost communication profileSet Up WordPress & Class Specific Social Media Accounts (Threads, Instagram, YouTube)Personalize your blogCreate an introductory post & videoOrganizing content with categoriesCoordinate & Organize learning pods |
I will be assigning Learning Pods as we confirm participants; please make an effort to complete your introduction on your blog, personalize your blog images/video etc. A reminder, any images, videos, or content you source from the internet should be attributed to the source/creator of the content (even if the creator of the content is you).
Course Outline Here EDCI 338 – Spring 2026 – MILLER – FinalSearch for:
Latest post
Useful Links
- Mattermost Chat
- Your portfolio on Opened.ca
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