Saturday, October 19, 2013

If I only knew then what I know now…



This week’s EDUC 6115-5 assignment is to reflect upon my first discussion post and explore changes in my perception due to my rumored increased knowledge. This post is going to be one those personal reflection moments.  

Question #1:Now that you have a deeper understanding of the different learning theories and learning styles, how has your view on how you learn changed?
Answer #1:My view of how I learn has not changed very much. However, I do understand more of why certain methods work for me. I originally stated that I learn best by using visual resources. Well that is true but only part of the story. I realize now that if what I am seeing visually is tied to something I already know, the chances of retaining that knowledge increase exponentially. I also need time to understand what I have seen. The need for quiet study time to reflect is also a trait I now see in myself. But most importantly, I have learned in order to help myself become a more effective learner I need to read and “hear” my classmate’s explanations in their discussion posts and take the time to reflect upon their perceptions. In doing that, I gain a much deeper understanding.

Question #2:What have you learned about the various learning theories and learning styles over the past weeks that can further explain your own personal learning preferences?
Answer #2:In the past few weeks, I learned about Social Constructivism. This theory is basically that groups construct knowledge for one another, collaboratively creating a small culture of shared artifacts with shared meanings. Combine that with Connectivism, knowledge that is distributed across a network of connections to people and information and you have many of the components I described above what I always called old fashioned team-work. Of course, there are many aspects to team-work but that is a post for another day.

Question #3:What role does technology play in your learning (i.e., as a way to search for information, to record information, to create, etc.)?
Answer #3:The very fact that I am in pursuit of an online Masters speaks volumes about how important technology is interconnected into my learning. In our ever changing and globalizing society, the access to computer and internet has opened up an entire world of "on demand" research and somewhat instantaneous answers. Of course, I have to be careful to scrutinize my information according to relevance, context, authorship, time stamp, and a few other topic dependent criteria. It is still amazing to me that I have everything from opinion pieces to fully refereed papers available to me. One of the most important features is the ability to collaborate and create in a space accessible to the world. For instance, this blog is available to all who wish to read it. 

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