A PLN, or personal learning network, is a tool used to connect people in a field and to share ideas within that field. Currently, many social media sites, such as Twitter, LinkedIn, or Instragram are being used as PLNs in addition to being used for entertainment purposes. I decided to use Twitter as part of my personal learning network because there is a lot of news shared on it and it is very easy to interact with others (and because I actually know how to use it). To start, I used the search bar to look up accounts tweets with the hashtag “neuroscience”, “neuropsychology” and “law”. I followed a lot of those accounts and interacted with those tweets, and I also shared my IDS program statement in one of my own tweets.
The concept of “open pedagogy” has been defined by Vancouver Island University faculty member Michael Paskevicius as “teaching and learning practices where openness is enacted within all aspects of instructional practice; including the design of learning outcomes, the selection of teaching resources, and the planning of activities and assessment. OEP engage both faculty and students with the use and creation of OER, draw attention to the potential afforded by open licences, facilitate open peer-review, and support participatory student-directed projects.” (Open Pedagogy). Although open education is not a new concept, it has become significantly with the creation and accessibility of the internet. Not only does it allow students to be more involved in their education, but it also allows for lesser privileged students to have easier access to resources in education. Students who cannot afford textbooks, or who can’t even afford to enroll in classes, are no longer at such as significant disadvantage.
I think that students who are more involved in their education ultimately do better, because they feel as though they are an important part of their future and that their individuality is seen and appreciated.
I found that my PLN was not very successful. Although I kept up with it for a while, I often forgot about it or didn’t have the necessary time to grow it into what it could’ve been. I learned that PLNs take a lot of effort and work, and I hope to start growing mine over the summer when I have more time to put into it.
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