Month: April 2026

Beginning

I am a senior majoring in economics. I chose this major because I believe it is the social science that I am most interested in. EDCI is also an elective course I have chosen.

The Start

I chose this course because I genuinely believe it will be helpful and I’m deeply interested in it. It all started because of my girlfriend; she had taken it as an elective, and we discussed the details. I really enjoyed the new media content, which greatly interested me. That’s my motivation for choosing this course.

Target

I am a Chinese student studying in Canada. My generation has witnessed the rise of new media in China and understands the importance of Personal Networks (PLNs) for individuals and even companies. Therefore, my learning goals are as follows:

1. Master PLN skills.

2. Develop analytical skills and improve my ability to adapt to changing circumstances (at the personal network level).

3. Learn the basics of PLNs to lay a solid foundation for the future. These are my three main goals.

Challenge

Looking back, I realize I faced considerable challenges when this course started. I didn’t know what a blog was, how to write one, or how to complete one. Learning is a gradual process starting from scratch. The second challenge was drawing our own social media map, which I clearly remember. I had no concept of it before; to me, these media were simply different functions. I’d never thought about it from such a professional perspective. So, when this assignment came up, I carefully tried to understand and recall the details and categories I usually used. The third challenge was group work and the communication and completion process with group members. But no matter what, I overcame it all. I really enjoyed the experience. It felt like there were endless hills to climb, but I was determined to overcome them. I loved this feeling, like a challenge; although there was no end, I knew the direction. I’m very grateful to Professor Jesse for diligently updating the weekly posts with great detail, which helped me a lot.

Reflection

Overall, I am quite satisfied with this course. Firstly, I have my own blog, and secondly, I achieved my learning objectives. However, there are still many shortcomings.

1. There was little interaction with classmates, such as commenting on other people’s blogs.

2. I think my own blog is not detailed enough. For example, I think catposthumus’s blog is quite perfect, and this is something I need to improve upon.

3. As someone who is new to PLN, I think my content is too simplistic and needs to be expanded.

4. My understanding of the network and PLN is too conservative and rigid, and needs to be strengthened; I need to view it in a more open way.

5. I focused too much on the harms, causing me to overlook the benefits and advantages brought by media such as PLN.

These are the five major reflections I made after this course that I need to rectify promptly. I have a great hope of overcoming these difficulties.

I will do what I do

First, I will expand my PLN to make it more comprehensive. Second, I will increase verification of information, avoiding reliance on one-sided accounts, and be cautious with artificial intelligence, as I cannot immediately verify the truthfulness of its reports. Finally, I will deepen my understanding of the network frameworks, laws, and ethical responsibilities among different countries in the international community to ensure the healthy development of my PLN without violating the red lines of any group.

Looking to the future

I will first focus on professional content, in order to build a network of potential future employers and colleagues.

By utilizing third-party tools and information, those in charge can reduce resource waste and public attention, and also avoid misleading information.

To expand and specialize my PLN, I will do so by joining professional communities and increasing interaction, etc.

The END

It’s a pleasure to see everyone here. Thank you to the professor for his meticulous guidance over the past few months, and thank you to all members of our group for their hard work. Wishing everyone who reads this all the best.

Reference

Hughes, J. (2017, July 12). See You Again from Furious 7 Is Now the Most Watched Video on YouTube. The Drive. https://www.thedrive.com/article/12385/see-you-again-from-furious-7-is-now-the-most-watched-video-on-youtube

Visitor & Resident Map and Digital Identity

Hi，Baowen Liu. I read your blog post on Visitor & Resident Map and Digital Identity, and I think it was very comprehensive and insightful.

First, you analyzed the role and use of social media platforms like Google, Zoom, Gmail, and Mattermost in your studies and life. Second, you identified the dominant roles Snapchat, Instagram, and WeChat play in your life, and how YouTube and Spotify fill the entertainment gaps in your Visitor & Resident Map. This detailed analysis, combined with your visitor & resident map’s ability to visualize and simplify all information, is excellent.

Furthermore, you expanded on specific real-life applications in later posts and proactively analyzed considerations from the perspectives of career and future employers. This blog post is very well-rounded, and I particularly agree with and appreciate your statement: “This means consistently building my presence on professional platforms over time, rather than creating a profile only when a professional identity is urgently needed.” This demonstrates your profound understanding and knowledge of PLN (Public-Private Partnership) after your studies, which I greatly admire.

However, I also have a few suggestions:

1. I think it would be better if you could visualize your activities on Mattermost, such as how you effectively utilize these platforms in your studies, and how you proactively participate in discussions and build communication with teachers and classmates.
2. Privacy boundaries: After reading your blog, I understand that your carefully built and managed personal PLN is very effective. However, it seems that you lack consideration for privacy boundaries in your daily life and interactions with strangers. Adding this would be perfect.
3. Regarding platforms like YouTube, it would be even better if you could add more diverse elements, such as whether you usually watch Chinese or English content, and which bloggers have inspired or helped you understand your PLN.

These three are just my suggestions. Overall, it’s a very good blog post to start a course.

Thank you for sharing such a high-quality blog in this course.

Welcome to our group’s final project. Our group members are: Catharina Posthumus (V00937395), Rem D’Ambrosio (V00778100), Olivia Korbus (V01092455), BaoWen Liu (V00963352), and Yanshan Liu (V01026539). Below is our work.

Thank you for watching！

A major concern involves the collection of personal data. Many digital platforms regularly gather user information, including search history, geographical location, learning preferences, and how users interact with the platform. Although the data is used to improve the services, it can also help for analysis, advertising, and some other purposes by outside parties.

This raises an important question: is this data really collected for educational purposes, or is education gradually becoming another way for enterprises to collect personal information?

In the context of Canada, the problem has become more complicated. PIPEDA helps to regulate the behavior of private sector organizations when collecting, using and disclosing personal information, but the situation in the field of education is not always clear. Different provinces may have different regulations, and the operation of some online learning tools crosses national borders. Therefore, students and educators may not always know where their data flows or who has access to this data.

I also think that student control is a key issue. Theoretically, users may be able to “agree” to the privacy policy, but in fact, many people do not fully understand the content of these policies. This means that students often do not have real control over their own information. If a learning platform requires users to participate in it, the so-called “consent” may not be like a real independent choice.

In my opinion, this shows that PLNs should not only be regarded as active learning tools, but also should be carefully examined. Educators and educational institution. must check if the platforms they use are fair, open and protect user privacy under Canadian privacy laws.They need to make sure these platforms are safe for students. Protecting privacy and being trustworthy are as important as using innovative educational tools. Educational institution and educators should think carefully about these issues when choosing platforms. Canadian privacy laws can also help them to make the choices. They should keep these laws in mind when assessing platforms. By this way, they can ensure a better learning environment.

In my final project, I want to incorporate the view that digital learning tools are never neutral. They can not only support the learning process, but also affect the whole process of data collection, monitoring and use. For this reason, we should participate in PLN activities with insight and prudence, and pay more attention to digital responsibility.

Reference

(Gen)eration AI: Safeguarding youth privacy in the age of generative artificial intelligence. (2025, March). The Dais.
PIPEDA – 2 minutes [Video]. (n.d.). YouTube.