{"id":5577,"date":"2025-06-15T13:10:54","date_gmt":"2025-06-15T20:10:54","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/edtechuvic.ca\/edci339\/2025\/06\/15\/blog5\/"},"modified":"2025-06-15T13:10:54","modified_gmt":"2025-06-15T20:10:54","slug":"blog5","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/edtechuvic.ca\/edci339\/2025\/06\/15\/blog5\/","title":{"rendered":"Blog#5"},"content":{"rendered":"

This week\u2019s theme revolves around accessibility, inclusion, privacy, and ethics, but what surprised me was that even \u2018open education\u2019 can lead to exclusion and harm.<\/p>\n

In Funes and Mackness\u2019s article, they make the subversive point that \u2018inclusion can sometimes become exclusion.\u2019 The article recounts the experience of a learner who was excluded from course interactions because she did not want to give her real name or reveal her identity. This made me realize that not everyone is able or willing to participate in the same way. Instead, uniform standards may oppress learners with marginalized identities.<\/p>\n

Downes\u2019s article brings a more technical perspective. He talks about how the future of OER<\/strong> is not just about open content, but also about open platforms, transparency of data, and respect for privacy. He warned that many \u201copen platforms\u201d are in fact embedded with algorithmic control and commercial motives, such as extracting learners\u2019 privacy, which poses a threat to learners\u2019 rights.<\/p>\n

At the same time, I learned about CAST\u2019s concept of Universal Design for Learning<\/strong> (UDL) and the Inclusive Design Research Center\u2019s definition of inclusive design. I was most inspired by the fact that true inclusion is not about providing a program designed for all, but about creating environments that allow for differences.\"\"<\/p>\n

These materials explored an important issue that made me begin to re-examine the seemingly positive terms of education, such as \u201copenness,\u201d \u201caccessibility,\u201d and \u201cinclusion.\u201d We often talk about \u201cmaking learning accessible to everyone,\u201d but if we ignore the differences in people\u2019s identities, languages, technological skills, and cultural backgrounds, then resources can hurt the learners.<\/p>\n

Funes\u2019 article in particular made me reflect on how I used to think that \u201creal-name interactions are more genuine and safer,\u201d but for marginalized learners (e.g., transgender, immigrants, people with anxiety disorders), such a rule can be a barrier to participation.<\/p>\n

I\u2019m also beginning to understand that ethics is not an ancillary issue to be thought about after the technology goes live, but rather a learning environment that should inform the design of the technology and allow for differences to exist.<\/p>\n

After this week\u2019s learning, I hope to do the following in my future learning and instructional design:<\/p>\n