In May, I attended my first Networked Learning Conference hosted by the Networked Learning Consortium and held at the University of Malta, Valletta Campus. I have heard great things about this conference and have enjoyed accessing the conference proceedings for several years now.
Together with my colleagues, Elizabeth Childs and Michelle Harrison, we designed a workshop in which we hoped for an interactive and highly participatory session. The workshop ended up being on the first day following the keynote which was great, as we wanted to get people engaging and interacting with each other as part of our plan. Our session included music, a liberating structure activity, Rubik’s Cubes as props, and student interview data for analysis. Overall, I was very happy with the session and would like to evolve it for offer again at another venue.
The conference brought together a highly interesting group of researchers and a rigorous program full of very interesting research. I will hope to attend the next Networked Learning Conference in 2026, as the conference is on a two-year cycle.
The challenges and opportunities to learning in the making through dialogue in networked spaces: A reflection framework for encouraging diverse perspectives
Michael Paskevicius, Elizabeth Childs, Michelle Harrison
Session Abstract
In this workshop we will recognize two key challenges to fostering rich, reflective, and inclusive dialogue in networked learning environments. First, the challenge of providing scaffolds to prompt reflection and create safe spaces that encourage learners to consider unfamiliar and diverse positionalities and think outside their current frame of reference. Second, the challenge of how and where to host such discussions when learning in networked spaces that prioritize ownership, inclusivity, and open sharing.