Participating in the #SaskEdChat last week was eye opening. I have always avoided social media because I thought it posed more of a risk than anything. I was always afraid that something that I posted could be misconstrude and used against me later in life when applying for jobs or if I ever ended up in a position of public scrutiny.

That opinion changed during the #SaskEdChat because I realized that there are several potential benefits to networking on these sites, in addition to communicating with other like-minded individuals about ways to improve lessons or approaches in the workplace.

Katia has given us an opportunity to develop a new skill throughout the summer semester, and I choose to focus my time on learning the ins and outs of 3D printing so I could teach tech in highschools eventually. In addition, it has given me the perfect opportunity to video some of the successes and blunders during the early stages of this skill. I have created a YouTube channel where I am going to start posting those videos. Because the community is so niche, other beginners like myself can learn from my mistakes and I can use those videos in the future as a learning tool for students.

I have come around to the concept of social media being a professional tool.