Virtually Connecting Inclusivity presentation #oer17
Academic conferences are sites of power and privilege. There are multiple ways in which privilege and social capital are reproduced in these events. Choices of location, speakers, reviewers, formats and topics are political and have potential to influence disciplines in particular directions. Virtually Connecting (VC) is one attempt to challenge the ways in which conferences privilege particular voices to be heard, while marginalizing others from learning and from speaking. Caines (2016) calls VC a “movement of digital educators subverting time and space to come together for informal conversations at these formal gatherings of knowledge sharing”. She reminds us that “we have to use our privilege to create the spaces for those lesser heard voices”. Volunteers doing VC continually question the alternative kinds of power our initiative produces and how well it succeeds in subverting the status quo as we strive towards more equitable access to conferences and more participatory, inclusive professional development. As described in Bali, Caines, DeWaard & Hogue (in press), VC “was created to engage individuals and groups in virtual participation at academic conferences thus widening access for those who cannot be physically present. VC is a grassroots connected and connectivist learning movement powered by a team of volunteers”. In this session, we will highlight the ways VC embodies open, connected learning practice, but also focus on how our practice addresses the first two items in VC’s manifesto: VC’s motivation is “a desire to improve the virtual conference experience for those who cannot be present at conferences for financial, logistical, social or health reasons” (Virtually Connecting, undated) VC strives for inclusion even while knowing it is elusive. VC can be seen as an example of an open education practice, by going beyond simply streaming conferences, and allowing remote participants to engage with online participants constructing an authentic dialogue. As conferences seek to accommodate the political dimensions of inclusivity, VC can act as a meaningful way to broaden the range of voices that participate at events, promoting more equitable access to professional development, and enriching both the onsite and virtual experiences while also promoting digital literacies of participants and especially volunteers. Using feedback from a 2016 survey and from social media, we will explore the ways VC’s practice has been inclusive and invite the audience to recommend possible solutions for aspects we have identified as wanting, ones we strive towards but have not yet resolved/reached. We will discuss this in terms of VC’s internal and external processes addressing onsite guests, virtual participants and conference organizers. We will will share our hopes for the future of VC as an approach to opening up conferences.
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Virtually Connecting Inclusivity presentation #oer17
- 1. And We’re Live! #OER17VC http://www.virtuallyconnecting.org @VConnecting Breaking the Physical Presence Barrier: Virtually Connecting as an approach to open, inclusive conferences
- 2. Breaking the physical presence barrier: Virtually Connecting as an approach to open, inclusive conferences @VConnecting @suebecks @miazamoraphd @mweller @autumm @bali_maha @rjhogue
- 3. How We Began April 2015 @Bali_Maha
- 4. VC Team (on Slack) Universe of all possible onsite and virtual participants Spectators VC Network (guests, participants) @Bali_Maha
- 5. 3 Focus Groups (+ previous feedback) @VConnecting Previous research published here: Bali, M., Caines, A., DeWaard, H., & Hogue, R. (2016, December). Ethos and Practice of a Connected Learning Movement: Interpreting Virtually Connecting Through Alignment with Theory and Survey Results. Online Learning Journal, 20(4). Retrieved from https://olj.onlinelearningconsortium.org/index.php/olj/article/view/965/247
- 6. Inclusion Paradox Questions: #OER17 & @VConnecting @autumm CC-BY Brett Jordan - Paradox
- 7. Us and Them How can we build a community if the fact that we are a community keeps new people away? @autumm
- 8. Stardom vs Informality There is a familiarity with “stars” that participants like. But are we just perpetuating a celebrity culture in what should be a learning environment? @autumm
- 9. @mweller Democracy vs Marginalisation Includes voices from different disciplines, levels, backgrounds, but how to avoid seeming like a club? CC-BY Tinou Bao - Illusion
- 10. The onsite experience Introversion / Extroversion Shyness and community building Poll https://twitter.com/bali_maha/status/847682466743631872 @rjhogue @MiaZamoraPhD
- 12. Curiosity and Serendipity Open windows of opportunities to listen, question and contribute. #alwayslearning @suebecks and @Bali_Maha
- 13. http://interactioninstitute.org/illustrating-equality-vs-equity/ Local Optimums, what and for whom?
- 14. Focus on Virtuals or Onsites? What is our mission? Intersectionality important How to scale a volunteer grassroots organization? Should we?
- 15. E.g. Onsite Participant convos w keynotes Suggested in focus group: Would not be VC - mission creep? http://www.virtuallyconnecting.org @VConnecting
- 16. Global Optimum Too far away? But possible? By whom? http://www.virtuallyconnecting.org @VConnecting
- 17. @VConnecting Join us! This conference: http://bit.ly/OER16VC Join the buddy team www.virtuallyconnecting.org/join-us
- 18. Your Ideas: ● Finding VC Onsite ● How to be more inclusive? Contribute your thoughts Padlet: https://padlet.com/suebecks/VConnecting Twitter: #OER17VC @VConnecting
Editor's Notes
- There are several paradoxes that we are uncovering around VC in terms of inclusion. These may point to VC as a more complex approach to learning than traditional approaches. Paradoxes abound in complex systems and I am adverse to the idea that all paradoxes need to be (or even can be) resolved. To resolve a paradox is to destroy one side of the equation when both may be of value. The option to not resolve the paradox and allow the tension to persist can have advantages. If possibility of resolving a paradox exists it does not mean that it is probable or realistic and in such cases there can be resolve found in being explicit about what side of the paradox you wish to exist.
- We have often been criticized for being a community. For knowing and liking one another. Some say this camaraderie can be intimidating for some, hindering our ability to bring in new people, while at the same time it is something that holds us together. I would suggest that this is a paradox that we would like to resolve, however, solving is not possible. There is a hard truth here about inclusivity in that we are not going to be everyone’s cup of tea. To resolve such a paradox I would suggest explicit articulation about the identity of the community that we are trying to foster in an attempt to be clear about what side of the paradox we are on.
- VC uses “stars” to generate interest in conversations that we host - at the same time - VC is an assault on the idea of stardom because of “high stakes” joining; informality is a threat to the idea of a polished brand. Some of our work around explicitly articulating our identity in the focus groups had to do with “dismantling privilege”. If we are to adopt this language as a core value (perhaps modifying the manifesto) I would suggest that this paradox does not need to be resolved. That the “stars” can serve as a plus in hospitality while at the same time being vulnerable to show their unpolished and more human sides could fit nicely with a call to dismantle privilege.
- https://youtu.be/1uDB0IeUzwo Kind of ironic that those who are not onsite are talking about the onsite experience :-)
- It;s in your hands