Diversity – we’ve all heard the term before, but what does it really mean, especially in the context of PLNs? According to the Merriam Webster Dictionary (2017), diversity is defined as: “the condition of having or being composed of differing elements.”
So how does that apply to PLNs? Well, PLNs are made of a variety of people and spaces, all of which have different qualities. A diverse PLN incorporates people and spaces that represent a bunch of different perspectives across a professional field.
These perspectives include various voices of:
- color
- gender
- age
- religion
- nationality
- pedagogical approach
- discipline
- years of teaching experience
- school community (e.g., rural, suburban, urban)
- subject(s) and grade level(s) taught
- and more
It’s also important to remember that diversity in one element of a PLN doesn’t make a diverse PLN all together. A diverse PLN challenges the way you think and teach and makes you grow as an instructor.
Here are some examples of diverse PLNs as described by the teachers they belong to:
- “[My PLN consists of] educators from all around the world, meeting face-to-face, or by reading professional journals, tweets, and blogs” (Trust, Krutka, & Carpenter, 2016, p.20)
- “Other educators are in my PLN. They may be people who teach similar things, technology coaches (a job I aspire to hold one day soon), principals, Edcamp leaders…and more. I also follow many companies and education-related organizations to stay updated on their products, which helps inform my teaching” (Trust, Krutka, & Carpenter, 2016, p.22)
- “My PLN is an amalgam of people that I’ve met in person and digitally who push my thinking in various ways. I follow people who have similar philosophies on education that I do, but also people with very different philosophies. This helps me broaden my perspective and understand where other educators are coming from. Rather than building an echo chamber for my ideas I have built a gauntlet for them so that when they come through they’re stronger and more informed.” (Krutka, Carpenter, & Trust, 2016, p.153)
Learning Activity: How Diverse is Your PLN?
Activity Objective: Evaluate the diversity of your PLN.
Activity Instructions: Reflect upon the following questions about your own PLN diversity and post your thoughts on 4399edn tute team.
Does your PLN include:
- Face-to-face and online connections?
- Voices from a variety of personal perspectives (age, gender, race, nationality, religion, sexual orientation, etc.)?
- Input from a broad range of professional perspectives (counselors, administrators, teachers of different subjects and age groups, etc…)?
- Input from people outside of the field of education (e.g., authors, researchers, journalists)?
- Various pedagogical approaches?
- Sources that challenge your outlook and offer new ideas?
