- How diverse is your existing PLN?
Since I just recently created my PLN, I would say that my network is not that “diverse” enough. This is because I just recently followed and added people I personally know. Since I learned this week that learning can be more effective in diverse classrooms, I believe that it would be better to create a PLN with a diverse network (Moore, “A Conversation with Shelley Moore” 6:37). In building a diverse community, I will make it sure to not discriminate people because of their social status, race, personality, gender orientation, and etc.
- In your PLN, are you learning from a variety of voices or are you the loudest in the room?
In my PLN, since I just recently created it, I still haven’t engaged in any of the discussion threads yet. This is because I am still getting acquainted to the people in my community and I would like to observe first. Based on my observation, no one in my PLN has the loudest voice in the room because everyone seems to know what they are talking about. It’s like as if we are all teachers teaching each other (Moore, “A Conversation with Shelley Moore” 6:30-6:35). In the long run, I believe that I will get used to my PLN and hopefully, I will be able to actively join in the next discussion threads in my PLN.
- Do you participate in a silo of information sharing (similar themes or wide-range of interests)?
I am a type of person who wants to talk about different topics so when it comes to information sharing, I have a wide-range of interests. Also, I believe that participating in silo of information sharing or only dealing with information with similar themes would be equal to short-changing myself to a variety of information that are freely available online.
- How can you use a diverse PLN to broaden your views of inclusion?
In her book titled One Without the Other: Stories of Unity Through Diversity and Inclusion, Shelley Moore discussed that educational reforms are happening on a global scale so many countries today are revising their curricula in order to move away from classrooms of wavy students (9). This means that inclusivity is one of the trend of education today and as a student, I should be well aware of that. To learn more about inclusivity, I will use my diverse PLN to establish contact with different online learners particularly those who have disability and special needs.
- In your professional setting of choice, do you think inclusion is actively embraced?
Inclusion is actively embraced in my professional setting of choice because we do not “should each other.” Shelly Moore explained that a certain standard mark shall not be used to measure the students’ abilities. (Five More Minutes, It’s Not Easy Being Green, 2:50-2:55). Instead they should be given the freedom to answer the following questions: Where are you now? What is our next step?
- What is the learning outcome of your PLN and how are you ensuring your exposure to diversity and inclusion?
My learning outcome for my PLN is to be able to engage myself in academic discourse with literally everyone. This means that if I could join in academic discussions and make significant posts or comments, that means that I learned something. In order to ensure my exposure to diversity and inclusion, I would ask my PLN members to create an advocacy with me. Just as Moore explained, it is not enough that students are together, they also need to have roles and responsibilities (The Evolution of Inclusion, 3:38).
- How has your thinking about inclusion and PLN evolved after reviewing the videos and readings?
After reviewing the videos and readings, I learned that inclusion means acknowledging the unique skills and abilities of different learners and not forcing them a single formula of learning. In doing so, the learners are given the freedm to study what they want at their own pace. Also, I realized that students do not always have to listen to their teachers because they could also listen to their fellow students.
Works Cited
Five Moore Minutes. “Don’t Should on Me: It’s Not Easy being NOT Green.” YouTube, 6 Nov. 2018, www.youtube.com/watch?v=MeRNhz0nGts&feature=youtu.be.
—. “The Evolution of Inclusion: The past and future of education.” YouTube, 2 Oct. 2018, www.youtube.com/watch?v=PQgXBhPh5Zo&feature=youtu.be.
Moore, Shelley. One Without the Other: Stories of Unity Through Diversity and Inclusion. Portage & Main P, 2016.
—. “EDCI 338 A01 Week 5 A Conversation with Shelley Moore.” YouTube, 2021, www.youtube.com/watch?v=YGx0ejnMLVc&feature=youtu.be.