When reflecting on what I have learned during the duration of this course, I think back to the first week in which we were to evaluate our own learning styles. My initial response is that I am a visual learner, one who essentially learns by seeing or doing something. While I still believe that I am a visual learner to some extent, I found that I also rely heavily on the theory of connectivism, in that I learn an awful lot from my networks. I never thought of connectivism as a theory, rather I simply thought that this was the way people did things, the way it just is. In fact, I would say that my most surprising discovery is that there is a name for a way that people do things. Since technology has brought about several methods in which we can stay connected with our networks, I find it hard to imagine how I gleaned information beforehand. I have no doubt that had I drawn a mind map of my connections ten years ago, it would differ drastically from what I created a few weeks ago.
When I came into this course, I had an understanding that there were two main thought processes when it came to learning: concrete learners and abstract learners. Boy, was I in for a surprise! My mind was opened up to several learning theories and strategies that have deepened my understanding of how learners learn. I especially gained a lot of insight when delving deeper into how the brain functions and how much of an impact it has on learning. Understanding the difference between critical and creative thinkers as well as multiple intelligences and learning styles expanded my view on how better to approach learning as an instructional designer.
When thinking about the connection between learning theories, learning styles, educational technology and motivation I’d venture to say that they all go hand-in-hand. Learning theories provide a basis for better addressing different learning styles. Educational technology then allows instructors to capitalize on each individual’s learning style by offering many different methods with which to convey information. Motivation comes into play when determining what motivates students both intrinsically and extrinsically (Ormrod, Schunk and Gredler, 2008). Depending on their learning style, this can vary greatly amongst students, but this is where educational technology comes into play. Younger students understand technology better than adult learners since this is what they’ve been brought up with. For adult learners, technology may come with a learning curve, but again, technology is prevalent in most every aspect of life and cannot be ignored. Different learning styles will deal with technology better, but since there are so many options available (Smart Phones, iPads, Smart Boards, etc.) it should not be too difficult to craft a plan to incorporate some sort of technology into a lesson plan.
The information I have learned in this course will benefit my career as an instructional designer greatly. Understanding the different learning theories and then applying them with the various learning strategies provides me the ability to better prepare learning materials that will benefit the majority of the students. Add in the information gleaned from the Horizon Report (Johnson, Levine & Smith, 2009) regarding the different types of technological developments that are up and coming, one can plainly see that there are plenty of tools available in order to create effective curriculum. While I have learned quite a bit about motivation, I think that this will continue to be an issue in any curriculum. Motivation is a huge variable that can fluctuate from student to student. Addressing it in any curriculum will take some thought and require due diligence to incorporate motivating materials into the lesson plans.
In summary, this course has better equipped me to continue down the path to becoming an instructional designer. There is so much to learn, but learning about learning is an integral piece to the puzzle.
References
Johnson, L., Levine, A., & Smith, R. (2009). The Horizon Report (2009 ed.). Austin, TX: The New Media Consortium.
Ormrod, J., Schunk, D., & Gredler, M. (2009). Learning theories and instruction (Laureate custom edition). New York: Pearson.
Thursday, December 22, 2011
Sunday, December 18, 2011
Putting it all together
When I first started the Learning Theories course at Walden U., I was asked to state how I felt I learned best. My response was that I am a hands-on learner, and that I fall under the constructivist theory in that I tend to learn from my own experiences. After completing a learning matrix in which we evaluated several learning theories (behaviorist, cognitive, constructivist, social learning, connectivism and adult learning), I still think that I am a hands-on learner, but not only do I fall under the constructivist theory, but also social learning and connectivism. As Kim (2001) states, with social learners " the relationship between the people and their environment" is paramount to learning. Social learning incorporates methods that encourage and facilitate a social environment amongst peers. I am energized when I am able to learn with and amongst my peers. I enjoy hearing different points of view and then incorporating what I've learned into my everyday life. I can honestly say that learning what I have from others has allowed me to make decisions that have affected my path in life.
I think connectivism goes hand-in-hand with social learning. According to Davis, Edmonds, & Kelly-Bateman (2008), there are several principles of connectivism that state that learning and knowledge rests in the diversity of opinions, learning is a process of connecting specialized nodes of information sources and learning may reside in non-human appliances, to name a few. One of my largest connections is my social network, though my technology network is also quite large. The advent of the Internet brought about a change to most people's networks as the Internet holds so many options for networking with others. Honestly, I simply do not know how we existed without technology many years ago. It has become a major component in business, education and for personal purposes. I couldn't imagine living without my Smart phone, iPad or laptop, yet back when I was in school these items weren't on any one's road maps. Technology has definitely changed the way the entire world operates, which has added a whole new dimension to every facet to how people live.
To summarize, learning about learning has opened up my eyes firstly as to how I learn, secondly as to how others learn and how to best prepare curriculum that can hopefully meet the needs of as many different learning styles as possible.
References:
Kim, B. (2001). Social constructivism. In M. Orey (Ed.), Emerging perspectives on learning, teaching, and technology.
Davis, C., Edmunds, E., & Kelly-Bateman, V. (2008). Connectivism. In M. Orey (Ed.), Emerging perspectives on learning, teaching, and technology.
I think connectivism goes hand-in-hand with social learning. According to Davis, Edmonds, & Kelly-Bateman (2008), there are several principles of connectivism that state that learning and knowledge rests in the diversity of opinions, learning is a process of connecting specialized nodes of information sources and learning may reside in non-human appliances, to name a few. One of my largest connections is my social network, though my technology network is also quite large. The advent of the Internet brought about a change to most people's networks as the Internet holds so many options for networking with others. Honestly, I simply do not know how we existed without technology many years ago. It has become a major component in business, education and for personal purposes. I couldn't imagine living without my Smart phone, iPad or laptop, yet back when I was in school these items weren't on any one's road maps. Technology has definitely changed the way the entire world operates, which has added a whole new dimension to every facet to how people live.
To summarize, learning about learning has opened up my eyes firstly as to how I learn, secondly as to how others learn and how to best prepare curriculum that can hopefully meet the needs of as many different learning styles as possible.
References:
Kim, B. (2001). Social constructivism. In M. Orey (Ed.), Emerging perspectives on learning, teaching, and technology.
Davis, C., Edmunds, E., & Kelly-Bateman, V. (2008). Connectivism. In M. Orey (Ed.), Emerging perspectives on learning, teaching, and technology.
Sunday, December 4, 2011
Reflecting on my Mind Map
My mind map represents how my world is connected to me and how I learn. There are several factors that aid in the learning process, and each of these factors plays a very important role. For example, my work connection allows me to pay my bills and to form professonal relationships with people who share similar goals. My social connections keep me centered. The social connection also allows me to express myself and to experience many adventures. My media connections keep me informed of the world and it's surroundings, whereas my academic connection allows me to seek knowledge to better myself and to prepare myself for a field that interests me.
When thinking about how these connections have changed the way I learn, I go back to when I was in grade school and the tools we had available to us to facilitate learning. These tools would be considered rudimentary in this day and age, yet they were the best of the best at that time. "Back in the day," we used encyclopedia's to locate information. I would say that back then, learning was more of a process and you had to be patient when waiting for results. Now, with all the technology we have available to us, solutions to problems are churned out almost immediately. For me, this has drastically changed the way I learn. I have found that with more information available to me at my fingertips, I find myself researching many things that I would never have thought of before. I find that I have an unsatiable desire to simply know more. I most certainly could research this information using encyclopdia's and the like, but with the advent of the Internet, it became must easier for me to find information quickly and easily.
The tools that best facilitate learning for me now are the computer and my iPad. Both allow me to get information on demand via the Internet. My computer especially as it contains a wealth of information and allows me to pursue and develop my academic connection. Without the computer and specifically online learning, I would not be able to further my education and obtain a Master's degree. The computer especially is something that could actually be a central part of each and every one of my connections as each connection relies heavily on the use of technology of some sort.
When I have questions, I gain new knowledge by asking different people. It also depends on which area of my mind map that the question stems from. For example, if it's a question regarding work, I rely on subject matter experts to provide the information I need. If it's a question regarding course work for my graduate studies, I rely on the Walden library, the local library in my city, my peers of my professor. While I tend to turn to technology to answer most of my questions, I believe that peers, colleagues, family and friends are by far my best resource.
According to Davis, Edmunds and Kelly-Bateman (2008), at the core of connectivism is a combination of three things; the chaos theory, the importance of networks and the interplay of complexity and self-organization. The Chaos theory surmises that it is important to recognize and then adjust to pattern shifts, which then becomes a key learning task. Networks are important when it comes to sharing ideas using people, technology, and and social systems. Finally, complexity comes into play when there is a collection of interacting agents, which represent components as diverse as people. Since these interactions with such a diversity can be somewhat uncontrollable, the system eventually tends to self-organize, meaning that the interactions eventually create synergy.
When I think of my personal learning network in terms of the central tenents of connectivism, I believe it supports the tenents. Especially in terms of chaos. It is my belief that from chaos comes order. Since the world changes and shifts on a daily basis, the ability to keep up and learn from those shifts is important. My network allows me to form the proper connections that can help me to see the order through the chaos.
Reference:
Davis, C., Edmunds, E., & Kelly-Bateman, V. (2008). Connectivism. In M. Orey (Ed.), Emerging perspectives on learning, teaching, and technology.
When thinking about how these connections have changed the way I learn, I go back to when I was in grade school and the tools we had available to us to facilitate learning. These tools would be considered rudimentary in this day and age, yet they were the best of the best at that time. "Back in the day," we used encyclopedia's to locate information. I would say that back then, learning was more of a process and you had to be patient when waiting for results. Now, with all the technology we have available to us, solutions to problems are churned out almost immediately. For me, this has drastically changed the way I learn. I have found that with more information available to me at my fingertips, I find myself researching many things that I would never have thought of before. I find that I have an unsatiable desire to simply know more. I most certainly could research this information using encyclopdia's and the like, but with the advent of the Internet, it became must easier for me to find information quickly and easily.
The tools that best facilitate learning for me now are the computer and my iPad. Both allow me to get information on demand via the Internet. My computer especially as it contains a wealth of information and allows me to pursue and develop my academic connection. Without the computer and specifically online learning, I would not be able to further my education and obtain a Master's degree. The computer especially is something that could actually be a central part of each and every one of my connections as each connection relies heavily on the use of technology of some sort.
When I have questions, I gain new knowledge by asking different people. It also depends on which area of my mind map that the question stems from. For example, if it's a question regarding work, I rely on subject matter experts to provide the information I need. If it's a question regarding course work for my graduate studies, I rely on the Walden library, the local library in my city, my peers of my professor. While I tend to turn to technology to answer most of my questions, I believe that peers, colleagues, family and friends are by far my best resource.
According to Davis, Edmunds and Kelly-Bateman (2008), at the core of connectivism is a combination of three things; the chaos theory, the importance of networks and the interplay of complexity and self-organization. The Chaos theory surmises that it is important to recognize and then adjust to pattern shifts, which then becomes a key learning task. Networks are important when it comes to sharing ideas using people, technology, and and social systems. Finally, complexity comes into play when there is a collection of interacting agents, which represent components as diverse as people. Since these interactions with such a diversity can be somewhat uncontrollable, the system eventually tends to self-organize, meaning that the interactions eventually create synergy.
When I think of my personal learning network in terms of the central tenents of connectivism, I believe it supports the tenents. Especially in terms of chaos. It is my belief that from chaos comes order. Since the world changes and shifts on a daily basis, the ability to keep up and learn from those shifts is important. My network allows me to form the proper connections that can help me to see the order through the chaos.
Reference:
Davis, C., Edmunds, E., & Kelly-Bateman, V. (2008). Connectivism. In M. Orey (Ed.), Emerging perspectives on learning, teaching, and technology.
Wednesday, November 30, 2011
Saturday, November 12, 2011
Learning and the Brain
Understanding how the brain functions can aid an instructional designer immensely when it comes to creating meaningful materials for the classroom. In an effort to further my own understanding about the brain and how it functions, I have found the following Websites that contain pertinent research to support the role the brain plays in learning and learning theories.
The first Website, Cognitive Information Processing Theory, provides an in-depth look at CIP (Cognitive Information Processing) and how it impacts learning. Keys to CIP include information management, the two-way flow of information and governing the in-built genetic structures on our development. This Website also speaks to other theories of learning that include the Two Store Model and the Stage Theory. Each of these theories help us to better indentify what is happening within the brain.
The second Website, Problem-Solving Skills in Education and Life, presents several ideas when it comes to providing skills to learners when it comes to solving a problem. Specifically, this site differentiates between the critical and creative thinker as well as multiple intelligences and learning styles. One of the learning styles expanded on in this site include visual logic and visual thinking. This style encourages the use of diagrams and matrices. This is of interest to me as I am most certainly a visual learning rather then a critical thinker, though I believe it is important to understand all problem-solving methods.
Both of these Websites have expanded my knowledge of the brain and how the different learning styles impact the way in which we solve problems.
The first Website, Cognitive Information Processing Theory, provides an in-depth look at CIP (Cognitive Information Processing) and how it impacts learning. Keys to CIP include information management, the two-way flow of information and governing the in-built genetic structures on our development. This Website also speaks to other theories of learning that include the Two Store Model and the Stage Theory. Each of these theories help us to better indentify what is happening within the brain.
The second Website, Problem-Solving Skills in Education and Life, presents several ideas when it comes to providing skills to learners when it comes to solving a problem. Specifically, this site differentiates between the critical and creative thinker as well as multiple intelligences and learning styles. One of the learning styles expanded on in this site include visual logic and visual thinking. This style encourages the use of diagrams and matrices. This is of interest to me as I am most certainly a visual learning rather then a critical thinker, though I believe it is important to understand all problem-solving methods.
Both of these Websites have expanded my knowledge of the brain and how the different learning styles impact the way in which we solve problems.
Friday, November 4, 2011
Welcome!
Welcome to my blog! It is my hope that this blog will become a resource for learning and understanding learning theories from many vantage points. By trade, I am a Technical Writer as well as a Trainer, though I started my professional life as a Teacher. I taught in a Montesorri setting which emphasizes the constructivism theory of learning. This experience formed many of my viewpoints on education and learning that I hope to carry forward in my professional development.
In an effort to further my understanding of learning and learning theories, I have chosen a few blogs to follow. They include:
E-Learning Queen. This blog emphasizes distance learning and how to use emergent technologies in an effort to provide a meaningful e-learning experience. Her interviews with experts in the field of e-learning are excellent resources when contemplating how to craft curriculum for an e-learning audience. This blog provides valuable insight to the many facets of my educational journey that I hope to pass on when developing curriculum and instruction in an online environment.
Instructional Design and Coffee. This blog provides a more humurous view on instructional design, along with a look at many tips and tricks you can utilize when creating training materials. I especially enjoyed her real life look at how to focus your training materials for the audience and how to make the subject matter more appealing. I hope to use this blog to discover many useful nuggets when it comes to creating engaging curriculum and training materials for education professionals.
Cathy Moore: Let's save the world from boring elearning! This blog poses several thought-provoking topics regarding instructional design and how students learn. Cathy Moore provides several scenarios that focus on creating courseware that benefits students and their quest in gaining knowledge online. Many of the topics on this blog focus on WHAT students need to know and then HOW to provide them with that knowledge.
My hope is that as I continue my education on learning and learning theories that this list of blogs will grow.
In an effort to further my understanding of learning and learning theories, I have chosen a few blogs to follow. They include:
E-Learning Queen. This blog emphasizes distance learning and how to use emergent technologies in an effort to provide a meaningful e-learning experience. Her interviews with experts in the field of e-learning are excellent resources when contemplating how to craft curriculum for an e-learning audience. This blog provides valuable insight to the many facets of my educational journey that I hope to pass on when developing curriculum and instruction in an online environment.
Instructional Design and Coffee. This blog provides a more humurous view on instructional design, along with a look at many tips and tricks you can utilize when creating training materials. I especially enjoyed her real life look at how to focus your training materials for the audience and how to make the subject matter more appealing. I hope to use this blog to discover many useful nuggets when it comes to creating engaging curriculum and training materials for education professionals.
Cathy Moore: Let's save the world from boring elearning! This blog poses several thought-provoking topics regarding instructional design and how students learn. Cathy Moore provides several scenarios that focus on creating courseware that benefits students and their quest in gaining knowledge online. Many of the topics on this blog focus on WHAT students need to know and then HOW to provide them with that knowledge.
My hope is that as I continue my education on learning and learning theories that this list of blogs will grow.
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