Lions and tigers and _isms, OH MY!

Here it is, week 7 of my Instructional Design course.  I look back at what I knew before I began learning about _isms, not-quite-_isms, and the people who came up with these learning theories.  In this course, I didn’t learn a whole lot more about how I learn, but I am better able to talk about how people learn.  I came to this course with an inherent knowledge of learning styles, but now I can put a name to the different learning theories and learning styles.

I found it quite interesting to learn about multiple intelligences, particularly the fact that everyone has some level of each intelligence.  It is important to nurture various intelligences, especially those that are less developed.

Growing up in the 90’s, I saw technology slowly move into my education.  It started as a way to do research and write reports.  Now it has encompassed my entire learning environment at Walden University.  Communication, data storage… it’s indispensable to my online learning experience.

How I Learn

When I am seeking information about something work-related, such as electricity or energy efficiency, the first thing I do is turn to a coworker to see if they have already researched the topic.  I have learned a great deal of information from my coworkers.  Often times, one of us will then seek more information on the internet.  If I am wondering about something relatively foreign, one thing I like to do is start with a Google search.  This usually brings up a Wikipedia article that I can use to learn key phrases to help me better formulate my question.  For work, I do a lot of research on websites such as Department of Energy, Energy Information Administration, and Canada’s Energy Kids site.  I have grown to trust these sites for their data and factual information.

Once I have figured out the answer to my question, or at least learned a bit more, I will typically tell my coworker(s) about my findings.  We tend to spend a good deal of time bouncing ideas back and forth, seeing if the new information makes sense and how it applies to our work.  I also usually write an email to all the people on our staff (there are only six of us!) describing what I have learned.  Since we are teaching kids about energy efficiency and electricity, it helps to share in this way.  You never know what a student may ask, so more pertinent knowledge is a good thing!

When I compare what I just wrote to the basic principles of connectionism (Davis et al., 2008), I see many parallels.  For example, when I discuss issues with my coworkers, I am learning by hearing about their different experiences and opinions.  That being said, I do not rely wholly on people for my learning, as my own experiences have been a powerful learning resource.  I am constantly learning about new connections between different topics – energy and the environment, for example – and trying to impart those connections to my students, too.  As mentioned before, I am constantly learning new information.  We all see technology changing before our eyes, but what also changes is our understanding of different topics.  To be a life-long learner is to continually evaluate one’s prior knowledge as it pertains to new information learned.

Resources

Davis, C, Edmunds, E, & Kelly-Bateman, V. (2008). Connectivism. In M. Orey (Ed.), Emerging perspectives on learning, teaching, and technology. Retrieved 11 October 2010, from http://projects.coe.uga.edu/epltt/.

My Learning Connections

In reflecting on connectivism, I have been thinking about the different ways I go about learning new information.  I have identified three main avenues: people, technology, and printed media.  Below is a mind map that I created to illustrate my learning connections.