Blog Post 4

1. How diverse is your existing PLN?

I believe my PLN is very diverse. Due to my experiences in high school as well as post-secondary, I have been fortunate enough to travel to different countries studying. These experiences have broadened my educational space and have allowed me to reach an array of opinions, ideas, perspectives, and teachings from people all over the world. I have been able to keep connections and reach out past my PLN ‘s limits. In addition, my PLN has become more diverse due to Covid-19. Educational institutions have been able to provide platforms for students from different countries to get together and share ideas. In particular, EDCI 338 has allowed me to discuss all my opinions and get feedback from different voices in my class. My PLN would not have been as diverse as it is now if Covid-19 never happened. Definitely interesting to think about.

2. In your PLN, are you learning from a variety of voices or are you the loudest in the room?

Currently, I am learning from a variety of voices. As I mentioned before Covid-19 has changed many platforms we communicate on. I am currently one of the loudest voices when it comes to matters, I feel extremely passionate about. If I don’t know complete information on a subject, I usually tend to take a back seat and listen/ observe other voices. The reason I do this is that I have learned that listening to others is just as important as sharing all my own ideas. In EDCI 338 we have been put into groups with individuals from across the globe, we chat within these groups and discuss on our forum. This is a perfect example of learning from a variety of voices.

3. Do you participate in a silo of information sharing (similar themes or wide-range of interests)?

I tend to mainly stick to similar themes and learn more about specific subjects so I can have a loud voice in the room. However, I am learning to branch out and explore some of my other interests or potential interests.

4. How can you use a diverse PLN to broaden your views of inclusion?

By using a diverse PLN, we can expand the voices we’re hearing on a regular basis and expand our personal knowledge and opinions. Inclusion is extremely important because everyone has a voice and deserves to share their stories, knowledge, opinions, and skills with others. In this day and age, too many people are marginalized and not heard. However, this year marginalized groups have been extremely vocal (black lives matter) and deserve to do so. They have never been able to be the loudest voice in the room and now they can be. In EDCI 338, every week the members of the group share blogposts- we are able to learn more about these individuals every day. Each member in our group is different (age, sex, race, education, personal experiences, etc.) so differing life experiences and opinions are welcomed as well as encouraged.

5. What is the learning outcome of your PLN and how are you ensuring your exposure to diversity and inclusion?

The learning outcome of my PLN is to welcome voices from various spaces- all are welcomed and encouraged to share their experiences or expertise. If we all were to ensure diversity as a top priority in our own PLN’s then we can have a community filled with value and understanding. Personally, as I mentioned above Covid-19 has put a halt to person-person contact so many of us have had to lean on expanding our PLN’s to keep up to date with everyday stories, occurrences, news, etc. In addition, if we keep encouraging diversity in all aspects of life, we can ensure constant growth as a community or even as nations.

6. How has your thinking about inclusion and PLN evolved after reviewing the videos and readings?

My thinking about inclusion and PLN has changed for the better. As S. More mentions in “Transforming Inclusive Education” (Youtube) the video touches on an analogy comparing bowling pins to children in a classroom. Often pins (children) that are harder to knock over are the ones we should be paying more attention to. She describes these children as the two pins left standing in the far back corners. However, if you approach bowling from a different angle you can knock down all of the pins in one shot without leaving two pins left standing (children with learning disabilities or underdeveloped).

Moore, S. (2016). Transforming Inclusive Education. YouTube. Retrieved from: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RYtUlU8MjlY&feature=youtu.be