How diverse is your existing PLN?
My current Professional Learning Network (PLN) is quite diverse. My PLN ca be broken into 3 groups. The first of which is my colleagues and classmates from my program and university. The second group is my managers, supervisors and co-workers from my previous work terms. The third group is my friends and colleagues from back home (Libya).
In your PLN, are you learning from a variety of voices or are you the loudest in the room?
In my PLN I tend to do more listening (or in this case, reading) than talking. Firstly, I like to view people’s opinions and experience and then reflect on them. I’m also not very talkative by nature, so I just tend to listen in general, unless I have something very important to add or I have lots of experience in the topic being discussed. For the most part I learn from a variety of different voices.
Do you participate in a silo of information sharing (similar themes or wide range of interests)?
I do participate in a silo for information sharing, especially those discussing new technologies coming out, and whether they will succeed or not. but once again, I mostly just listen and read rather than pitch in. That way I learn way more.
How can you use a diverse PLN to broaden your views of inclusion?
A diversified PLN can be very helpful and can broaden one’s view of inclusion by allowing the user to interact with individuals from all around the world. These individuals from around the world can have a disability but because the primary function of the PLN is information sharing, no one will care.
In your professional setting of choice, do you think inclusion is actively embraced?
My profession of choice is healthcare, as I am a health information science major. From experience, healthcare definitely emphasizes inclusion of patients. One of the universal principles of healthcare in Canada is equal accessibility to healthcare for all patients, no matter their condition, background, age, etc. However, based on my work experience, I’ve noticed that the same inclusion isn’t applied to the workforce. People with disability sometimes aren’t provided with the adequate assistance to pursue their work. I believe this is an area that must be addressed.
What is the learning outcome of your PLN and how are you ensuring your exposure to diversity and inclusion?
The learning outcomes of my PLN mainly revolve around picking up skills such as programming, project management, etc. These skills are important in the field of work I would like to go into, so I would like to grasp an adequate understanding of them from individuals of different backgrounds and experience from all over the world.
How has your thinking about inclusion and PLN evolved after reviewing the videos and readings?
My views on inclusion and diversity have definitely been improved. I’ve learned that inclusion and diversity in my PLN ca open many doors of opportunity for me, as well as provide me with people’s knowledge and experience that I am naïve to.