Category: LRNT 521

The following blog post is the result of dialogue and collaboration by Beata Kozma, Theresa McLeod-Treadwell, and Dorothy Sidhu, students of the Master of Arts in Learning and Technology through Royal Roads University.

image via PictureQuotes.com

LRNT521 Unit 4 Activity 1

Impacts of Digital Learning on Racism

Racism is nothing than the belief that all members of each race possess characteristics particular to that specific race, distinguishing those races as inferior or superior to others. Racism is a form of stereotyping.

In the mid-1990’s, the internet was lauded for its potential to usher in a color-blind society. As the medium proliferated, scholars argued it could eliminate racial cues from communication and lead to a more egalitarian electronic global village, where there would be no race, gender or infirmities (Ess, 2001; Negroponte, 1995) (as cited in Tynes et al., 2014, p. 2)

The internet and different digital environments offered a new platform where people can express themselves and experience racism. Online racism is like offline racism, just on a different platform, with wider and way larger audience (Tynes et al., 2014).

List of Impacts

Negative

• Self Doubt / Lack of Participation and Engagement–  Being unsure about how other people would view their racial identity often creates doubt about posting. Fearing negative experiences online because of a person’s racial identity has shown to decrease participation and engagement in online spaces (Chan, J., 2017).
• Exclusion, Victimization, Denigration and Cyber-bullying  – The emergence of the digital era has had unintended consequences for race, civil rights, and hate speech.  The myth that race does not exist on the Internet or that cyberspace represents some sort of carefree realm of “colorblindness,” is untrue (Tynes et al., 2014).
• Bias and Favoritism – In a 2018 Stanford study it is suggested that there was favoritism and tendency for white female students to significantly respond to posts by white women than were other students.  In the same study it suggested that instructors responded to 7 percent of comments posted by students.  But for white male students, the response rate was 12 percent.  “… results show compelling experimental evidence that instructor discrimination exists in discussion forums of online classrooms,” says the paper. “Simply attaching a name that connotes a specific race and gender to a discussion forum post changes the likelihood that an instructor will respond to that post.” (Baker, Dee, Evans, & John, 2018)
• Explosion of Hate Sites – The digital environment has enabled space for the creation of websites dedicated to racial epithets, stereotyping and implicitly racist statements, racist jokes, symbols of hate, such as the Confederate flag, threats of physical harm or death and graphic representations/actual images of dead black bodies.  (Tynes, B. M., 2015).  White supremacy has emerged online with overt hate websites that target individuals or groups and showcase racist propaganda
• Stress, Depression, Withdrawn and Anxiety – In studies, online racial discrimination has been correlated with mental health issues such as depressive states and anxiety.  A recent study done by Northwestern University shows that “researchers found that the physiological response to race-based stressors—be it perceived racial prejudice, or the drive to outperform negative stereotypes—leads the body to pump out more stress hormones in adolescents from traditionally marginalized groups.” (Levy, Heissel, Richeson, & Adam, 2016). The results of the present study demonstrated associations between race-related victimization online and depressive symptoms, anxiety, and externalizing behavior (Brody et al. 2006; Coker et al. 2009; Greene Way, & Pahl, 2006; Huynh & Fuligni 2010; Pachter et al. 2010; Sellers, Caldwell, Schmeelk-Cone, & Zimmerman, 2003). (as cited in Tynes et al., 2014, p. 10)

In between

• Heightened Presence of Race and Racial Discourse – Online spaces has created opportunities for an increase in public discussion around racial issues. Numerous hateful sites were created against race, color, and immigration (based on color and faith). The numbers of extremist and hate sites rose exponentially from 6,000 to 10,000 from 2006 to 2009 and to 15,000 by 2011 (Simon Wiesenthal Center, 2012). (as cited in Tynes et al., 2014, p. 3)
• Locus of Visibility (i.e. #blacklivesmatter) – Twitter has become a community for racial discourse in example, #blacklivesmatter has opened up a virtual space for individuals to gather and explore & learn about black identity (Sharma, 2013)
• Consciously Aware of Biases and Impact – Educators, teachers, facilitators, instructional designers etc. are mindful with the choices they make when designing learning, keeping top of mind inclusion and diversity. For example using images of all ethnicity and not stereotyping based on perceived persona’; purposeful in non-biasing – Similarly, Carime Bersh (2011) explores White prospective teachers’ understandings of their own cultural identities. This study posits that White teachers must understand their own cultural identity, privilege, and the ways they are inscribed and often perpetuate institutional bias if they are to “deconstruct, reconstruct, and recreate” their own multicultural practice  (Chen, Nimmo, & Fraser, 2009)
• Globalization – The world is shrinking, cross cultural marriages, immigration increasing, we see diversity and are part of diversity within our communities of education.  Though there is an increase in openness and promotion to have students from different parts of the world attend a university online, there are positive outcomes of inclusiveness, diverse thinking and heterogeneous groups, however there are also thoughts and it’s impact on educational access, inequality and exclusion suggested some university and government officials see the rise of worldwide academic competition as a threat, going so far as to limit student mobility or thwart cross-border university expansion. But Wildavsky argues that this scholarly marketplace is creating a new global meritocracy, one in which the spread of knowledge benefits everyone–both educationally and economically (Alberts, 2010)

Positive

• Racial Self Expression through Creation of Social Media Content  – People of Color are not without any agency in expressing racial identity online, however. The emergence of a prominent Asian American presence on YouTube (Balance, 2012) and the cultural force of “Black Twitter” (Florini, 2014) have demonstrated the ability of communities of Color to carve out spaces within the social media landscape. Studies have found creating social media content (e.g., status updates, blog posts, photos, videos) can be a means of racial self-expression for college students of Color (Correa & Jeong, 2011), and these explicit assertions of racial identity can also signal racial group belonging and solidarity (Grasmuck et al., 2009). Such findings suggest racial identity may figure centrally in the social media experiences of students of Color. (as cited in Chan, 2017)
• Activism through Social Media – Responding to a racially hostile campus environment, Black students staged a series of protests demanding the university address the racist systems and structures contributing to an oppressive campus climate. The student activists leveraged social media as part of their organizing strategy, effectively utilizing the hashtag #ConcernedStudent1950 to raise national awareness of their efforts (Fang, 2016). In doing so, they inspired students of Color on other campuses to call attention to the racism at their own institutions through social media campaigns and other acts of activism (Hartocollis & Bidgood, 2015). (as cited in Chan, 2017). Movies, TV and web series – Netflix, streaming online – e.g. Detroit, Queen Sugar, Empire, Atlanta, Hidden Figures, Lee Daniels’ The Butler… Loving
• Virtual Safe-Space are created through hashtags – Research has shown that such hashtags are important for building communities for these groups. For instance, the “hashtag feminism” and “Black Twitter” communities have utilized hashtags as a virtual safe-space for expressing feminist and racial identities, respectively, connecting users with shared identities and demonstrating the ongoing discussions of the issues they face. Hashtags about these groups can evolve into or function as part of online movements, such as in the case of #WhyIStayed and #BlackLivesMatter  (Liu, Ford, Parnin, & Dabbish, 2017)
• Racial Literacy – People need the skills to be critical of what they read, being producers of media, rather than consumers.  Being racially literate means having the tools with which to converse about race, deconstruct and challenge instances of racism, and interact and work with others to address inequities in relation to race. (Nakagawa & Arzubiaga, 2014, p. 3) Behaviors and attitudes such as keeping the conversations alive; open dialogue, expressing opinions, sharing, being vulnerable and transparent; having a voice, being curious use example from the SD 74 (Bennett, 2018)
• Virtual Reality (VR) – Can help to overcome implicit biases, according to a paper recently published in Trends in Cognitive Sciences. Researchers used VR to help people slip into the skin of an avatar and temporarily take on a new identity, cultivating cross-racial empathy along the way (Maister, Slater, Sanchez-Vives, & Tsakiris, 2015)

image: Linkedin

LRNT521 Unit 3 Activity 2

Over 800 1st connections and I would admittedly suggest ONLY 30% of those are REAL CONNECTIONS; people I truly feel I can reach out to and have meaningful discussion, dialogue and collaborate within my professional world. 

 

image: brewbooks via flickr.com

When I see my visual graphic for my LinkedIn connections it’s very telling, how I have ABSOLUTELY made a clear line in the sand between personal and professional connections.  ONLY 15% of the 800 connections are represented in BOTH Facebook and LinkedIn; so a conscious effort not to collide my professional space (LinkedIn) between my personal space (Facebook).

I am still very active in both spaces as a resident, but clearly separated by Dorothy the Senior Advisor of Leadership and Learning, colleague, and alumni and Dorothy the mom, daughter, wife, aunt, friend, sister and coach.

Another observation is I have a heavy concentration within a few industries/sectors, most likely because of where and what I do at work and how I represent myself as a professional. For example Financial Services, Education, Corporate Training and Instruction Design and Women and Leadership Networks are big color clusters.

I also was fascinated by the ‘degrees of separation’ between my 1st connections, 2nd and 3rd connections, as well as how many of my first connections connected and/or had the same connections as I did, perhaps influenced or recommended by me or because of similar networks, interests, companies and/or schools we  attended.

Finally one of my takeaways from this, will be to more intentional and ‘disconnect’ with those I feel I don’t have a connection with and/or can mutually benefit one another.  I can see how it has grown to 800 especially with 3 distinct careers within 3 large organizations, 3 post-secondary universities and several professional interest groups, but it’s time for more of that quality I seek versus quantity I see.

 

Mom, wife, daughter, sister, friend, colleague, employee, student, coach … the many persona’s of DOROTHY in a world of digital presence.

  

Image: Dorothy Sidhu

LRNT521 Unit 2 Activity 3

As the learning unfolds, the image of who I am and who I want to be in the digital space becomes clearer.  The early onset as an early adopter and the chaotic absence of structure begins to make more sense to what it all means with the many roles I play.

How much effort, desire, want and need to participate and collaborate to how much do I just want to stay at arms length and use it as nothing more than a temporary tool, as a means to an end, is telling of being a visitor or resident.  How much value and emphasis I am placing in the different digital spaces, forces me to reconsider and rethink my approach … asking WHY?  

As I continue to explore my digital presence and what the significance of creating and cultivating this space for me means, I feel this is the first time I am applying it with strategy, discipline, commitment and refinement of who I want to be online.

Purpose

I want to be seen as an advocate of a growth mindset, life long learner and educator in the space of Adult Education, constantly learning, stretching and growing.  I want to show my passion and creativity through these spaces.  I want to be relevant and current through the technological revolution and era we are in as we see the shift of learning and technology.  I want to be seen as an early adopter and one that doesn’t fear the disruption and immediacy of change.

I also want the digital spaces and my presence in these different environments to connect, collaborate, express points of view, and knowledge share with colleagues, professionals, networks, alongside with friends and families. Increase awareness and elevate my presence to a larger and wider audience, by finding my digital, academic voice, where I can influence and bring my though leadership to the forefront.

Approach

• Continue to seek and maintain accessibility to the variety of digital spaces through the use of current technology and various mobile devices and computers
• Learn about the new platforms, sites, apps, software and how it can serve and feed into my purpose
• Be committed to contribute and dedicate time and effort in posts, collaborative discussions, as routine and habitual, not just a task and or chore
• Respect and continue to work on the pendulum swing of personal and professional boundaries / visitor and resident shifts (White & Le Cornu, 2011)
• Using the tool when available.; recently attending the  ATD2018 in San Diego, highly encourage to use the app by creating an identity and cascading learning’s via the app and Twitter
• Leveraging the talents of my digital native colleagues and friends and especially my kids

Skills Knowledge & Gaps

I do feel like I am comfortable with technology, embracing it versus running away from it. I do tend to be an early adopter, at least wanting to try it out once!  I am comfortable with the unknown and typically just figure things out with just trying as most of these technologies have easy end user interfaces that are simple and straight forward.

I would identify my skill and knowledge gap as I am consciously incompetent in several of the applications that are ‘newer’ for example recently trying to learn SLACK.  I was able to get on it and participate, however knew I was not as confident and fluid in the use of it as my colleagues.  So, knowing and being okay with the consciously incompetence is OK and trying t move along to being consciously competent. 

Another area of opportunity would be  for be is to more thoughtful in my approach on when to use certain digital spaces for what.  I know sometimes I have used the wrong digital space for what I am trying to promote or advocate, and it hasn’t been as impactful.

Strategies & Approaches

Not to be afraid to ask for help, being patient while I learn and reminding myself failing forward is part of the learning process.  I will also make sure to remove any personal barriers of time, accessibility, and/or systems.  I also have to make a commitment and put effort and energy to practice, sustain, and make it routine so it becomes easy and effortless.  Of course continuing to learn by doing, be curious, seek out experts and learn from those that are pros in this space.  Perhaps take advantage of free webinars and YouTube videos.

Success Measures

1. See my confidence increase.  Completing a self assessment of where I am today and assessing myself periodically on a scale of 1-10, seeing I have moved the dial on any areas
2. I will be able to see more posts, blog entries and hopefully comments which will support the quality versus quantity; more boards on Pinterest and videos on YouTube 
3. See my stress levels lower when approaching the use of these digital spaces, that I may not be so comfortable with
4. Increased confidence in my conversations
5. Moving from consciously incompetent to consciously competent
6. Teaching it within my organization, friends and family members
7. Increased creativity, moving in spaces I am comfortable to push it to advanced and beyond just the basics

References

White, D., &  Le Cornu, A. (2011).  Visitors and Residents: A new typology for online engagement.  First Monday, 16(9).

Boyd, D. (2010).  Social Network Sites as Networked Publics:  Affordances, Dynamics, and Implications.  In Networked Self: Identity, Community, and Culture on Social Network Sites (ed. Zizi Papacharissi), pp. 39-58.

If I was to do this mapping exercise half a decade ago, I would confidently say it would have looked very different.  With the expedited change in technology and ease of access and use of apps, I have evolved.  I know my work place has evolved, my friends and family have all evolved, hence the shift on the continuum has moved from visitor to resident with many of the online and social platforms for me. 

image: Dorothy Sidhu

LRNT521 Unit 2 Activity 2

Being a consciously, competent digital immigrant user, in comparison to my 3 kids who are absolutely digital native users, it has been easier and less intimidating ‘to get on board’ … like Pinterest with their support, natural fluency, unconscious competency and adeptness!

What’s interesting is that in some of the areas I found myself initially in as a visitor because I was a. curious and b. monitoring my teenage kids and thinking it was only temporary and somewhat considered myself ‘too old’,  led to a shift in the continuum as more parents began to ‘get online.’  And as this community of parents grew, I began to find opportunities belong in these common communities, dialogue and express opinions.  I think most of the kids ‘bailed’ now, but the parents are still connected!

I also found at work the push on social media and digital literacy has been getting a lot of ‘air time’ and has in many was forced many of the Boomers and Gen X’s from being a visitor to more of a resident.  For example we use Yammer exclusively to recognize people in our company, advertise community events, share a success story, share a thought or opinion, poll a group or seek out an answer, as well as post pictures of recent company events and celebrations.

There are still some apps I find myself as a visitor as I just don’t see the point, benefit or purpose it can serve for me.  It really is there to ‘go see’ and pretty much to say I know a little about Snapchat, so I don’t sound like a silly.

I am curious to see what the next 3-5 years will look like from me, how I my online presence will shift on the continuum. I also am curious to see how cyber attacks and impacts on increased security breaches and personal information breaches will impact online engagement.  Will we still find these communities we share so much of ourselves with shift? 

References

White, D. (2013, September 13). Just the Mapping. [Video file]. Retrieved from https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MSK1Iw1XtwQ.

White, D. S., & LeCornu, A. (2011). Visitors and residents: A new typology for online engagement. First Monday, 16(9).

LRNT521 Unit 2 Activity 1

The symposium was an amazing orchestra of talented educators, who were conduits to great dialogue on relevant, relatable and practical topics we face daily in our environments.  I had the wonderful privilege of attending several live and recorded sessions, providing me with a learning space to get curious, ask questions and continue those conversations with my colleagues, friends and family.

Of the many exciting tracks and topics, I particularly was drawn into and thrilled about the session facilitated by Trish Dyck, called Key Success Factors for Virtual Teams on Wednesday April 18.

TEAM.  As simple as this four letter word may look and sound, the multi-faceted complexities and the power of this noun has so much air time and attention within so many spaces from sports teams to organizational teams and teams within in an educational space.  

And the question we are confronted with is ‘What is the DNA makeup of an effective, successful, and high performing team?

There were 4 main dimensions presented that helped support the question on team success which were Outcomes, Relationship, Knowledge, and Task (De Drew Weingart, 2003; Edmondson 2013; Li et al, 2013; Pardy, 2015; Sales et al, 2005; Wenger 1999)

The one that struck me the most was the dimension of relationship process and the tribal sense of how we are hard wired in our brains to flight or fight when threatened and the importance of creating psychological safety.  The creation of trust and building relationships is an obvious thread within the DNA of a successful team. 

I was anxious to get back to an ongoing and lively group discussion with my leadership and learning team peers that we’ve been relentlessly collaborating on as it related to high performing teams, dysfunctional teams, team effectiveness and successful teams. I wanted to be an advocate of these dimensions, that I just learned of and embed it as part of a discipline, expectation and norm of teams.

It’s not all gloom and doom, as I reflect on some of the things that we are formally doing to move us in the right direction of creating a psychologically safe work environment for our people. 

For example Discovery Insights, we have individual’s complete Discovery Insights Personal Profile and Team Effectiveness evaluations.  This report and diagnostic helps provide self and team awareness and techniques to help individuals adapt and connect with each other to form stronger and more trusting relationships. The facilitation around this report brings awareness to personal and others communication styles, preferences around decision making and processing information, values, perceptions and blind spots, as well as behaviors on a good day and stresses and characteristics on a bad day. This self awareness and openness to share with each other creates a safe place to learn about each other and show our imperfections and eagerness to develop less inclined behaviors.

So, I ask myself how do we find more ways of influencing all our lines of business, leaders, individuals and our organization to seek formal, as well as unstructured learning opportunities to empower, enable and activate the dimension of relationships, which directly supports and moves us closer to successful teams. 

How can we create, advocate and encourage individuals and teams to be open, supportive, courageous, transparent, reflective, respectful, thoughtful, and vulnerable to help build that necessary psychological safety within the team.

References

Dyck, T. (2018, April). Key Success Factors for Virtual Teams Presented in the Virtual Symposium of the 2018 MALAT Program at Royal Roads University, Victoria, BC, Canada.

[Hublinked]. (2015, November 18). 5 Steps to Achieve Trust Within a Team [Video File]. Retrieved from https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gE4thYj9SbI