Course reflection

For the past ten years I have worked as a high school teacher.  On a daily basis I have been challenged to apply learning theories to my instruction.  It has been some time since I have had to focus extensively on the theory of learning and I have learned a number of things that I hope to incorporate into current and future learning experiences I will design.

      Although I have taken classes in the past on learning theory, it was an enjoyable experience to revisit some of the theories and to expand my awareness of newer theories.  The concept of connectivism stands out as being new and striking about how people learn.  I appreciated the concept that people learn through the networks they are connected to since learning does not take place in a vacuum.  (Davis, Edmunds, & Kelly-Bateman, 2008)  In the past ten years since I did my undergraduate training to prepare me for a career in education much has changed regarding technology.  Connectvism describes how many learners get their information from many different areas of their learning network and then create meaning.  As a future instructional designer I feel that learning how to connect to learners through their technological networks will be an important and marketable skill in education.

      Connectivism also has made an impact on my own learning process by creating a framework that explains how I learn has changed.  My previous learning experiences often have centered on going to someone or somewhere and then have information imparted to me.  The concept of a learning network made a lot of sense because it defined something that I was already using in more concrete terms.  In future learning experiences I take part in I will be more conscious of the different parts of my own personal learning network.

      Motivation is a key aspect of learning.  Regardless of the learning theory or learning style of the learner, motivation needs to be taken into account.  If motivation is not addressed it is possible that the learning outcomes will not be met regardless of theory or style of the learner.  For adult learners, previous experiences and usefulness of the material is important.  (Conlan, Grabowski, & Smith 2003)  I was struck by how similar adult learners can be to teen aged learners in these two regards.  Although teen aged learners may not have the same depth of previous experiences, they come into a classroom with many preconceived notions about topics that can be used to scaffold further learning on, although in some cases the previous knowledge they have is incomplete or incorrect.  Like adults, teens become more motivated when learning is tied into things they find useful.

      In the future this course can serve as a base of knowledge to design future learning experiences around.  I have always felt that the benefit in learning theory is to be able to apply it seamlessly in a transparent nature.  An instructional designer needs a solid framework in how people learn in order to create learning experiences.  In my experience as a high school classroom teacher, it is not the content that is necessarily the challenge to deliver, but the delivery itself.  This class will be useful in helping decide how to teach material and to who it is being taught, since the “what” to teach can change from job to job.

References

Davis, C., Edmunds, E., & Kelly-Bateman, V. (2008). Connectivism. In M. Orey (Ed.), Emerging perspectives on learning, teaching, and technology. Retrieved October 30, 2011 from http://projects.coe.uga.edu/epltt/index.php?title=Connectivism.

Conlan, J., Grabowski, S., & Smith, K. (2003). Adult learning. In M. Orey (Ed.), Emerging perspectives on learning, teaching, and technology. Retrieved October 30, 2011from http://projects.coe.uga.edu/epltt/index.php?title=Adult_Learning.

Fitting the Pieces Together-Week 7

After analyzing the major learning theories in this class my view on how we learn has not changed much in regards to the big three of behaviorism, cognitivism, and constructivism.  Newer learning theories regarding adult learning, social learning, and connectivism appeal to me since they strive to explain how we can learn successfully using technology and connections with others.

These three theories explain my own personal learning experiences today.  As an adult leaner I appreciated the emphasis on differentiating instruction for adults based on their life experience, their motivations, and making sure instruction is relevant and usable in their professional or personal lives.  Social learning theory and connectivism are related because they focus on finding meaning from our connections.  During my time working at Walden I have often  found inspiration and help by reading discussion responses from other peers.  Although we are not physically in the same room collaborating together, there is still a sense of group meaning being created.

The integration of technology to search, create and record information in my learning is becoming seamless.  Whether it is working in my home office, doing a discussion reply from my laptop away from home or organizing my work load from my mobile, technology has become how things get done.  While constructing my learning network I considered making each part of my network a different size to reflect how much I rely on that section.  If I had done that, the part of my network representing technology would have been the largest.

During this course I noticed how often I utilize a digital projector in class to stream media clips or have my students go to a particular website in order to gain access to visuals and information.  At my previous job I had an in class projector, but I had to go to a computer lab for student computer access.  At my current job I have small class sizes and ten computers in the room.  The transition from direct, traditional instruction to the technology is seamless and quick.  I have always strived to use technology to bring learning experiences to myself and my students.  This course helped create some terminology to label things and has given me an opportunity to reflect on how to design better learning experiences in the future.

Reflection on my learning network

Central to connectivism is the belief that people learn through the networks they are connected to in order to obtain knowledge.  To analyze my learning network I divided it into internal, external, technology and learning tools and life experience.

My network has changed the way I have learned, especially as an adult and a professional.  The technology and learning tools section of my network is very important to me today.  As a child, organized learning took place at a school where I physically went to in order to receive instruction and to access the tools I needed to learn.  My college experience was similar to that as well.  Today, I am learning as part of an online community.  Many of the tools I use are accessed through the internet using a computer.  The interactions I have with my peers are also facilitated through technology as well.

The internet is the main digital tool needed to facilitate my learning today and it is also the first tool I turn to when I need to answer questions in order to gain new knowledge.  Without it I would be cut off from my access to information and the ability to communicate with my peers.  It also allows a certain amount of instant gratification regarding my learning.  If I want to work on something right now with the internet I can simply sign on and work.  Traditional methods would require planning to travel to a research library or to arrange a face to face meeting with a peer.  It does not matter what time of day, or how long I have to work, the internet facilitates it.

Connectivism believes we learn through our connections and I feel my network supports that.  Although technology is a huge part of my network, it does not do everything for me.  My life experience provides ways to apply new knowledge to prior learning.  Personal, professional and family connections allow me to talk about my learning and to gain different insights into my current learning.  Finally, my internal motivations to learn and to better my career opportunities drive my learning network.  Without the internal motivation the network would not be able to support my learning.

Connectivism

A quick summary of my learning network.