The Personal Learning Network (PLN) is not a new idea, although it has exploded in importance with the Covid-19 pandemic. During the lockdown, schools suddenly had to accept “online learning as the new normal,” meaning that media literacy became a requirement to attend class (Arsarkij & Laohajaratsang, 2021, p. 54). Social media can be a tool for communication, using that to coordinate as it is both intuitive and familiar to most people. Another tool that can be inclusive is an open learning PLN will allow students to “define their learning and personal development” (Alenezi, 2019, p. 5). Open learning using digital education is a new concept, but one that has shown promise. I plan to ensure that my PLN is both inclusive and cutting-edge, willing to implement new ideas.
Equality needs to be taken into consideration as diversity makes for a more dynamic network. Inclusion activists and technical experts in a PLN can help construct education-based PLNs. Posting short videos to social media can encourage ideas for inclusion in the network, focusing on the LGBTQIA+ community. This platform gives everyone a voice while increasing the efficiency of remote education. Proper communication during the pandemic should be established through social media and in-person learning before a new wave becomes reality.
Inclusivity is both a strength and a weakness with my PLN. By design, my PLN is supposed to be inclusive with the ability to allow many people to communicate with the idea of another pandemic lockdown in mind. But putting oneself online involves security concerns and Internet users already “claim that privacy is a high priority,” even while engaging in behavior that can threaten that privacy (Al-Rabeeah & Hashim, 2019, p. 95). Public, visible anti-malware software will be a standard policy to protect my PLN. Security policies with being standard upon joining and these will be made clear to each member.
References
Alenezi, A. (2019). Open learning: Key foundations of personal learning environment. International Journal on Web Service Computing, 10(1), 1-12.
https://dx.doi.org/10.2139/ssrn.3617598
Al-Rabeeah, A. A., & Hashim, M. M. (2019). Social network privacy models: A systematic literature review and directions for further research. Cihan University Erbil Scientific Journal, 3(2), 92-101. doi:10.24086/cuesj.v3n2y2019. 92-101.
Arsarkij, J., & Laohajaratsang, T. (2021). A design of personal learning network on social networking tools with gamification for professional experience. International Journal of Emerging Technologies in Learning, 16(18). https://doi.org/10.3991/ijet.v16i18.25159.
