Category: Blog Posts (EDCI 338)

Key Terms

Personal Learning Network: the connections in which an individual gathers, collect, communicate, creates and share knowledge and experience with a network of individuals.

Privacy: Keeping ones information, messages, data and files safe on the internet.

Digital Identity: the digital information that is present on the internet about an individual

Ethics: Behaving responsibly and respectfully online

Security: keeping digital interactions safe.

Digital Citizenship: the responsible and ethical use of technology, particularly the internet and social media platforms

Echo Chambers: an environment in which a person only encounters information or opinions that reinforce their own ideas

Confirmation Bias: when an individual seeks out information that reinforces their own beliefs

Universal Design for Learning: an approach to learning that aims to increase the accessibility and success for all students.

Inclusivity: welcoming and accepting different people, ideas and perspectives.

Diversity: the differences in key characteristics between people.

PERSONAL LEARNING NETWORKS THROUGH SOCIAL MEDIA

With a world becoming more digitalized by the day, less and less education in transpiring in a classroom setting. Personalized learning networks (PLN) are a network of trusted connections in which you communicate, interact, create and share knowledge and experience with one another. If this is your first interaction with PLN’s, they may seem broad and daunting a feeling I once shared too. Before university, I was unaware about PLN’s and focused my learning directly within the classroom setting. It was only once I started university, I realized the positive influence that interpersonal connections, online participation and social media could have on my ability to learn new information from diverse perspectives.

Our PLN’s can encompass face-to-face, interpersonal connections such as your fellow students, employers or professors but our PLN can also include digital connections.  Social media platforms such as X, Reddit, Instagram, LinkedIn and Facebook can all be used to expand your digital PLN. Personally, I use social media to build a broader connection with individuals across the globe to expand my knowledge and supports. There are many ways to leverage social media to build your PLN, but some ways that I do this is:

• Connecting with professionals: I follow professionals within my field of interest that can share resources and information that can further my learning. For example, if I am trying to learn about dinosaur species, I may follow different archaeologists who specialize in dinosaur remains.
• Professional Account: I create an account that aligns with the knowledge I am trying to develop. I try to have a username that reflects the purpose and include bios that further explain your interests. For example, my username may be ScientificReader if my interests are about learning and sharing information regarding the science of reading.
• Join groups: Many social media platforms have different groups that allow you to engage in discussions, resource sharing and collaborative work with other individuals with your shared interests. A great place to look for these groups is Reddit and X.

Personalized learning networks are a great way of furthering our knowledge and understanding of topics Additionally, PLN’s allow interested individuals to connect with others who have similar interests.

Below are a list of other, benefits to fostering an online PLN for yourself:

1. Increased Motivation: Individuals are free to choose and engage with accounts and individuals that allow them to learn what interests them.
2. Get Challenged: I enjoy that my PLN allows me to have my ideas challenged. It is refreshing to interact with other people who may have different perspectives or experiences to develop a holistic understanding of nuanced topics. Sometimes we struggle with the same challenges and barriers when learning because we haven’t been looking for a new idea. For example, I used to struggle to teach reading skills to certain students, but once I listened to some podcasts, I was able to learn new skills to reach a broader audience.
3. Support System: Developing virtual networks allows you to act as support for others and have others support you through the process of learning. This allows you to share your story and connect with others.
4. Continuous Learning: The biggest benefit to PLN in my opinion is that they offer a wealth of relevant information to peruse at your finger tips. You are able to continuously interact with others to learn more about the topics that are of interest to you. This is beneficial as if allows users to learn anywhere anytime—as long as they have cell-reception and Wifi.

PRIVACY, ETHICS AND SECURITY IN DIGITAL SPACES.

Privacy

When an individual places themself on the internet, it is important to recognize the possible risks associated with digital exposure. Privacy on the internet is the control you have over where your information is going and how it is being used. Maintaining privacy when on the internet is important for maintaining your digital identity.

Below are just a few ways that I have maintained my privacy when using the internet:

How To Maintain Privacy

Using a Private Browser: a private browser limits the information that service providers, websites and apps can collect as you are browsing the internet.

Maintain Digital Identity: being mindful of the personal and professional identity you put forwards online. This includes what you post online, ensure it doesn’t include your location or other personal information.

VPN: if you are completing work for school or work use company VPNs to keep your information and work safe. A good VPN to use is the Norton VPN

Antivirus: you can download computer programs that can prevent, detect and remove computer viruses on your device.

Passwords and Double Verification: It is important to use strong passwords and double verification systems if offered for your accounts. This makes your information harder for individuals to hack.

Digital Ethics

Digital ethics is an essential skill to develop as you navigate online sites, forums, videos and social media platforms. Digital ethics is promoting and preserving human rights, values and dignity by showing respect and responsibility when interacting in digital settings. With the increase in Artificial Intelligence and social media digital ethics is becoming seemingly more and more important. To foster digital ethics within my own practices, I try to develop digital citizenship skills. Digital citizenship is the responsible and ethical use of technology in specific internet and social media when online settings.

Key principles of digital citizenship:

Becoming a Good Digital Citizen: Navigating the Online World Ethically

1. Respect Others: being kind, not cyberbullying, communicating free of hate, or online harassment
2. Privacy Awareness: safeguard your own privacy and the privacy of others
3. Ethical Thinking: Make sure you verify the accuracy of something before you share it
4. Be aware of biases on the internet
   • Echo Chambers: certain groups have spaces that continuously reinforce the same ideas without challenge or opposite opinions. It is important to recognize the value of receiving other people opinions and find yourself in online forums that incorporate numerous perceptions and ideas.
   • Confirmation Bias: the tendency that individuals must seek out information that reaffirms their own ideas. It is essential to recognize this bias in yourself as you try to interact with individuals and websites on the internet.
5. Online Etiquette: use proper language and tone

INCLUSIVITY AND UNIVERSAL DESIGN FOR LEARNING IN PERSONALIZED LEARNING NETWORK

Inclusivity

With a world that is diversifying by the day, I think it is important to be mindful of how we can foster inclusivity within our personal learning network (PLN). Inclusivity in our PLN includes welcoming individuals from diverse backgrounds and experiences. An inclusive personal learning environment can offer an individual new perspective and a comprehensive and holistic understanding of challenges and issues. I have found that reaching out to individual of diverse background and experiences has deeply increased the breadth and quality of my understanding. As an example, I currently teach reading skills at an elementary school and found that my skillset and abilities as an educator increased when I reached out to individuals who had been taught or developed skills that were different from the ones I learned in my own training. Every individual should try to take the steps to diversify their PLN to include different ideas, groups and perspectives. Some ways to create a more inclusive PLN are:

1. Seeking out voices: create a globalized PLN that allows you to hear the voices, opinions and experiences of individuals from different ethnic, racial and cultural backgrounds
2. Respectful communication: ensure that you are fostering positive, supportive relationships and communities that encourage individuals to share their ideas.
3. Value other perspective: take the steps to recognize the value of others

Universal Design for Learning

The universal design for learning (UDL) is an approach to teaching that gives all students and equal access and opportunity to succeed. The main purpose of UDL in my opinion is to help every individual that is using the materials. For example, a wheelchair ramp helps children in wheelchairs, but also helps moms with strollers, people with crutches or an individual bringing a bike to school.

3 Principles of Universal Learning Design

1. Multiple Means of Engagement: motivating and sustaining the interest of the learner
   • Let them make choices regarding how they can engage with the material
   • Ensure assessments and teaching practices are culturally relevant
2. Multiple Means of Representation: offer information in more than one format
   • This could be offering students different ways to learn from the course materials such as podcasts, audio, videos, written or kinesthetic opportunities.
3. Multiple Means of Action and Expression: offering students numerous ways to interact with the material to show what they know
   • This can be offering a combination of summative and formative assessments that include exams, oral reports, videos, group projects, essays and podcasts.

How Universal Learning Design influences education

Universal Learning Design is a useful model to create more accessible digital education. Multiple means of engagement in digital courses can make the learning more accessible. For example, providing accessible document formats such as PDFs, Word documents or Google documents allows them to engage with the work using whatever is easiest for them. Additionally, I have found in my experience that offering students both written and visual representations of course material has resulted in their increased attention and engagement with the material. As essential aspect of engagement for an online course is the website, or course system that the instructor chooses. It is important that it is easy to navigate, clear and organized.

The representation and presentation of the course material can become more accessible using universal learning design. An instructor should be mindful of their use of colour and ensure that the fonts are clear for individuals who experience blindness, colour blindness or other accessibility issues that may be hindered by the presentation of the material. Instructors are also recommended to create the curriculum or goals of the course first, then create the resources as it will allow them to ensure that the goals of the curriculum are properly executed in the course work.

When having students engage in an online setting, offering multiple means of action and expression is crucial as it allows students to showcase their learning in meaningful and accessible ways. As an instructor, it is beneficial to offer numerous ways to showcase learning such as essays, exams, podcasts, creative projects or group projects. This allows students with differing abilities, learning styles or interests to complete the assessments in a fashion that aligns with their preferences. UDL is a great tool to ensure that your course is accessible for all learners.

CHALLENGES AND IMPORTANCE OF DIVERSITY IN DIGITAL LEAERNING

Diversity is a difficult but essential aspect of online education. Diversity as a broad idea, is the key differences in characteristics between people. This can include differences in ethnicity, age, gender, generation ability, sexual orientation and more. As one can imagine, effectively integrating all diverse individuals equally into education is a challenging them. Some challenges to maintaining equitable diversity are:

Challenges

1. Marginalized Population: individuals who are apart of marginalized communities such as race, gender and location have differing levels of accessibility to online education.

2. Gaps in training: Many educators are not trained for inclusive education in online settings.

3. Systemic issues: Institutionally, there is a lack of equality for individuals of different races, gender, sexual orientations or abilities regarding course content, instructors.

4. Limited representation: Many cultures, perspectives and ways of life are not accurately or equally represented in course material.

5. Language Barriers: Lots of online courses rely predominately on English written language,, creating barriers for individuals who speak different languages or have differing abilities that influence their ability to comprehend spoken word.

5. Accessibility Issues: many online courses are not accessible for students who have varying physical, auditory or visual difficulties creating barriers for accessability.

With all of those barriers in mind, It believe that it can become evident how important equitable diversity and inclusivity is in online education. Diversity is important as it reduces biases in instructing, course material and student interaction. Additionally, diversity enhances critical thinking and problem-solving skills and aids to foster a globalized and diverse perspective amoung young learners.

How to Promote Inclusivity within Digital Learning Environments

1. Understand different learning styles: As an instructor, it is important to be mindful of how you can reduce barriers and increase engagement in the material for student. Universal Design for Learning, can be used to increase accessibility and incorporate individuals of all learning styles.
2. Ensure Material is Culturally Sensitive: instructors should be diligent in ensuring that their course material is both accessible for individuals of different cultural contexts and that their material is respectful to different culture groups.
3. Multilingual support: offer subtitles or translated materials for students who speak different native languages.
4. Offer in multiple formats: Ensure the material is offered to your students in numerous ways. For example if you have audio, offer text, if you have text, offer audio
5. Class Climate: make sure it supports the participation of all students
6. Design Elements for Accessibility: recognize that not all student have access to reliable technology
   • Ensure you are offering recordings, written material, include transcriptions for recorded lectures
7. Reflect on own belief about teaching to maximize self-awareness and committment to inclusion: As an instructor, it is important to recognize the biases that you bring to the table regarding gender, race, ethnicity, class, sexual orientation and age and reflect on how that may influence the way you treat, reply and aid your students.
8. Take training for Diversity and inclusivity educational for online settings: Inclusivity looks different in every setting. It is important to ensure you have the proper training to offer diverse, accessible and inclusive education in an online environment.

As an instructor, it is important to recognize your role in creating and fostering an inclusive, accessible and diverse learning environment for your students. By recognizing your own shortcomings and biases, you can begin to foster an equitable and inclusive digital space!

KEY TAKEAWAYS

1. Social media such as TikTok, Reddit or LinkedIn can be used to strengthen our personalized learning networks

2. You can use private browsers, ad blockers, VPN’s, anti-viruses and strong passwords to product your privacy whilst using the internet.

3. Inclusive personal learning networks foster a richer exchange of ideas and a more globalized, holistic understanding of information.

4. Universal Design for Learning is an approach to teaching that maximizes students engagement and ability to succeed through maximizing engagement, representation, action and expression.

5. Diversity and inclusivity can be promoted in digital learning spaces by understanding learning styles, creating culturally sensitive course materials, offering multilingual support and designing the class elements for accessability.