VConnecting

The reading for this week was very informative on the dynamics involved in equity in our new world of living in a virtual world.  It was eye opening to see how many potential barriers can get in the way of offering a fair opportunity for people from all different kinds of backgrounds and situations to take place in these new conferences, and to see the steps that are taken by those who are responsible for putting the conference on.  The concept of VConnecting isn’t necessarily new, but it is refined in how we approach equity in these contexts.  It is a step forward when we consider what Bonnie Stewart claims about academia early in the reading.  “Scholarship has never been particularly open to the public.”  I agree with her in the sense that it has always kind of felt like this is an exclusive undertaking with several barriers and filters to procure certain individuals.  The co-authors of this reading did an exceptional job in  explaining what the gaps are and the steps that can be taken to help shrink them to a point where there is a true sense of equity, or at the very least, remove the feeling that it is a system intentionally leaving people out.  For instance, when they talk about how there needs to be a consideration for those who are attending remotely and maybe their internet connection is faulty, or the simple, those who are physically attending together do not always take into consideration or show true care for those who are joining from somewhere else.  This is where they have to make all of the considerations for facilitating such a conference as well.  A large part of that is creating a sense of community for all to be involved in.  I will leave it here and look forward to all of the discussion in class this week!  See you then!