The journey to become Instructional Designer has made me aware of many things otherwise taken for granted. I have reflected on learning theories some of which are under scrutiny as to whether they are really learning theories or should be seen as a “pedagogical view”. Regardless of this, as an adult learner I cannot dispute the fact that my “learning does not happen in a vacuum” but rather happens “at the intersection of prior knowledge, experience, perception, reality, comprehension, and flexibility” (Davis, Edmunds and Kelly-Bateman, 2008). This is really a reflection on my learning about connectivism and how it applies to me as an individual. I will be answering four main questions in this post – How my network has changed the way I learn; which digital tools best facilitate learning for me; how I gain new knowledge when I have questions? What ways does my personal learning network support or refute the central tenets of connectivism?
My network consists of my university, Walden University and all associated services and classroom activities; the world wide web; my workplace which happens to be a school; digital devices which facilitate access to all resources I need; other professional networks and workshops as well as my home. Previously, I would search for information or endure a lecture to obtain information. However, I find that with my current network I can easily tap any of my network nodes to apply my learning or obtain information an as a result I am able to use “real projects or problems” to facilitate learning (Conlan, Grabowski and Smith, 2003).
Digital tools facilitate most of my learning and all these tools can be considered as the best on their own merit. Top in my list is the Walden library with its wide range of resources. The media files provided during each week proves as an excellent resource for activating and building my background knowledge. Professional blogs have also proven to be most resourceful. Two digital tools I cannot leave out are my good old MacBook Pro and my iPad. They have really proven to be reliable and make learning on wheels a whole new experience as I can still listen to media files via my car kit whiles driving around.
Gaining new knowledge is really the reason for which I decided to pursue an MS IDT and as a result, it is imperative that I utilize all avenues for this. The course readings provide the first source of new knowledge for me and when I have questions I would usually post a question on the discussion board and more often than not, I would have a response to build on my knowledge.
Siemens posits that “ our knowledge literally is distributed across other networks of human beings, technological devices, and other ends” (Siemens, 2012) and suggest that in the light of the availability of so much information it is necessary to “offload our cognitive capacity onto a network of people and technology” (Siemens, 2012). Davis et al (2008) proffer the “Principles of Connectivism”. Based on these points, my learning does indeed support the tenets of connectivism.
References
Conlan, J., Grabowski, S., & Smith, K. (2003). Adult learning. In M. Orey (Ed.), Emerging perspectives on learning, teaching, and technology. Retrieved from http://projects.coe.uga.edu/epltt/index.php?title=Adult_Learning
Davis, C., Edmunds, E., & Kelly-Bateman, V. (2008). Connectivism. In M. Orey (Ed.), Emerging perspectives on learning, teaching, and technology. Retrieved from http://projects.coe.uga.edu/epltt/index.php?title=Connectivism
Siemens, G, narr. Connectivism. Walden University, 2012. Web. 16 July 2012
