October 5th – October 11th
How diverse is your existing PLN?
My existing PLN is very diverse. We were assigned groups by our Professor, and he effectively curated a network that consists of a diverse group of individuals taking this class. I was born and raised in Calgary. Three of my group members are from various parts of China. One group member speaks French, and one is from Victoria. Our various backgrounds and upbringings allow us to present new ideas and perspectives on topics. In my personal life, I am actively working towards collaborating with more people outside of my close friend group. One area of my life that I am able to do this is in my work. I work part time at Lululemon and I have been exposed to a very diverse demographic through this opportunity.
In your PLN, are you learning from a variety of voices or are you the loudest in the room?
In my PLN I feel that I am constantly learning, both with regards to this course as well as in my own personal life. I do feel that I am able to actively contribute to share my learnings as well, although I am hopeful that I do not overshadow anybody when I am providing my perspective. I have been working on listening more and talking less, which has proved more difficult that I anticipated, although I continue to try!
Do you participate in a silo of information sharing (similar themes or wide-range of interests)?
Within my PLN in EDCI338 I feel that we have yet to have many active discussions on the course content, and we seem to have a very wide range of interests that may not coincide with one another. Group members are in a variety of programs within UVic and some of these are quite different – for example I am in Health Information Sciences, while some group members are in economics. While I am sure they are fascinated with their major, I have little interest in it because I find it confusing and do not enjoy doing math. I would argue that many of the group members are unaware of what Health Informatics is and therefore may not have any interest in my program. I look forward to actively participating in discussion with my PLN in the upcoming weeks.
How can you use a diverse PLN to broaden your views of inclusion?
There are various ways that I believe my PLN can be used to broaden my views of inclusion. The first is through reading others blog posts and understanding their perspective that I may not have previously considered. Having a group that is from different places, different genders, socioeconomic status’ and programs is of benefit in this situation. We are able to see many perspectives which encourage inclusion as all perspectives are welcome and respected. As described by Shelley Moore and Leyton Schnellert, inclusion is not just a place and time (2017). This is important to consider with my PLN because we are not sharing a physical space or real time with one another, it is asynchronous. Despite this, there is still the ability to encourage inclusion.Â
What is the learning outcome of your PLN and how are you ensuring your exposure to diversity and inclusion?
The learning outcome of my PLN is to discuss issues and perspectives on various topics provided by Professor Miller. My goal of using this is to be exposed to as many perspectives as possible. I am ensuring ym exposure to diversity and inclusion within this course through actively reading and responding to blog posts of others and trying to facilitate conversations with others in the chat room that we have. In my own life I have taken steps to ensure I am exposed to diversity and inclusion through working for Lululemon as they place a significant amount of emphasis on this (lululemon, 2020).Â
How has your thinking about inclusion and PLN evolved after reviewing the videos and readings?
My thinking about inclusion and diversity has evolved as a result of the materials provided in this week’s schedule. As I have no formal education in inclusion and diversity, I learned a lot about what it means to be inclusive and what diversity actually means. Somebody that was studying for example sociology may have prior (formal) knowledge on this topic. I feel that I am constantly learning and I am grateful for this eye opening experience. When reading One Without the Other: Stories of Unity Through Diversity and Inclusion (2017) I was surprised in the introduction when she showed images of what “Inclusion” looks like and then argued that it was not accurate. I had a similar experience to Shelley because I was confused initially. I think the discussion between Shelley and Jesse also provided some enlightenment as I would not have previously considered people that were oppressed when discussing inclusion. It is important to ensure that everybody is included and their ideas are being heard. Had I not listened to that discussion, I would not have considered that to be a significant aspect of inclusion.
References
Diversity & Inclusion at Work and in our Communities. (2020). Retrieved October 10, 2020, from https://shop.lululemon.com/story/inclusion-diversity-equity-action
Moore, S., & Schnellert, L. (2017). Introduction & Part 1: What Is Inclusion? Debunking the Myths. In One without the other: Stories of unity through diversity and inclusion (pp. 6-12). Winnipeg, Manitoba: Portage & Main Press
Hey Leah,
You made some great points about inclusivity in your blog post. I especially liked the part where you said you were working on talking less and listening more. I think listening is such an important skill that many of us need to work on! Listening is also, like you said, a big part of being inclusive as all voices at the table need to be heard.
Great post this week!