A Conversation about Diversity with Carlos E. Cortés
Professor Emeritus of History – University of California, Riverside
carlos.cortes@ucr.edu

Let’s talk about Limits.

On June 28, 2010, in the case of Christian Legal Society v. Martinez, the U. S. Supreme Court voted 5-to-4 to uphold the right of the University of California’s Hastings College of the Law to deny official recognition to a student organization, the Christian Legal Society (CLS). Hastings’ action had barred CLS from access to state funding and use of school facilities.

Albert Einstein recommended, “Make everything as simple as possible, but not simpler.”  So here’s the issue in a simple non-lawyer’s nut-shell.

Hastings has a nondiscrimination code for student organizations.  The national Christian Legal Society requires members to sign an agreement to refrain from “a sexually immoral lifestyle,” which includes having sex outside of heterosexual marriage.  The upshot is that this requirement excludes gays and lesbians, ergo discrimination.  When Hastings refused to recognize the local CLS chapter, the organization took Hastings to court.

The Supreme Court could have ruled in favor of the CLS’ right of free association.  Or it could have ruled in favor of Hastings’ written nondiscrimination policy.  It did neither.  Rather it punted, which is why the ruling’s fall-out may go on and on and on.

Instead the Court ruled in favor of Hastings on much narrower grounds –- that it had an “all-comers” policy, meaning that recognized student organizations had to accept all students who wanted to join, which CLS was not willing to do.  To the court majority, this policy was OK because it was “viewpoint neutral.”

Principles in Collision

I’m not a lawyer, so I won’t comment on the legal issues involved.  Obviously they are complex enough to provoke deep division within the court.

But as a diversity specialist, I find this case to be extremely significant precisely because it pits hallowed diversity principles against each other.  And it exposes a slippery-slope topic studiously avoided in many diversity discussions –- the issue of when, how, and why to set Limits . . . to almost any diversity principle.

I’ve been addressing the Limits Dilemma for two decades in my diversity talks and workshops.  Yet it’s also something that I find many diversity advocates unwilling to face head on.

Things were simple back in the good old days of the Civil Rights Movement.  Our moral compass was clear.  Eliminate racism.  Down with sexism.  End segregation.  Simple enough.

But over the decades, diversity stuff has become more complicated, particularly when diversity principles collide.  The Greek philosopher, Epictetus, argued that you must go beyond developing a moral compass.  You also need to learn how to apply that compass to the map of the world, with its messy complexities.

Consider some of the general principles espoused by diversity proponents like me, principles that collided in the Hastings-CLS situation:

• support for full inclusion.
• opposition to discrimination.
• the richness of multiculturalism, including the right –- even the benefit –- of people creating and maintaining affinity groups based on common identities.
• respect for groups with varied sets of beliefs and values, sometimes referred to as cultures.
• the importance of multi-perspectivism, such as learning to understand (not necessarily accept or tolerate) the perspectives of others, including group perspectives with which you may deeply disagree.
• the need to be responsive to group differences, not just individual ones, rather than championing one-size-fits-all “solutions.”

The Limits Dilemma

Because these principles clashed in the Hastings-CLS case, whatever the Court did, its decision would have inevitably set Limits by elevating some diversity principles over others in this specific instance.  Most post-decision reactions, however, have tended to gloss over this dilemma.

Backers of the decision tend to laud the Court’s support for Hastings’ “neutral” all-comers position, even as some rued the Court’s unwillingness to address the written nondiscrimination code.  This reminds me of Mark Twain’s comment, when talking to a friend who claimed that he was “neutral” on a controversial issue.  Responded Twain, “Then whom are you neutral against?”  The Supreme Court supported neutrality against the Christian Legal Society, a victory for “one size fits all.”

In contrast, some opponents have framed the Hastings decision as the approval of a secular institution that was stomping on people of faith.  Wait a minute!  People of faith didn’t form a united front on this case.  For example, while the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops and Orthodox Jewish organizations supported the CLS, the Association of Jesuit Colleges and Universities and Reform Jewish organizations supported Hastings.  Absent some tortuous logic that manages to exclude Jesuits and Reform Jews from people of faith, that framing doesn’t hunt.

So the Hastings-CLS case involves competing diversity imperatives: anti-discrimination vs. respect for cultural differences; full inclusion vs. support for affinity groups.  Platitudes and moral pieties won’t help us engage the complex ethical challenges that arise when diversity principles clash and force us –- as institutions and as individuals –- to determine organizational and personal Limits.

Challenges for Student Affairs

Here are a few considerations for Student Affairs professionals.

• The Court’s decision was narrow, particularly its refusal to rule on Hastings’ more-elaborated written nondiscrimination policy, including the Limits it placed on individual organizations.  This means that we’ll have to await future nondiscrimination code cases, some of which are already coming down the pike.
• An “all-comers” policy might “work” in a law school, but it’s trickier at the undergraduate level where, for example, fraternities and sororities select their members.  What about a women’s choral society or a Muslim student association or a sports club for those with disabilities?
• Some campuses might wish to form work groups involving Student Affairs professionals, diversity experts, and legal counsel to conduct an ongoing review of current practices and written policies, while also discussing their future implications and possible unintended consequences, including the Limits Dilemma.
• When discussing complex diversity issues, we all need to be wary of holier-than-thou posturing.  That also means refraining from demonizing people with whom we disagree and positions which we oppose.

Student Affairs professionals are going to need to strengthen their analytical “multicultural muscles” –- their ability to think through and make tough decisions in situations where laudable diversity principles collide.  Traditional awareness training, multicultural abstractions, and rhetoric about privilege and social justice won’t suffice.  We need a new generation of applied diversity training that helps professionals address the Limits Dilemma by testing conflicting diversity principles through complex real-world issues.

So let’s thank Hastings, the Christian Legal Society, and the Supreme Court for, however unintentionally, bringing us to this important multicultural crossroads.  Let’s also hope it leads to more nuanced, less strident, diversity discussions.

I’d like to hear your thoughts about this case and about Limits.

Guest Blogger: Angelica Quicksey, Campus Liaison for Claremont McKenna College

In a 2007 New York Times article, Thomas Friedman, author of The World is Flat, called green the “new red, white, and blue.”  He claimed that environmental awareness and activism has become a central topic on Main Street but that we, particularly my generation, still need a greater understanding of and commitment to truly being green.

Start a Green Initiative on your Campus!

On the contrary, the green movement has been gaining momentum on college campuses around the nation for some years now, and today it continues to grow stronger. The next generation is in fact doing more than ever before to create a greener campus and graduating students carry this ideology into the world.

Since its introduction in 2006, 657 institutions have signed the American Colleges and University Presidents Climate Commitment. These institutions have agreed to completing an emissions inventory, creating an action plan and target date for becoming climate neutral, and taking immediate steps to reduce greenhouse gas emissions.

Often times, such commitment does not stem from the president’s office but originates among student’s themselves. Most schools have environmental clubs, which spearhead many of the initiatives taken at their respective institutions. Going tray-less in dining halls; reducing energy and water use in dorms; bike sharing programs; these are only a few examples of the slew of environmental-friendly activity that is taking place on college campuses around the U.S.

In addition to these more standard methods, some students have taken more creative approaches:
•    Students at the University of Cincinnati for example, set up an entire farmers market on their campus to promote local food.
•    Claremont McKenna Students took a particularly interesting approach and hosted a party called “Save the Ales,” in hopes of having a positive impact on the decrease in hops growth due to global warming.

Indeed, students play a vital role in increasing the movement to “Go Green.” Beyond these examples, students participate in panels to give long-term direction to their campuses. Such plans integrate sustainability into long-range models for campus development. Today, as campuses continue to grow, build, and expand, Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED) Certification seems to be almost an epidemic. Such commitment to sustainable structures on campuses serves to show that students not only have a dedication to a green present, but a sustainable future.

Image originally found at UCSB Sustainability.

Guest Blogger: Ashley Noel, Campus Liaison for the University of Wisconsin at Stout

Students can use the Netter's Anatomy Flashcards iPhone App to study for an exam!

Not just a fad, iPhones are rapidly proving themselves to be a successful tool for students in the classroom. Introduced back in Summer of 2007, Apple’s new and innovative cell phone was quickly named “Invention of the Year” by Time Magazine.

In an article written by Simmi Aujla, Abilene Christian University gave an iPhone to every first-year student in 2008 to increase the quality of communication between students and professors. Students admitted to using the technology at least once a day for their school work. Executive Vice President of the University had nothing but rave reviews on the students behalf for the new program. In addition, it was acknowledged that with the given time frame of how new the program is, there is not enough conclusive data to prove that the success rate of students has risen; but that the first step of getting students enthused has been accomplished.

As a devout BlackBerry user, I had to investigate further as to what applications the iPhone offers that would benefit students such as myself. Mental Case, an interactive application that begins with a Mac computer, allows flashcards to be created and synced to your device. I can see this application being most popular, as this is a great tool to cram in the last bit of studying while riding the never-ending bus ride to school.  Record a Lecture is a fantastic way to share class lectures with your fellow absent peers; another app feature allows the recording to be sent via email. Lastly, iHomework, is an assignment calendar allows you to stay organized using your iPhone and eliminates the need to carry around the obnoxious day-planner. This application allows the user to stay on top of deadlines by sorting assignments by day, week, and specifically by course.

iPhone is currently skimming the surface with all of the opportunities to reach the student demographic and to add value to the education system.  In my opinion, Apple is off to an incredibly engaging start!  Check out more Apps for Students!

Michael Coomes, Ed.D.

I have had the privilege of knowing, learning from, and working with Dr. Mike Coomes for 2 and a half years now. Mike was my graduate school adviser for the College Student Personnel master’s degree program. The scope of what I learned from Mike is not easily stated because of his years of experience, dedication, and passion for college student development and higher education.  He brings to every conversation a fountain of knowledge that informs all those who encounter Mike. It cannot be denied or disputed that Mike is seen as a preeminent scholar and leading figure within the Student Affairs community and that is why I asked him to take part in a Q & A session regarding a varying range of topics. These include: the evolution of higher education, the importance of student involvement, and the use of technology to help in the management and facilitation of all of this.

This is the first part in a two part series, with the second set of questions and answers to be posted within the next few weeks.

· Please tell us a little about yourself.
I am currently an Associate Professor and the Chair of the Higher Education and Student Affairs Department at Bowling Green State University (BGSU). I have been a faculty member at BGSU since 1986. I hold a BA in Education from Western Washington University (Belllingham, WA) and an Ed.D. from Indiana University (Bloomington, IN). Prior to doing my graduate work I was the Director of Financial Aid at St. Martin’s University (Lacey, WA) and Seattle University. I have also taught 7th & 8th grade language arts. My scholarly interests include the history and philosophy of the student affairs profession and the generational characteristics of college students. I am married and the father of two adult children, one a BGSU graduate and the other a current student at BGSU.

· How has higher education changed during the time you’ve been involved in the field?
As someone who tends to take the long-view (befitting a faculty member with an interest in history), I believe in the adage that “the more things change, the more they stay the same.” The fundamental aspects of higher education in the United States are relatively timeless and include the quest for knowledge; facilitating the growth, development, and learning of students; and maintaining a place that is an important cultural institution. Having said that, there are changes, including:

(1) The growth of new student populations, most specifically adult learners (students age 23 and above) and students of color. The college campus is much more diverse than it was in 1973 and will become increasingly diverse in the future.

(2) In keeping with its role to respond to changing societal conditions, the curriculum of the university has become more extensive. New areas of inquiry and new majors (e.g., environmental studies, women’s studies, photochemistry, hazardous waste management) abound.

(3) The means of learning have changed. While much teaching is still done through “sage on the stage” pedagogies, new technologies, new philosophies of learning, and new approaches to teaching have made the learning experience deeper and more interesting. From totally on-line universities like the University of Phoenix to blended courses offered at most colleges, students are availing themselves of a wide-range of learning modalities. Perhaps more importantly, a new vision of education has emerged. This vision puts student success at the center of the educational enterprise and is predicated on the belief that constructing knowledge with students in more effective than simply asking students to memorize and regurgitate facts.

(4) Colleges have become less distinctive and more similar. Statewide mandates, federal legal requirements, and accrediting board standards, have forced colleges to adhere to similar sets of expectations. Those expectations have resulted in a homogenization of institutional processes and purposes.

(5) Policy makers at the institutional, state, and federal level have abrogated their responsibility for making college affordable and assessable. In the 1970s, in an attempt to broaden participation in student aid programs to the middle-class, the burden of financing was shifted from public to individual resources. In the past 30 years, this has resulted in a shift from funding education through grants and scholarships to student loans. Coupled with increasing costs (According to the College Entrance Examination Board, since 1979, average, public, 4-year tuition has increased by 222% in constant 2009 dollars. For the same period, private, 4-year tuition has increased by 178%), the redirection of financial aid is making it very difficult (if not impossible) for low- and lower, middle-class students to afford a college education.

· What are some of the challenges facing higher education today?
The obvious one is linked to #5 above—it is the combination of increased cost coupled with decreasing federal, state, and external financial support for higher education. The recent recession has played havoc with all state budgets and that has impacted public college and many private college budgets. Until other revenue streams can be developed, the public college will find it increasingly difficult to meet its social responsibilities.
 
I also believe that, even though a college education is still a large part of the American dream, we are at a low-point in public support for education in general, and college education in particular. This may be part of a large skepticism about public institutions, but regardless of the reason, that lack of public support is resulting in budgetary tentativeness at the state level—tentativeness that is having deleterious effects on higher education.

· Can technology play a role in alleviating some of those problems?
Many problems can only be solved with the application of technology. However, all new technologies come with unanticipated costs. The advent of the automobile gave people much greater mobility; it opened up new ways of interacting, new ways of doing business, and new forms of recreating. That said, it has also led to environmental degradation, the decline of urban centers, a sense of personal disconnection, and an increase in accidental death rates. In informally doing the cost-benefit analysis of automobile usage, most people would say the benefits outweigh the costs—that doesn’t make the costs disappear, however.

When technology is applied to education, most people think of how computer-mediated environments can make the provision of education more effective and efficient. Frequently, this assumption is grounded in an understanding of student learning that sees learning as the transmission of knowledge from sender to receiver. While computer-mediated learning environments can be much richer than this (I can see a future where SecondLife has morphed into something akin to the Starship Enterprise’s holodeck), as I noted above, we have rethought how students learn best, and computer mediated environments may not be particularly adept at fostering the construction of knowledge. I do not believe the computer (the next generation of technology) will replace bricks and mortar colleges. I believe this for no other reason than colleges play an important maintenance function. The national culture is not prepared to have young adults (i.e., traditional-aged students) on their own nor are most parents inclined to have their children stay at home longer than necessary. Residential colleges provide useful holding areas for young adults to develop a wide-range of personal and inter-personal skills.

· Should technology play a role in alleviating some of those problems?
If it does not, then it is part of the problem.

College Funding is Possible for Anyone!

Guest Blogger: Whitney McGinnis, OrgSync Campus Liaison

Many young people are probably asking themselves, “How am I going to afford to go to college in this global financial crisis that we are in?” The more important question to ask is, “How can I NOT afford to go to college?” When the economy settles it will be more important than ever to have a college degree.

Lots of students think that college is too expensive and out of reach, but that’s where things such as scholarships, grants, and financial aid loans come into the picture. I have a lot of friends who are paying for college without any assistance from their parents, and say that it took a bit more effort to find the grants and scholarships, but that it is totally worth it.

It is important to compare cost of attendance (COA) when choosing which college you can afford to attend:

1. Look for the school’s total COA—which includes tuition, fees, room, board, books, travel, and miscellaneous living expenses. This information will be located on the institution’s website or at their financial aid office.
2. Make sure you are not given the total “direct costs,” which only accounts for tuition, fees, room, and board. Federal law requires schools to make their official total cost of attendance available to students.
3. You may want to subtract your grants and scholarships from the COA to see how much money you will contribute to your COA either out-of-pocket or with student loans and if this amount is feasible. Your prospective college’s financial aid office will help you with the math if you have any problems.

So, how can you pay for college? According to a study by US News, almost 87% of college students have some sort of Aid (scholarships, grants, or financial aid) to help them pay for school, with the largest majority of aid coming from federal financial aid.
How does a student choose which type of aid is right for them? Start by:

1. Filling out a FAFSA form (Free Application for Federal Student Aid; http://www.fafsa.ed.gov/ ), to gain access to many unknown scholarships and grants.
2. Check with your school or University’s financial aid office to gain information about scholarships and grants that may be available to you by the school.
3. Talk with your school guidance counselor about scholarships they might know about. Many times community groups will have a scholarship set up that students are not aware of and the money goes unused.
4. Search the Internet for possible scholarships or grants.

Remember that there are people and institutions who want to give money away, you just have to be willing to put in the time to do the research, fill out the application, and write a few essays, (essays you can possibly utilize for multiple applications.)

Almost anyone will tell you that the expense of college is worth the benefits. This is my Cost of Attendance per semester:

Tuition :$2,000
Books: $500
Room & Board: $3,000
Lab Fees: $125
Miscellaneous: $500
Lessons learned, friends made, & experiences gained : PRICELESS

Guest Blogger: LaRoun Tolbert; OrgSync Campus Liaison for Bowling Green University.

Every year the world is continuing to advance itself and becoming more fast paced. People have become so accustomed to life on the web, we are technological people and our main source of connectivity is via the internet. Meeting up virtually eliminates many barriers and is beneficial for people and the environment.

Online Virtual Meetings are Green & Efficient.

Virtual Meetings Reduce Corporate Expenses
Introducing online conferencing into a company’s program could reduce costs tremendously. For example, meeting virtually can:
• Eliminate the cost of catering and other amenities provided at conferences
• Help large national corporations or national causes cut travel expenses necessary for internal strategic meetings

Virtual Meeting Help Faculty and Administration Become More Efficient
Faculty and Administration can also benefit from meeting virtually and manage office hours easier. They have the option of:
• Holding video conferences with several students at a time to make general meetings more efficient
• Keeping communication open with commuter students by conveniently meeting online

Virtual Meeting are Environmentally Friendly
E-conferences facilitate environmentally friendly or “green” initiatives by:
• Lowering car usage and gas emission into the air by reducing travel
• Increasing sustainability efforts by saving paper and money on handouts that are available online

Now and the Years to Come
Meeting virtually will be without doubt the way of the future. Generation Y will soon be out of college and enter the workforce; this generation was practically raised on the internet. With that said, online activity will pick up speed like a snowball coming down a mountain, thus increasing our efficiency and our contributions to green causes.

Guest Blogger: Jeff Lail is the Assistant Student Center Manager of the Brower Student Center at the College of New Jersey. His position integrates student center management as well as student activities and programming. You can read more of his work at the Student Affairs Collaborative blog as well as his personal blog.

Will Social Media be used to increase student learning outcomes?

We’ve heard a lot of discussion lately in student affairs about whether or not our departments would benefit from using technology and if we should use it to assist us in accomplishing department goals. These are all very important topics to discuss, especially when considering venturing into the scary world of social media

Web 2.0, popularly called social media, provides our students with an amazing opportunity to share themselves and what they do with literally the entire world. This can provide multiple benefits to their lives, from connecting them with other people of like interests to building their professional networks. Not to mention the intrinsic benefits of practicing their writing, building their communication skills by keeping up with old friends and new friends, or trying out a new area such as photography and sharing these attempts with the world.

Most of the education on Web 2.0 and social media taught on campus is, “Don’t post this and dont say that! Or it’ll get ya in the end!” We tell our students not to post pictures of themselves on Facebook engaging in debauchery, not to say things that are offensive and not to treat the internet as a free space to do whatever they want. But in my experience, we don’t do enough to tell our students what TO do. Technology should never be a burden but instead should be a tool to improve productivity and get the maximum worth for our efforts. If this is not the case, we are either using it wrong or the technology isn’t worth our time.

I wonder if the day is upon us when we will have learning outcomes and education for our students on how to use social media to benefit their professional life. If I were to write these outcomes they might include some things like sharing your best work, finding other people with similar interests through Twitter and pursuing your passion for photography by posting pictures on Flickr.

We are in an unprecedented time where students can impact their lives from their own home computer through social media. With any change comes significant positives and negatives, but much like OrgSync attempts, we can educate our students on how to make the most out of these new technologies instead of simply trying to scare them into not doing something wrong.

Original image of Jump on the Social Bandwagon.

Ann White

Today’s guest blogger, Ann White, works as the Web Content Coordinator at Oklahoma Christian University. She manages the content, navigation, and editing of the university’s public website, but in the past year her role has expanded to also manage the university’s social media presence.

I have been a follower of Ann and OCU on twitter for awhile, and I think she does a fabulous job of interacting with their community online.

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Institutional tweeting- now there’s a phrase the old school marketers never saw coming.  But now it’s a reality.

The beauty of this moment is that although you may be unsure in how to go about it, the fact is we all are. This is uncharted territory and we are all learning new lessons day by day.

Although there really is no one who can tell you exactly what to do, there are some fundamental guidelines that I believe will give you the framework to make your own way.

Here are my basic principles, a bit more fleshed out below:

• Have fun
• But don’t be annoying
• Interact
• Use it or lose it
• Make it up as you go along
• Be true to your school

Have fun

I work at a university I love, and because I am here 40+ hours a week, I see many of the stories and events that make this place great. Twitter gives me an outlet to share those little tidbits with others, so they can see the school through my eyes.

For example, whether it’s a video from an alumna of adorable Zambian babies wearing university apparel or a bizarre bathroom fixture that won a toilet contest, I can quickly and easily show people the little pictures that shape my point of view.

If you’re enthusiastic and sincere, it will come across and spread quickly.

Don’t be annoying

Ah yes, the annoying tweeters. Don’t be that guy (or gal).

Unless you explicitly state that you are a news source, don’t run an RSS feed through your Twitter account.

Don’t send mass or auto-direct messages.

Don’t spam tweets- multiple tweets in a row.

Don’t belabor calls to action.

Don’t re-tweet yourself word for word, multiple times in a day.

Don’t ignore basic customer service moments including replies and inquiries.

Twitter makes it very easy to dump you, and people can be fickle enough without you giving them a reason to bail.

Interact

I get a lot of great content from following those who follow the school. As a general principle, I re-follow the following categories.

1.      Real people (Sounds silly, but it’s obvious when they’re not)

2.      Other academic institutions (Great for seeing what other schools are doing)

3.      Local businesses (Good to build ties and relationships with them)

It’s always fun to re-tweet those who write about us, because it is a credible testimony to your school’s value and also is flattering to the person you re-tweet. It shows them that their opinion is important to you, and you build a positive bond.

Use it or lose it

I think this is a key difference in institutional tweeting and personal tweeting.

If you are putting time and energy (university resources) into creating quality tweets, you have to use them somewhere besides Twitter, or they will be by and large lost within an hour because of the volume of tweets.

Thankfully Twitter gives you the RSS feed, so you can run your feed through another website. Whereas a tweet may only last a short while with limited views in a follower’s tweet stream, it could last for days if run through another location.

Make it up as you go along

When I started tweeting for our university, I looked to other schools for ideas. However, there weren’t many doing it in a way that I felt would be authentically transferable to our university, so I had to improvise.

Granted, I started off rocky with infrequent tweets, boring content, little interaction. But once I decided to just dive in and try new things, the response has been great.

One example of this is OC Oldies. I have a lot of great, vintage photos from our university at my disposal, so I have started Twitpic-ing them with the hashtag #OColdies. People seem to get a kick out of it.

Don’t be afraid to try new things! Everything is a new thing right now. Embrace the freedom of it!

Be true to your school

This is the key point where Twitter is not just a hobby but becomes another outlet for your brand’s platform.

Your school has a personality, and Twitter is a place to let it shine.

Are you a large research institution? Then share stories of innovation and accomplishment.

Are you a business school? Then highlight your moguls who are rocking their industries and taking over the world.

Our school is a close knit community equipping people to serve the world in creative and powerful ways, and social media has given me a great platform to breathe live into our mission.

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Hopefully this will inspire you to take some chances and go try something new. Help us all figure out what works and what doesn’t, and share what you learn!

Kate Klingensmith

Today’s guest blogger, Kate Klingensmith, is Director of Research for Inigral, a San Francisco-based education startup company.  With a degree in Cognitive Science and four years experience with teaching high school biology and physics, Kate has a strong interest in college matriculation, technology integration in the classroom, and student engagement.  Her blog, Once a Teacher, is a record of her quest to research and collaborate with others to find ways of incorporating web 2.0 tools into both education and administration.

What is a PLN?

If I had to define what a ‘Personal Learning Network’ is, I would keep it simple and broad:

n. – the entire collection of people with whom you engage and exchange information, usually online.

Personal Learning Networks, or PLNs, have been around forever. Originally, they were your family and friends, maybe people you worked with, but as the internet and web 2.0 tools have become nearly ubiquitous, PLNs can include tons of different communities – social networking sites like Facebook, Twitter, social bookmarking tools, LinkedIn, and so many more. Basically, anyone that you interact with is apart of your PLN, whether they are social contacts, professional peers, or experts in their field. Most of the ‘learning’ takes place on-line now, because it is simple to find and connect with others with similar interests from around the world.

PLNs have immense value!

So, why bother thinking about your PLN? Whether you’re a full-time mom, a full-time administrator, or a full-time student, your PLN can be extremely interesting and helpful. The beauty of people communicating online is the ease of finding and sharing information and – if you ask for it – the group feedback that you get on ideas and projects.

Here are some ways that people are using their PLNs:
- Professional development – learn from experts in your field
- Locate free resources, such as websites and software
- Get event and marketing ideas
- Learn about new technology and how to integrate it into your role
- Find collaborative solutions
- Find interesting links to higher ed news

When you have a large group of people combing through vast amounts of information and collectively identifying the most useful, entertaining, or valuable parts, it makes a lot of sense to tap into this collective knowledge!

Build Your Own PLN

If you’re interested in expanding your PLN, here’s a directory of some of the best web 2.0 tools:

What to Expect – Stages of PLN Adoption

There are certain stages that most people seem to go through when building their PLN before settling into a comfortable niche. It may take a little time, but you’ll eventually find that a rich PLN can elevate both your personal and professional life to new heights.

If you’d like to connect with me, click here.

Cindy Royal is an assistant professor in the School of Journalism and Mass Communication at Texas State University in San Marcos.  Cindy and I met on Twitter, when I volunteered to be interviewed by one of her student bloggers during SXSW Interactive.  You can view the OrgSync SXSW interview here.  We were excited to see social media being taught in the classroom and were even more excited to help students get hands on experience using social media!

As another SXSW Interactive comes to a close, I am pleased to be asked by OrgSync to provide some of my observations from this year’s event. I have attended the festival for many years, and this was the second year that I invited a team of student bloggers to cover the event. Our coverage, including photos, videos and archives of live stream interviews can be found at www.sxtxstate.com. SXSWi is such a fantastic opportunity for students to engage with concepts we discuss in the new media concentration in which I teach at TX State University in San Marcos. It is the most important conference that I attend each year, introducing me to new ideas that will be affecting media in the future.

This year’s programming was outstanding. From impressive keynote speakers like Chris Anderson, editor of Wired and author of two important books, The Long Tail and Free, and Tony Hsieh, the CEO of the online shoe retailer Zappos to outstanding panel discussions dealing with the future of social media, trends in journalism, Web design concepts and the direction of overall online experience, SXSW once again proved that Austin is the place to be in March. Additional highlights for me included discussions by Gary Vaynerchuk of Wine Library TV and Kathy Sierra. Their enthusiasm for online endeavors is infectious and inspiring.

Overall, I think two broad themes emerged from this year’s festivities.

The first is the focus on the user experience (UX). Where five years ago content was considered king, now it’s about what your users get to do on your site. The interaction must be two-way, and it must be relevant to the communities you support. The second theme has to do with the ubiquity of social networks. In her talk entitled “The Future of Social Networks: Social Networks Will Be Like Air, ” Charlene Li explained that we are moving to a universal identity and single social graph in our usage of these networks, and that we will eventually no longer use fragmented platforms and identities. This goes beyond a mere aggregation of existing platforms and requires a few major players to emerge as focal points of this interaction.

In regard to the activity of my students at the festival, I am very proud of the work they did on the blog. I was energized by their enthusiasm coming out of panels and discussing topics, asking questions and interacting with attendees. They worked extremely hard to not only gain knowledge for themselves, but to share that knowledge in the various ways that they have learned in our program, through blogs, video, photos and social media; lots of simultaneous learning and practice. The weeks prior to SXSW included the design and development of our site, promotion via various social media platforms including Twitter (@sxtxstate) and Facebook and the creation of content in the form of previews and tech news updates relevant to SXSW topics. While this activity was supervised by me, the students were completely in charge of the direction and execution. For this, they have a lasting archive of their experiences and something they can reference in the future.

We even tested live stream capabilities by doing a live interview from the convention center each day. You can find the archive of these interviews under the Live Stream tab on the site. We met Jeff and Eric of OrgSync on Sunday, and they were kind enough to spend some time with us talking about their collaborative online campus offerings. In addition, we interviewed panelists from The New York Times and Chicago Tribune, as well as business owners who were in attendance to gain new insight into technology trends.

The SXSWi team, of which several of my former and current students are a part, put on an amazing event each year, and continue to improve with each successive year. I don’t know how they’ll top 2009, but I’m already looking forward to March 2010. If you deal with technology and media in any manner, I highly recommend attending SXSW. And, if you can stick around for the second part of the week, the music’s not too shabby either. See some of the pictures and videos I shot during some of the music showcases at www.onthatnote.com. Hope to see you in Austin next year.