Category: Reflections

Although, we did not have a class directly related to this content, I figured as an educator of young people this topic is extremely important. The topic in question is internet safety for youth.

I was given access to the internet at the age of 10, and have seen some pretty harmful, inappropriate, and disturbing content since then. This is part of the reason why I think internet safety education is important.

A few resources have been implemented across platforms to ensure safety, however, are they enough? Let’s take a look into YouTube kids.

“YouTube Kids is designed to be a family-friendly environment aimed at making exploration fun and simple. Kids can discover new and exciting interests while parents and caregivers have access to tools that help guide the YouTube Kids experience.” – YouTube Kids (https://www.youtube.com/kids/)

Now, the concept of YouTube Kids is wonderful! A place where children can explore videos from their favourite creators. A place that parents can let their kids explore without fear, right? Wrong. Anyone can post anything to YouTube Kids. As I was uploading my vlog yesterday, I noticed a feature where you can click “Made For Kids” and it will upload your video to YouTube Kids for anyone under the age of thirteen.

This led to a deep dive. I quickly went to YouTube kids and discovered some pretty unsettling content. Parents posting their mostly nude kids in bathing suit, people making dolls exhibit sexual behaviours, parents punishing kids, and more. This makes me wonder if there are any guidelines to videos, any guidelines that will have videos be removed.

YouTube says that they have a system in place to flag and remove videos, however, that does not align with lot’s of the content I’ve seen.

“YouTube Kids has faced criticism from advocacy groups, particularly the Fairplay Organization, for concerns surrounding the app’s use of commercial advertising, as well as algorithmic suggestions of videos that may be inappropriate for the app’s target audience, as the app has been associated with a controversy surrounding disturbing or violent videos depicting characters from children’s media franchises. Criticism over the videos led YouTube to announce that it would take more stringent actions to review and filter such videos when reported by the community, and prevent them from being accessible from within the YouTube Kids app.” – YouTube Kids Wikipedia (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/YouTube_Kids)

The video below also explains the issues with YouTube Kids really well.

The Hidden Dangers of YouTube Kids Content by Visual Venture

AI is a powerful tool, but also a scary one. We are seeing AI used more frequently, especially now that it is so easily accessible. There are lot’s of benefits to AI, but there are also lot’s of downsides.

Benefits of AI Usage

  • Personalized learning support
  • New ideas
  • Accessibility (translation, speech-to-text, etc.)
  • Creativity and Innovation

Downsides of AI Usage

  • Plagiarism
  • Misinformation
  • Bias reinforcement
  • Privacy and data insecurity

As a student who uses ChatGPT, I believe that AI is a wonderful tool that can really help students learn and grow, but when used incorrectly can inhibit learning.

A.I. – Humanity’s Final Invention? By Kurzgesagt – In a Nutshell

This video dives deeper into how AI has, can, and will effect the human race over the coming years.

As of late, all major platforms such as Meta, Google and YouTube all use AI in their technology, some even creating their own AI platforms (Meta AI, Gemini).

Is there something people can do to change the threat that AI poses? Is there a way humans can work with AI, instead of AI pushing people out of jobs? We have yet to see.

This past week, I took a step back from school and focus on myself. In that time I read two books, spent time with friends and family, and got to catch on some much needed RNR.

That being said, I did take the time to read Val’s weekly post on copyright laws and fair use.

Below are Canadian copyright laws explained briefly: (this section can also be viewed in the AI Overview, when “Copyright Laws” is searched on Google.)

  • Copyright duration: In Canada, copyright lasts for the life of the author plus 70 years. 
  • Public domain: When the copyright term ends, the work enters the public domain and can be accessed and reproduced by anyone. 
  • Copyright infringement: Using copyrighted content without the owner’s permission is copyright infringement. 
  • Copyright exceptions: Some exceptions allow research libraries to share parts of materials without infringing copyright laws. 
  • Moral rights: These rights protect the author’s connection with the work and the integrity of the work. 
  • Copyright assignment: An agreement to transfer the copyright to another person or entity. 
Video by the U.S. Copyright Office, explaining copyright.

Copyright is such an important thing, that allows for the rightful authors of media to profit from their original creation. Copyright stops people from profiting off of others material, and using it with malicious intent.

Video by Lawline, explaining the difference between fair use and fair dealing.

These are topics that need to be talked about more frequently. They deal with safety, laws, and more. As a student, who is consistently on the internet, knowing about copyright laws is an extremely important thing. As we are constantly consuming and creating content, having a basic awareness of copyright, fair use, and fair dealing, is the most important aspect of creating content.

Open post
Image showing person walking in pre-marked footprints

Weekly Reflection Posts

Our Class Website

As we progress further and further into the class, I am starting to learn that I am not as good as adapting to new technology as I thought I would be! I think it took me about an hour to figure out how to even create this blog post, and I’m not even sure I did it right. However, that doesn’t mean I haven’t learned anything.

So far, our guests have brought some very insightful knowledge. The standout guest for me, though, was Mike Caulfield, who spoke about Mis/Dis-information in media.

This is the first part of a video where Caulfield uses the SIFT method to explain “The Stanford Experiment”.
This is the second part of a video where Caulfield uses the SIFT method to explain “The Stanford Experiment”.

I think Mike was an extremely important guest to have in our class, before we started our blog sites. It is very valuable for everybody to know and understand how to find valid, reliable, and consistent information on the internet, before sharing, interpreting and reflecting upon it. Misinformation can be harmful and by using the SIFT method, you are forced to take a step back and reflect upon what you are looking at, before you can cause any more harm.

I am extremely interested in learning about how misinformation in media, and was very pleased to learn that was the topic of Mike’s class! At the moment, I am taking a course called “Leadership In Popular Culture and Social Media” (ED-D 205), and I believe that it fits very well with this course, as we cover similar topics. Below is a link to articles that I have read that for that course fit nicely with the topic of misinformation.

Article By Jennifer Esposito, detailing Netflix’s “The Chair”Download

The above article highlight’s a new Netflix series titled “The Chair”. It is all about misrepresentation, which I think works well with the topic of misinformation. Misinformation and misrepresentation are extremely interlinked, and I believe that in order to fully understand one you need to understand the other.

This ties into the cultural stance of misinformation in media and how it can impact minorities. We see consistent stereotypes which lead to people having harmful and improper beliefs about certain genders, communities, cultures, and races. We are often faced with misinformation regarding immigration, which affects millions of immigrants negatively.

The philosophical approach to misinformation focuses more on the ethical side of the problem, and how using manipulation goes unpunished. This leads to even more misinformation being spread, because if there are no repercussions for the person spreading the false information, they have no reason to stop.

A pedagogical stance involves using the ability to gain information and share it with others to create digitally literate individuals as well as instilling critical thinking abilities within the generations who use media everyday.

Overall, I believe this topic is a very important one to dive into and learn more about. Please comment any questions you may have below!

Scroll to top