It has been an awesome experience navigating the SmartPLS platform, and I am happy that I am able to replicate all that I have read and learned in creating a model on this platform. Though I am still reading and interpreting my results, I am quite satisfied with what I have achieved so far. Here is a recording of how I have been able to create a model on the PLS algorithm. I will be exploring Bootstrapping in my next video.
Watching the documentary on the story of Amanda Todd made me reflect on a lot of things. I remembered a discussion we had in one of the classes I took in the fall, when somebody had indicated that back in those days, we had children who sometimes engaged in awkward and awful things, and they were able to get away with it. But in the era of technology, it appears that whatever you do and post online always has a way of coming back to you if you are not careful.
I think this is my second time hearing the word Sextortion which the dictionary describes as the practice of extorting money or sexual favors from someone by threatening to reveal evidence of their sexual activity. However, from the definition, I realized that this is not something new or something I am oblivious to. Watching the documentaries Sextortion of Amanda Todd and Stalking Amanda Todd: The Man in the Shadows shows that this absurd practice of sextortion is becoming more rampant due to social media and online platforms that provide a conducive environment for perpetrators to exploit their potential victims. This is a global online crime that can have tragic consequences, including suicide, long-term trauma, cutting, social isolation, and depression. The anonymity and accessibility of online platforms, including social media and some dating apps, make it easier for perpetrators of this heinous act to initiate schemes often targeted at vulnerable individuals, including teenagers, youth, and members of sexual minority groups who can be easily coerced or exploited.
The ongoing report around the use of online platforms and social media for these heinous acts is alarming. For example, the National Crime Agency (NCA) UK reported a higher percentage increase in sextortion reports between 2017 and 2020. In addition, the organization indicated that cases reported to the “US National Center for Missing & Exploited Children (NCMEC) were more than doubled in 2023, rising to 26,718 compared to 10,731 the year before”. The statistical profile of online child sexual exploitation incidents reported in Canada shows a devastating increase in issues related to child pornography. The Internet Watch Foundation also notes that images of child sexual abuse created through sextortion are a significant and growing problem.
Reflecting on all these alarming reports around the dangers of social media and online platforms, especially with regards to sextortion, I feel many of the victims might not be equipped to recognize and respond to concerns around the use of online platforms for some personal and private information due to a lack of awareness and support. One possible way to address this issue among teenagers and vulnerable victims will be to create more awareness and teach various elements of the digital citizenship framework. According to Mike Ribble Digital citizenship is not only about teaching the use of digital tools but also equipping students with knowledge, skills, and practices for guided and safe participation in online space. The Digital Citizenship Education in Saskatchewan Schools and Digital Citizenship Continuum from K–12 serves as a guide that teachers can use to address the dangers associated with the use of social media in the classroom. So, I think teachers can use these guides to promote responsible online behaviour and awareness among students. By integrating digital citizenship education, schools can equip students with the knowledge and skills necessary to navigate the digital landscape safely.
Digital citizenship image captured from agpartseducation.com
There are various resources and lesson plans from common sense education that teachers can use to create engaging activities that highlight the consequences of sharing personal information online, cyberbullying, deep fakes and fake information, use of AI, etc. Looking at the digital framework continuum, I think teachers can also engage students in discussions around the importance of understanding how to communicate and protect oneself in digital spaces. Teachers can also use case studies that allow students to explore scenarios in real-life situations and how to ethically engage in such circumstances. More importantly, I think teachers need to create a safe and supportive learning environment that can make students open up as they learn and engage in activities related to the negative use of social media. I also think having parents awareness programs on the daunting effect of social media on children could go a long way in how parents can help their children outside school. Regardless of the approach used to teach elements of digital citizenship in the classroom, I think this should be done continuously or probably be part of the curriculum so that its importance is reiterated and students can become acquainted with these safe practices.
I know there are cases where some students might still want to explore some gray areas on the use of technology despite warnings, awareness, and teaching. What would you do as a teacher in this regard?
At the beginning of this course, I indicated that I wanted to learn how to use Smart PLS and possibly the R software for data analysis. During the second week, I explored what smartPLS is about and how to download the software, and I also did some readings. During the third week, I signed up for an online workshop on the R studio, where I learned about the user interface of R studio and how to run some commands. I must tell you that the R software is very difficult to navigate, and I doubt if I can be very efficient in using that software.
However, as I began exploring the SmartPLS user interface, I realized that I needed to familiarize myself with some key ideas and the meaning of some statistical techniques to enable me to explore the assessment model in SmartPLS. These techniques include exploratory factor analysis (EFA), confirmatory factor analysis (CFA), path analysis, and bootstrapping. So I had to check on YouTube as my go-to learning platform.
To further enhance my learning, I came across this slideshare presentation, Confirmatory factor analysis overview, which also provided guidance on the rule of thumb for factor loadings on a specific model when doing CFA or EFA. I also used Practical Introduction to CFA and explored more on the path analysis using the below YouTube video, and I was able to get a soft copy of the 6th edition of Advanced and Multivariate Statistical Methods.
I latter realized that I will need a set of data to enable me to explore this software effectively. Why I am busy reading up on the various techniques, I also had to ask a colleague to help me share an online survey I drafted for this purpose.
Just as I said earlier, my goal is to be able to run a sophisticated and complex statistical analysis that involves structural equation modeling. I want to do a video of my learning, but this can only happen when I start running my own model. which I think I will begin in my next phase since the participants that had access to my questionnaire through my colleague have started responding. But I will first need to clean up the data and do a code book from an Excel sheet before transferring the data to the smartPLS platform. This is what my week 5 and 6 update will entail because coding participants responses is a bit of work.
According to Jenkin’s theory of participation (2006), participatory culture is defined “as a way in which different people or the society act both as consumers and contributors of meaning and further play a major role in shaping content”. Research shows that people traditionally created and produced their own content before the 19th century. However, the evolution of social media around the 19th century brought about a drastic change in how information is shared and consumed. Looking at the pervasive use of social media platforms in today’s world, participatory culture could refer to a social environment where individuals actively engage in creating, sharing, and collaborating on content, often facilitated by digital platforms. This culture contrasts with traditional media models, promoting democratic participation and collective intelligence.
The use of social media platforms like YouTube, TikTok, Instagram and many others has actually reshaped how knowledge is translated and disseminated in education. In the book History of Intellectual Culture, the authors explained how participatory culture allows diverse voices to contribute to knowledge, challenging traditional hierarchies in education. The authors further argued that The World Wide Web, in particular, has helped to make knowledge “promiscuous, and Wikipedia grows by leaps while research faculty in traditional humanities disciplines remain ambivalent about technological changes. I remember back in my secondary and university days when we only depended on what the teachers handed over to us in the classroom and recommended textbooks. However, this has changed over time as people can easily turn to YouTube for several videos to enhance whatever they have been taught in the classroom.
I have also realized that most educational content and knowledge shared on social media platforms are sourced from several origins and I see this as a great way of providing a more dynamic understanding of the learning process to individuals. I came across a digital textbook on Teaching and Creating with Generative AI around last year. The book was produced as a result of work submitted by students registered in an EdTech program at the University of Saskatchewan. I think this book exemplifies how the participatory culture in that program gave students the opportunity to collaborate among themselves and come up with ideas that were translated into open educational resources that are useful for people navigating that space of AI strategies and applications that can be used for teaching. I think this participatory culture can help teachers integrate new media tools into the curriculum they teach, and this could possibly help improve teacher’s strategies for teaching certain topics or subjects.
https://robe1481.medium.com/social-media-participatory-culture-4e05752ccbf5
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In the article Participatory Culture and Open Educational Resources, the author explains how social media encourages the sharing of resources, enhancing accessibility and fostering a community of learners who contribute to and benefit from collective knowledge; and can also be used as open educational resources to respond to the youth culture based on openness, on social connections, and on networking. Engaging in participatory culture could also be another way of helping students cultivate foundational skills needed to thrive in a digital environment, more like equipping them with digital citizenship skills.
I have learnt a lot through YouTube, and I think the participatory culture on this platform has to do with the ability of experienced people or experts to provide guidance for novices. This could foster a sense of belonging to novices. So, I can say the impact of collaborative culture through social media on education is profound, as it fosters collaborative learning, which caters for diverse educational experiences and enhances student engagement and knowledge construction.
My second week started with a mission to explore the R software program and R Studio. Seriously, I have never done this before, nor am I good with statistics, but I must tell you that my week was not so good because the learning was a bit on the edge for me. As mentioned in the beginning of this class, I am trying to learn the R and Smart PLS software for data analysis purposes.
I have managed to pull through the first stage of the SmartPLS, which is understanding the user interface, and I thought the same should be done for the R software as well. As part of my learning process, I had to join an online workshop titled R for Data Visualization. To better understand the R platform and how it has been used, the facilitator shared some helpful resources for using R and ggplot ( Data Visualization with ggplot Cheat Sheet and the R Graph Gallery.
ggplot is the tool used for visualizing data, while gapminder is the tool where the data is extracted from.
I had to learn the terminologies used on the platform, which included the meaning of keywords like
After this, I learned how to get help in R as well as the common commands and functions needed to work effectively on the platform. My intention is to see which of the two softwares will be easy to use. I think i’ll rather go with the SmartPLS since I have explored the user interface of both softwares. In my next post I will be looking at how to build models usings the SmartPLS.
My primary goal in learning about these tools is to gain a thorough understanding of statistical concepts such as regression, correlation, and hypothesis testing. I also want to know how to use smartPLS to analyze survey or experimental data for structural equation modeling. In the course of this week, I visited the official SmartPLS website: https://www.smartpls.com/courses. This gave me the opportunity to learn about the company and the different types of licenses available to people. The website also has a lot of resources (recommended readings, other books, tutorials, and videos) to help users understand the tool. (https://www.smartpls.com/documentation).
I watched a YouTube video SmartPLS 4 Tutorial Guide 1: Getting Started. Then, I was able to download and install the tool on my laptop to enable me to navigate the workspace as indicated in the video.
This week, I learnt how to create a workspace, name a project, import data from an Excel sheet (csv file) into the workspace, choose a data set (ordinal, categorical, and measurement), and identify missing values. My journey continues, and in the coming week I will be learning about the terminologies used and the theoretical background of Partial Least Square Structural Equation Modelling (PLS-SEM). I think this will enhance my understanding of how models are built. I already have a set of data I plan to use. I think I will still have to come up with some kind of question or hypothesis to help me navigate the tool. Here are some of the useful resources for this week’s learning:
This week’s discussion on the cell phone ban policy in schools across some provinces in Canada really got me thinking. The use of mobile technology has become very common among school students, prompting widespread integration into K–12 education. As a result, schools have implemented technology policies that vary from full integration or bring your own device (BYOD) to limited use within specific times and locations and even a complete ban on students’ use of mobile technology, as recently observed in schools across some Canadian provinces.
Image copied from Linkdeln
For instance, the Government of British Columbia enacted a policy banning the use of personal digital devices (cell phones) in schools in August 2024. The policy aims to reduce distractions in classrooms, support focused learning environments, foster online safety, and promote provincial consistency. Similarly, the provinces of Alberta and Saskatchewan implemented bans on cell phones and personal devices at the beginning of the 2024/25 school year. While some schools allow students to use phones during break periods, others only allow students in senior grades to use their devices either before school, during lunch, or after school. This limited access is often extended to spare periods for high school students.
My first question will be, “Why should phones be trending among students in school? I never had access to a phone when growing up until I entered my 2nd/3rd year at the university. Unfortunately, that is not the case for the current generation of students that we have. While I acknowledge that phones can connect individuals to the world and offer valuable learning opportunities when used appropriately, using a phone in the classroom is a NO..NO…NO.. for me. I remembered a situation where a teacher was teaching and writing notes on the board, and a particular learner was busy recording some content in the classroom without the teacher’s consent. It was his laughter and that of those sitting next to him that alerted the teacher to this misconduct.
I have also seen cases of students watching inappropriate adult content in class while teaching is going on. Gone are those days where students, even children, engaged in physical play with one another. The students of today have become so addicted to technology, even at home, and this is causing a lot of mental stress, isolation, anxiousness, and sometimes a feeling of being left out among their peers. I am sometimes of the view that there are many rude, mean, and disrespectful students in schools today because they have access to the same information and opportunities as their teachers, if not even better, leading them to perceive themselves as equals. This, in my opinion, could be influenced by the social content, such as videos and music, that they consume through personal devices.
Image obtained from giffy.com
I know many schools want to integrate technology in their classrooms but lack the resources. I think schools that are adequately equipped with educational technology could have little justifications in place for students to bring personal devices. On the other hand, schools that lack sufficient educational technology resources need to have clear guidelines, policies, and strategies in place regarding the use of personal technology. Is it truly effective to ban students use of phones in classrooms while permitting it during breaks? Considering that students utilize their phones extensively outside of school, an outright ban in classrooms may not be the most effective approach. In fact, it could inadvertently create more challenges for our education system. Students may not receive adequate guidance on the appropriate and effective use of these devices and their applications. I believe a balanced approach is necessary to address this issue
I have been thinking a lot about what exactly to do for my project. I had various ideas ranging from baking, video editing, and jewellery making to website design and all that. These are ideas that I really want to explore, but I also have to consider their importance to my present job. After sleepless nights, I have decided to learn about complex statistical tools for data analysis.
In addition to my part-time job as an exam invigilator, I also work as a researcher. This requires me to collect, analyze, and interpret data to inform policies, awareness, or views about topics researched. In most cases, I have always focused on qualitative data and contracted out the quantitative aspect of my work. In recent times, I have realized that statistics is becoming an important analytical skill that is used for decision-making in most fields, and I suppose people with statistical skills are now sought after. So, I think learning some of the tools used for complex statistical analysis will be a relevant skill that is useful to my Job and could create more opportunities as a data analyst.
I must say that I am quite knowledgeable about some statistical words like mean, median, mode, and standard deviation. I think that is all I know about basic statistics. So I feel learning to use tools like R and SmartPLS, will help me gain the ability to analyze complex datasets, uncover relationships between variables, and generate actionable insights. R is renowned for its versatility in data analysis and visualization, while SmartPLS is a powerful tool for Partial Least Squares Structural Equation Modeling (PLS-SEM), which is ideal for exploring latent variables and predictive relationships as shown below.
This project is not just about acquiring technical skills but also about learning how to leverage statistical analysis to answer impactful questions and support decision-making in my field of work. I really don’t know how this will go, but I am ready to see what lies ahead as I navigate these tools.
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Social media basically has to do with the use of various web-based tools and platforms for connecting, interacting, communicating, and sharing information with people around the world. So, it is more like a public space for sharing all kinds of things, from pictures, videos, jobs, education content, business, and even fake information.
Social media platforms https://mediafy.ca/which-social-media-platform-is-best-for-my-business/
Reflecting on my journey with the use of social media, I see myself as a frequent user of social media. Moreover, my visit on social media is limited to Whatsapp, Instagram, Facebook, YouTube, LinkedIn, and Telegram. In the article “What is your relationship with Social Media?’, Marie-Christine claimed that people invest an average of 2 hours every day on social media, which she tagged as something that does not yield any returns. Using social media has benefited me in both positive and negative ways.
Personally, it has helped me to remain connected with my friends and families back in my home country and across the world. I have also used platforms like Facebook Market for buying goods and to find online communities that share information about what interests me. For instance, when I was looking for a daycare for my younger son, I got connected to an online community on Facebook that shared information on openings around Regina. In addition, YouTube has always been my go-to social media for learning new things.
Professionally, I have always used LinkedIn for showcasing my job and also networking with professionals in my field. I sometimes use LinkedIn for learning as well as for gathering information.
I think the negative side of social media for me is that even though some platforms are for personal relations, I just have to maintain an online presence that is professional; I can’t just post anything and everything because I have to keep the reputation of my employer, career and profession as an educator (role model)