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Designs for Networked Learning: Using Personal Learning Networks to Build Intercultural Competence

Ann Hill Duin, University of Minnesota

Intended Audience

This workshop is intended for a broad audience: Researchers, instructors, administrators, i.e., all those interested in exploring the use of Personal Learning Networks (PLNs) for building intercultural competence.

Workshop Description

Participants will explore the use of a Personal Learning Network (PLN) for building intercultural competence. A PLN is a collection of people, information resources, organizations, and other connections that a networked individual values because the connections support and contribute to learning interests. Throughout our exploration and development of PLNs, participants will identify how these might be used to make “visible” our culturally based assumptions about identity, knowledge creation, knowledge sharing, and the knowledge most worth having. Workshop emphasis will be on both pedagogy and research and stems from recent literature on connectivism and networked learning.

Participant Engagement

Participants will engage with four activities: 1) an exploration of a set of personal learning networks (PLNs) as a means to make visible learners’ cultural orientation to knowledge, information, and learning; 2) active use of an online resource (e.g., text2mindmap.com, coggle.it, or other mapping tool) to practice building and sharing their PLNs; 3) learning about current research and envisioning future research on the use of PLNs for building intercultural competence; and 4) collaboratively mapping next steps for designs of networked learning that incorporate the use of PLNs as well as professional research networks (PRNs) as a means to build intercultural competence.

Participant Outcomes

Each participant will

• gain an understanding of PLNs as a means to make visible learners’ cultural orientation to knowledge, information, and learning;
• develop a visualization of his/her PLN and share this with others as a means make visible one’s cultural values toward knowledge, information, and learning;
• explore current research on PLNs and envision future research; and
• leave with a set of next steps for designs of networked learning that incorporate the use of PLNs as a means to build intercultural competence.

Workshop Alignment with Conference Themes

This workshop aligns most closely with these conference themes:

Designs for Networked Learning, architectures, spaces, and mobilities
Interculturality, interaction, collaboration and fusion between cultural communities whilst explicitly recognising the value of diversity
The emphasis will be both on pedagogy and research and stems from recent literature on connectivism and networked learning.

Workshop Process/Activities

• PLN exploration (15 minutes)
• PLN development (30 minutes)
• PLN research (15 minutes)
• Discussion and mapping next steps (30 minutes)

References

Duin, A.H., & Moses, J. (2015). Intercultural connectivism: Introducing personal learning networks. Rhetoric and Professional Communication and Globalization, 7(1), 29-46.

Moses, J., & Duin, A.H. (2015). Intercultural connectivism: Personal learning networks in course redesign. Rhetoric and Professional Communication and Globalization, 8(1), 22-39.

Duin, A.H. Making identity visible: Personal learning networks. Feminisms and Rhetorics Conference, Tempe, AZ, October 2015.

Duin, A.H., & Moses, J. Redesigning a Masters Program in Technical Communication to Integrate Personalized Learning Networks. Council on Programs in Scientific and Technical Communication, Cincinnati, October 2013.

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