How Diverse is your PLN?
I think that my PLN is diverse, but could be more so. I do have relationships and personal and professional connections with individuals from a wide variety of backgrounds and identities, whether that be nationality, gender identity, sexuality or age group. However, I do think that if I were to utilize social media in a more productive way, I would be provided with more experiences to learn and create ties with others as I would not be constricted by geographical region. Currently I use social media as a way to just consume information, and do not often take part in active conversation or collaboration with others, which would be a great way to diversify the individuals that I am learning from and creating a network with. The podcast we listened to this week, “20 Minutes Moore” discussed this positive aspect of social media, as the interviewee noted that it has become “a more interactive medium” (Miller, 2021) and that everyone has something to offer when it comes to the sharing of information.
How are You Learning From a Variety of Diverse Voices and are You Expanding Your Understanding of the Views of Others?
I am learning from a variety of diverse voices, especially in the more professional sector of my PLN, as I spend time volunteering at a counselling centre for immigrants and refugees, and work alongside colleagues from a diverse array of ethnic backgrounds, individuals from different generations and sexual orientations that allow for the sharing of cultural knowledge and different perspectives and worldviews to further enhance the inclusive environment we are trying to create for the clients coming to Canada from all over the world. I think that being in University is another great opportunity to learn from a variety of voices as well, as we are constantly in classes and spaces with individuals who are different than us, and can discuss topics leaned in classes based on our differing opinions and experiences. I think the best way to expand your understanding of others views is to keep an open mind when someone is sharing their opinion or you are learning new information, as it is often easy to become closed off and confined by your own perspective, especially if you find yourself creating connections and relationships with people who are very similar to you and hold the same views and perspectives.
What is the outcome of your PLN and How are you Ensuring Your Exposure to Diversity and Inclusion
I think that the outcome of my PLN is ever changing and is not static, and will adapt in different ways as I grow and change as well. Right now however, my PLN’s main goal is definitely to keep learning from others and further connect with individuals outside of my direct personal bubble. Especially in this time of my life before I have really began to pursue the professional aspect of my PLN I think it is important to connect with others I can learn from, and gain a more global perspective on aspects of life such as global politics and social movements that are often very nuanced and take multiple perspectives to fully understand. Lily wrote in the learning pods that her parents reminded her of how lucky we are to be able to connect and learn from others through the advancement of technology and I think this is so true. Even in the last ten years the ways in which we are able to gain information and form relationships has become a process that is almost instantaneous because of social media.
How Likely Individuals are Going to Continue with their Created Content and their Network?
Individuals are way more likely to continue with their goals of creating content and expanding their network if they are receiving feedback and interaction from those that they are trying to connect with. In the podcast, Shelley Moore stated that once you realize that, “everyone in your community is a teacher” and are also able to learn from you, “you start to realize that you have something to offer” (Miller, 2021). Interaction and reciprocity allows for the formation of community through content creation, that motivates the creator to continue sharing with others.
Are the Skills that they Developed Applicable in Professional Practices?
The skills that are developed are definitely applicable in professional practices and settings. If we learn how to properly and effectively practice inclusivity, and not just integration, and are cognitively aware of how to refrain from segregative spaces of learning, we can transfer those skills over to create diverse and inclusive professional environments. In the reading, we learned that “inclusion is not a place, a time, or a destination” (Moore, 2016). It is not a practice that can be secluded to a specific setting, and should be comprehensively practiced in every sector of our lives with the skills we have learned in other areas of our lives, including on social media.
How Social Media Can Play a Role in Helping Establish Messaging and Themes that are Inclusive and Diverse:
In any professional setting, social media is able to be used as a tool for the creation of inclusive and diverse spaces and conversations. Social media such as Instagram, TikTok and Twitter can be a great way for diverse voices to be amplified and given platforms to share their perspectives and provide knowledge to others on their areas of expertise. This can be done not only by influencers, but in professional spaces such as webinars, collaborative instagram or TikTok live streams, conversational twitter threads and group chats. In the podcast we listened to this week, Shelley Moore discussed how she learned that on social media it does not have to be just a one way outwards stream of communication to your silent viewers or followers, and that every follower is able to contribute information. She talks about is as a sort of symbiosis, in that she teachers her followers while they teach her. Social media can also be a great way to start the conversations necessary to creating more inclusive spaces in the future, as people from marginalized groups are able to share what would best help meet their needs. We learned in the “One Without the Other: Stories of Unity Through Diversity and Inclusion” reading this week that inclusion is not simply integration, or providing equal opportunity. It is creating spaces that offer supports tailored to the people that need them so that they are able to feel the same level of comfort and participate successfully in professional environments.
References:
Miller , J. (2021, May 30). EDCI 338 – 20 minutes Moore. YouTube. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KeSV0rUl1bA&t=4s
Moore, S. (2016). One without the other : Stories of unity through diversity and inclusion. Portage & Main Press.