Social Media and Emerging Technologies - The Blog (Director's Cut)

In a world where the average American consumes over 13 hours of media daily, media literacy is essential. For educators, equipping students with media literacy skills means helping them understand not only what messages they receive, but how and why those messages are constructed, and with so many misinformation on the Internet, its more important than ever. As JCasaTodd notes in Social LEADia , students must learn to discern how a message changes depending on its format—be it a tweet, infographic, or blog post (Casa-Todd). This nuance matters more than ever as young people consume media across multiple platforms, often without questioning its origin or intention. One of the most influential frameworks for understanding this evolving media environment comes from Renee Hobbs, who outlines five core competencies of media literacy: Access, Analyze, Create, Reflect, and Act . While each competency plays a role, I argue that Analyze and Reflect are particularly crucial. In an age of m...

Are CIPA and COPPA Still Protecting Students Online? Source: IStock In modern educational environments, the responsibilities of educators extend far beyond teaching academic content. They also play a critical role in safeguarding students—both in the classroom and online. As internet usage becomes a fundamental part of learning, two federal laws stand out for their focus on protecting children in digital environments: the Children’s Internet Protection Act (CIPA) and the Children’s Online Privacy Protection Act (COPPA). While these laws were foundational when introduced, their ability to keep pace with the rapidly shifting digital landscape is increasingly under scrutiny. CIPA, enacted in 2000 and enforced by the Federal Communications Commission (FCC), requires schools receiving E-rate funding to implement internet safety policies. These policies must include technology that blocks or filters access to harmful content and provisions for monitoring students’ online behavior. Schools a...

What a Data Mine Revealed About Me I chose the data mining exercise to see just how unsettled I could make myself. I was pleasantly surprised to find that the information about me was nothing more than I expected, and even redirected from me at some points. Let me be clear: I am not a fan of having a digital tattoo, but at the same time, I can't get off the internet. Therefore it's a necessary evil, but any time that the information actively points away from me, I consider it a victory.  Googling Myself Google.com I kept it very simple to start: I logged out of my usual Chrome profile and started with searching my name: "Isaac Herman." I was happy to see Google's AI Overview get me mixed up with another Isaac Herman due to the points I mentioned above. Still, below that, I found my LinkedIn profile, which confirmed my job and education. It was a reminder that Google's AI platform can give very different results compared to the normal web search. This reinforce...

It seems to me that Acceptable Use Policies seem to be treated with the same attitude as Terms of Service, although an AUG seems more precautionary than exploitative. They make perfect sense for any institution, especially public ones. Since public resources are so unrestricted, it stands to logic that they would be misused more due to the sheer higher numbers of different people using them.  I took a look at Dominican University's Acceptable Use Policy , originally effective on February 22, 2023 but soon will be updated next year on the same date in 2026. I don't know much about AUG's but it seems fairly standard. To be sure, I compared Dominican's AUG to the six key components David Dewirtz listed in his article on Kajeet :  Citation for above screenshot:   Dewhirst, David. "Why Acceptable Use Policies Are Critical for Education." Kajeet, https://www.kajeet.com/en/blog/why-acceptable-use-policies-are-critical-for-education. I don't want to go one by one ...

Our public personas we can curate ourselves to the best of our ability, but our private ones we cannot. They are where the rubber meets the road in terms of our digital persona because they bleed into real life. What I'm interested in is this: The goalposts of what is considered private information have been moved to a degree in which data that we used to consider private (our location, our status of being logged in to certain sites, our web history, even recordings of our speech on certain devices) is now being used to actively inform the content we receive via algorithms. Does this create a feedback loop in which the content we are supplied based on our own private preferences begins to influence ourselves in real life?  That's a bit confusing, but after reading Robin Linus' webkay blog  on just how much information is gleaned from simply opening our browser, it got me thinking about how this type of feedback loop becomes created. One that surprised me is how Google can s...

  When it comes to Personal Learning Networks (PLNs), personality plays a big role in how we engage, share, and learn from others. To dig deeper into how my personality influences my PLN interactions, I took three different personality tests: the Myers-Briggs Type Indicator (MBTI), the Five-Factor Personality Test, and the 16 Personalities test. My MBTI type came out as ENFP (Extraverted, Intuitive, Feeling, Perceiving), which was confirmed by my 16 Personalities test as an ENFP - Campaigner. The Five-Factor Personality Test highlighted my strong scores in both extraversion and neuroticism. So, what does all this mean for the way I show up in my PLN spaces? As an ENFP, I bring a lot of energy and enthusiasm into my PLN interactions. I thrive on new ideas, engaging conversations, and connecting with people. This means I’m always excited to discuss new concepts, collaborate, and share resources. I tend to be the kind of person who jumps into discussions with curiosity and a desire to...