Inclusive PLNs Through Social Media and UDL

I feel as though I’ve found my “sweet spot of occupations” explained by Shelley Moore in EDCI 338 – 20 Minutes Moore as being these four bubbles aligned, “what you’re good at, contributing to the world, making an income, and being creative/innovative”. However, this was a harder thing to figure out for me as well. Moore links this struggle to teaching and schooling processes being so standardized. From my experiences growing up I believe this to be true. There are still so many opportunities that are not talked about or shared in these environments where we expect to learn what’s to come or what we need to do to advance and find a career. However no one during my education said to me, “actually you can fulfill multiple dreams in one”. You can travel and teach or you can teach languages, or work on platforms teaching online and teach in schools that are inquiry based. These were cycles of research, real world connections, and social media doom scrolling that allowed me to reflect on this truth and the vast opportunities out there related to teaching and education. Personal Learning Network’s (PLNs) with social media inclusions help reveal paths, ideas, and voices that traditional systems often overlook.

As an educator and student in the realm of education I’ve been quickly accustomed to the fact that sharing things with others and teaching in a classroom is directly intertwined with being a lifelong learner, the idea of learning from each other and building connections, being open to mentorship and guidance. Many of these pieces are connected to building a strong PLN and social media’s advances to this which are vividly described in this week’s resources.

My Personal Learning Network (PLN) helps me grow into the role of being an educator supported by platforms like, Pinterest, TikTok, Instagram, and LinkedIn. These media’s allow me to expand communication practices, advance inspirations around projects, crafts, possibilities with a range or more limited material, activity explorations but most crucially individuals who share a passion for teaching and all this encompasses. Individuals or even entire communities who share this passion and practices with new visions, innovative ideas and inclusive approaches to teaching in today’s world that expand my own approaches and understanding of the possibilities within the teaching sphere.

When I’m “exploring” or scrolling… on platforms like TikTok or Pinterest, I’m not just finding class decor, learning a new bracelet pattern or lesson planning hacks. I’m really in a way supplementing my professional development through bite-sized expansions. The educators I follow provide insights and practices around inclusive strategies which reflect Universal Design for Learning  (UDL) approaches or things like trauma informed practices that I can consider, and use in my everyday environments. In this way these explorations are really reshaping how I see and practice teaching.

Educators That Expand My PLN:

If you’re looking to grow your own PLN, Here is a list of some educators or professionals that have inspired me with focuses/information on inclusive, UDL-informed, and equity-driven practices:

1. @fivemooreminutes – Shelley Moore: Inclusion, UDL, and storytelling in education (Instagram, YouTube)
2. @Catlin_Tucker – Dr. Catlin Tucker: Blended learning & engagement (Instagram)
3. @theneurodivergentteacher – ADHD, autism, trauma-informed insights (Instagram, TikTok)
4. @ready4rigor – Zaretta Hammond: Culturally Responsive Teaching (Instagram)
5. @JayBilly2 – Jay Billy: School leadership and student-centered learning (Twitter)
6. @cast_udl – CAST: Core UDL tools, webinars, and updates (Instagram, YouTube)
7. @denasimmons – Dr. Dena Simmons: Emotional intelligence, anti-racism in education (Instagram, Twitter)

Inclusion + Relation to PLN’s & UDL: It’s More Than What’s at the Surface

Shelley Moore’s pep rally story in One Without the Other highlights the idea that presence doesn’t equal participation. She reflects on a moment when she forced students to attend an event, thinking it was inclusive but instead, it left them feeling isolated. She realized that, “forcing them to go was as segregative as if I had prevented them from going.” Shelley Moore, One Without the Other (p. 22) This moment however shaped her understanding of inclusion and it not being about checking boxes but about designing with learners, not around them. This ties back to what I said about teaching being so much about learning and I thought this was such a meaningful message to think about as we often get stuck in the idea that there’s some simple solution to these big complex considerations when in reality we need to step back and listen to the learner and their intricate needs to effectively practice things like inclusion or UDL especially in PLN’s.

“Inclusion is when the diversity of our classroom shapes the way we teach… not the other way around.”

– Shelley Moore, One Without the Other (p. 23)

Moore also expresses that inclusion has become a “contaminated term” used without deep commitment or understanding, this proves even more reason why building an inclusive Personal Learning Network (PLN) takes intentional action.

Here are some ways I try to ensure my PLN holds diversity, meaning and intention:

Making My PLN More Inclusive

• FollowIng and engaging with educators of diverse backgrounds
•  Including voices from neurodivergent and disabled communities
• Seeking multilingual and international perspectives
• Sharing, amplifying and crediting posts that reflect accessibility and equity
• Reflecting on/being aware of possible biases within my own content and feed

“We are diverse, all of us. We all have strengths, we all have stretches, and we all need to get better at something.”

– Shelley Moore, One Without the Other (p. 29)

This quote reminds me that inclusion isn’t a “goalpost” it’s a mindset. And UDL helps bring that mindset into action through design. Gabrielle Rappolt-Schlictmann emphasizes this stating that, “UDL is really about bringing flexibility and options into the environment by design so that students will have the resources that they need to make learning tractable.” In the end a strong PLN means inclusions of social media aspects, diverse communities, building mentorship’s, inclusive considerations and developments but above all being a lifelong learner whom expands their knowledge on topics like these from those around them and within the social media sphere.

https://personalizedlearningnetwork.ca/category/module-3/