Month: February 2021

• How would you create a PLN prior to engaging a social media campaign on a topic of your choice?

I would like to answer this question from two standpoints: how do I reach people that I would like to include in my PLN, and how would I organize contents in my PLN. To reach people that I would like to include in my PLN, I would start with people that I have personally connections with. Being a university student, I could reach a large number of other students who may have the same interests with me. ‘The people around you have a wealth of information” (Woods). By connecting with these people, I could start building a network for interactive working. And as the network matures, me and other members in the PLN could start including more people into the network. As the network becomes bigger and bigger, me and other members in the PLN could utilize the power of social media platforms – we could create a hasgtag on Twitter for the specific topic that we are interested in. By moving the conversation on a public platform, our PLN would invite even more insights from the Internet. Their are also tools that we could utilize. For example, in order to activate conversations, we could utilize tweet chat, which is a scheduled chat that imitates chats in real life (Woods). And to reach professional in the field such as scholars and working practitioners, we could utilize emails and resources such as personal websites.

To organize contents in my PLN, instead of a strictly professional approach, I would adopt a more personal approach. The #MedTwitter hashtag is a good example. In addition to knowledge and information in the field of medicine, people also post about their experiences working as physicians and their concerns about how people of color are sometimes neglected in the conversation. The freedom to talk about personal experiences gives people a sense of belonging in the PLN, which would help the PLN to sustain for a long time. And the freedom to talk about sensitive topics would not only make the discussions more meaningful, but also would make the PLN more inclusive.

References

Woods, Bianca. “Building your own PLN: seeking new insights and ideas? Expand your personal learning network.” T+D, vol. 67, no. 11, Nov. 2013, p. 70+. Gale OneFile: Business, link.gale.com/apps/doc/A348998538/ITBC?u=uvictoria&sid=ITBC&xid=1010abdf. Accessed 21 Feb. 2021.

• How diverse is your existing PLN?

Honestly speaking, my existing PLN is not particularly diverse. Put in other words, I do not put lot of efforts into making my PLN more inclusive. Based what we have learned from previous readings, I would like to divide my PLN into two payers. The inner layer of my PLN is composed of the network where I actively participate and have personal connections to most of its members,  which are networks that I intentionally build in order to communicate with my classmates regarding certain class assignments. These networks are not particularly long-lasting  – typically the connection ends as we finish the course and move into a new semester. Sometimes we form these networks by ourselves, and other times instructors would assign us to a given group. In either case, I do not put a lot of effort into promoting the diversity of these networks. However, when working in these groups, I do try to do my best to accommodate the different needs of different members. For example, during this semester, since we live in different time zones and on different schedules, sometimes I find my team having a hard time scheduling a meeting where every one is available. In these cases, I try my best to make my schedule as flexible and accommodating as possible. What’s more, as Shelly Moore mentioned in he video, instead of simply integrating different people into the same situation, being inclusive is to form meaningful connections between people (Moore). In cases like group projects, my idea is that we need to hear from each other and incorporate each other’s ideas into the project as much as possible, and I find myself doing this part pretty well. I always find myself encouraging others to voice their opinions and ideas under group settings. However, simply doing these is far from enough. As I move further in my professional area, I hope I could do more.

The outer layer of PLN is composed of people I do not personally know, but rely heavily on for knowledge and information. This is the network that I have built along the years through online learning. The outer layer of my PLN also covers a wider range of topics – any topic that I’m interested in. This layer is primarily composed of credible sources and prominent figures within a given filed – google scholar, TED talks, Wall Street Journal, YouTube channels that I check out on a regular basis, etc. When engaging in the outer layer of my PLN, sometimes I do look for diversity depending on the circumstances. For example, When I look for articles about racial equality, I would pay extra attention to the authors to see if they are members of racial minority groups. However, since I do not contribute much to the outer layer of my PLN in the first place, I don’t think that I have put in a lot of effort into promoting its diversity.

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

At this point, I would say that I learn from a variety of voices. Like I mentioned earlier, when engaging primarily in the out layer of my PLN, I learn from any topic that I’m interested in (currently I’m interested in psychology, choreography and art history), and would learn from a variety of sources. When I engage primarily in the inner layer of my PLN, I also like to hear from others to reflect on my own learning. Take my experiences in this course for an example. One of the members in my group raised a question about the equal weighting of all participants within a conversation. Her question reminded me of a truly insightful clip of The Daily Show and inspired me to make connections between these two materials. Without her questions in the first place, I wouldn’t be able to do so. Just as Shelly Moore mentioned in the course interview,  not only do we learn from others during interactions, we also learn from others about what we know and what we can contribute to the conversation as we go along (Miller).

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

I try my best not to participate in silos of information. However, I do think that certain social media platforms make it easier to participate in silos compared with others. Twitter is one of the platforms that is more likely to make people participate in silo. In my opinion, the word limit that Twitter has on its users forces people to communicate their ideas in simple languages, which could increase the chances of misunderstanding . The algorithms also help to feed its users with information that pertains to their taste, which could create a downward spiral that filters different opinions. Sometimes I find myself being caught in such spirals, where I’m constantly being presented information that closely resonates with what I just read. And in doing so, the ideas that I already have become reinforced.

Instagram is one of the platforms that is less likely for me to participate in silos of information. One of the functions that I particularly adore on Instagram is IG TV. It acts as an affiliated video channel for IG accounts, where you could watch episodes of videos on certain topics. The length of these video and the combination of images, sounds and words give me more rooms to think and reflect on the content.

All in all, I think what Shelly Moore said in the interview captured the idea adequately. Different social media platforms are for different purposes (Miller). As Twitter acting as a platform for marketing, Instagram acts as a platform where you can really present yourself (Miller). The different nature of these platforms large affect whether people participate in silos when using them.

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

I think the example of my experiences in EDCI 338 that I gave earlier adequately answers this question. People from diverse background raise unique questions and have unique perspectives regarding the same topic. In the process of reflecting on these questions and ideas, people not only learn from others, but also learn about themselves regarding what they know. By contributing these information to the PLN, people provide meaningful content and form meaningful connections between each other, which is the essence of inclusion (Moore).  If people all participate in the process, it becomes a reciprocal learning experience that engages every one within the network.

•  In your professional setting of choice, do you think inclusion is actively embraced?

My professional setting of choice is likely to be business. I do not believe that inclusion is actively embraced in this line of professional setting. Inclusion in business has much to do with workplace diversity. In recent years I have seen numerous companies come up with their own ways of promoting workplace diversity. Although efforts have been made, I believe that there’s large room for improvement.

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

The most prominent learning outcome of my PLN is that I have learned how to learn. Through years of engaging in my PLN, I learned how to communicate with other learners, how to pose questions, how to voice my opinions, how to look for information – to name just a few. Like mentioned earlier, the methods that I use to ensure my exposure to diversity and inclusion depends on the networks that I engage in. When engaging in networks with people that I personally know and actively interact with, I try my best to accommodate the different needs of different people, as well as encourage engagement from other participants. When engaging in networks with people that I do not personally know, I try to look for diversity in the sources as well as in the people who create these sources. Here, I would like to note that while some sources are objective, there are sources that could introduce biases. For example, when looking for political commentary on media outlets in the U.S., it is particularly important to pay attention to their partisanship.

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

As Shelly Moore states, being in the same place with other people not mean that one is included (Miller). Similarly, being in the same network with one another does not mean that they are included in the process of learning. It is because of the meaningful interactions built within the network that we constantly learn from each other and about ourselves. Before reviewing the materials for this week, I think of PLN more as a static web made up by dots, with each dot representing a person. After reviewing the materials, I realized that PLN is constantly in action as people interact within it, and has a limitless potential to grow.

References

Miller, Jesse. “EDCI 338 A01 Week 5 A Conversation with Shelly Moore.” Youtube, uploaded by Jesse Miller, 8 February 2021, https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YGx0ejnMLVc&feature=youtu.be.

Thomas, Shelley Moore. One Without The Other Stories Of Unity Through Diversity And Inclusion. Portage & Main Press, 2016, pp. 6-10, 11-12.

• What digital platforms are students currently using to develop their professional network?

Currently, students are using multiple platforms to develop their professional network, and each platform is utilized for different purpose.  Personally, I use Facebook, Zoom, Linkedin and Google Drive the most to develop my professional network. Unlike Twitter, Facebook encourages people to sign up using their real names and personal information, which makes it easier to locate people who either attend the same school with you, or work in the same profession with you. One of the features that Facebook has, which is Facebook Messenger, is also great for group discussions. Zoom is frequently used to hold virtual meetings and to attend online courses. It is also a great way to network with others, since communicating face-to-face makes it easier for people to know each other. However, since communicating face-to-face has greater significance to most people compared with communicating through written language, communication via Zoom is often built on previous communication via other platforms. Linkedin has long been a useful platform for me and other students who wish to identify future career opportunities. Much like Facebook, people use their real names and personal information on Linkedin, which makes it more convenient to locate people from a certain profession. Linkedin also allows students to get in contact with business organizations, which provides large potential for career opportunities. Google Drive is often used for group work, especially under current circumstances where people work and study remotely. It is and effective tool through which we can share academic resources with others.

•   What can you (as a student) consider to expand your professional learning network?

As a student, I can expand my professional learning network by both putting more efforts into existing platforms and exploring new platforms. By putting more efforts into existing platforms, I could work harder on the materials I present on each platform, and make more frequent appearances on these platforms. For example, a clear and thorough personal bio on Facebook that emphasized on my education and my work experiences  would make it easier for other people to identify me as a student and as a future employee.  A carefully drafted resume would better prepare me for potential internship and job opportunities on Linkedin. More frequent appearances would keep me updated on the information on each platform, as well as showing people that I am an active user of these platforms. By exploring new platforms, I could also explore more opportunities. For example, recently, an application called Clubhouse has attracted a lot of attention online. Clubhouse is a social media platform that allows only verbal communication, and only allows sign-up through invitations. The relatively high requirements on its users (a certain level of articulacy) and the exclusiveness of this application gives it huge potential for being a professional, educational platform. Keeping an eye on these new platforms is critical for expanding my professional learning network.

•  In your network, how can you create a digital identity/reputation?

Like I mentioned earlier, I believe that the key to create a professional digital identity and establish a digital reputation is to focus on the content that I post on each platform. In order to create a professional digital identity, I would try my best to ensure that the contents I post are correct, have references to the original resources, and are updated to match the newest findings in the professional realm. I would also make sure to focus the materials in a specific professional realm. For example, if I’m trying to establish my digital identity as an economy major student, it probably wouldn’t help if I post what I eat for lunch on my social media accounts.

• Consider what a local employer would do if you applied for a job with them – can they search the content, is it of benefit to the career path, does it hinder the opportunity of employment?

I believe that it is of benefit to the career path if a local employer could search the content that I post online. In my opinion, the collective of a person’s digital marks could be seen as a portfolio of that person, which would provide great understanding of that person as a potential employee. In fact, some art major students would deliberately include their Instagram accounts and Pinterest accounts in their resumes as a way to present their work.  For example, a friend of mine who majors in graphic design would constantly update her Instagram account by posting her works, and would put her education and field of interest in her bio to attract future employers (in her case, future employers are mostly studios who would look for talents on social media). However, I do believe that me, or any other employee, should have the right to choose which part of my digital marks are the ones that I feel comfortable sharing with my future employer.