Linda Cooper - Fitting the Pieces Together

My Views on Learning
As I journey through life, I experience different learning styles that I find attractive and compatible with my personality. My learning journey has consisted of various dimensions representing a unique aspect of various learning styles. Included in these dimensions are many factors such as age, environment, culture, personality and my use of technology. I can add extroverted, sensing, and feelings. Once I know where my preferences lie on each of these dimensions, I can begin to stretch beyond these preferences and develop a more balanced approach to learning.
My learning styles – Multi-faceted

Learning styles are various approaches or ways of learning consisting of educating methods unique to how an individual learn best. As most people prefer an identifiable method associated with how they process information, I still contend that my learning style is multi-faceted. For this reason, I will share my connection with various aspects of learning.

Behavorist: My characteristics in the behaviorist approach is best described by my need to first analyze a task and thereafter creating a strategy that will assist me with step by step procedures that will aid me in mastering the process prior to taking on the task or learning assignment. (Ertmer & Newby, 1993, pp. 56-57).
Cognitivist: As a cognitive learner, I organize and repeatedly change my strategy according to what I think will be most effective to get my point across. I set goals based on the time frame associated with logic or a due date (Ertmer & Newby, 1993, pp. 57-58).
Constructivist: I build personal interpretations of the world based on my individual experiences and interactions. In order for me to learn as a constructivist, I must be able to associate the learning tasks with an actual experience (Ertmer & Newby, 1993, p. 63).
Visual: As a visual learner, I learn through seeing visual displays – illustrations, videos, flipcharts, handouts and I take extensive notes.
Kinesthetic: As a tactile/kinesthetic individual, I learn best through a hands-on approach. I love to write and manipulate the information to allow me a deeper understanding. As a kinesthetic learner, I also learn best through simulations and role playing to gain further understanding of key concepts.
Social Learning: I find social learning to be most effective when I am in a supportive environment as in grief recovery seminar, group and journaling sessions. During these sessions, I am internally motivated and influenced by the transfer of information while we are engaged in various social learning environments. This includes learning as a student of Walden University, professional at Townsend Learning Center and reciprocal teaching, peer collaboration, cognitive apprenticeships, problem-based instruction, webquests, anchored instruction and other methods that involve learning with others (Kim, 2001).
Connectivism: Similar to social learning as a connectivist, I learn through social networking of Walden, Townsend, ASTD, facebook, twitter, blogging, linked-in, and email for this allows room for my growth as a learner and instructor as well. Knowledge transfer occurs in connectivism when “connecting to (adding nodes)” existing networks. (Davis Edmunds & Kelly-Bateman, 2008).
Adult Learner: As an adult learner, I direct my own learning. My learning is accumulated from a reservoir of life experiences during my life span up to this point. The most significant learning factors are referred to as items in the adult learner’s briefcase. Such as life experiences, work experience, positive/negative prior adult learning experiences, performance affectors, including cognitive abilities, time between learning interactions, and aging factors results in my preference as an instructional designer (Conlan, Grabowski, & Smith, 2003).

Whereas my learning varies in association with most styles and theories, I will lay claim to being most affected as a social learner. In hindsight, over my life span, I must admit it is social learning that has improve my learning effectiveness and open up a deeper understanding as to how I learn best. However, having some information relative to the other learning styles, I can evaluate my strengths and weaknesses so as not to go to either extreme of the learning dimensions; this will allow me to establish balance. As I continue to experience in the various aspects of learning I can add to my strengths and subtract my weaknesses while I continue to learn throughout my life. “You live and you learn” – Learning is everlasting.

The role of technology in my learning was realized a few weeks ago as I prepared my mind map. I now see how much I really rely on technology in my personal, professional and academic life. I enjoy the use of technology on all levels as my social learning is enhanced as a result. Furthermore, the ability to connect from others on a professional level through facebook, twitter, linked-in, ASTD has increased my knowledge immensely. Most importantly, as a student, the use of technology through Walden University’s use of discussion board, researching, blogging, videos, etc., has afforded me a wealth of knowledge. The information I received through various media by being connected to my classmates who are so well versed in many fields are absolutely amazing. I am so fascinated at the knowledge I have gained as a result of the use for technology. Technology will continue to play an avid role in ever learning experience.

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
Ertmer, P. A., & Newby, T. J. (1993). Behaviorism, Cognitivism, Constructivism: Comparing Critical Features from an Instruction Design Perspective. Performance Improvement Quarterly, 50-72.
Kim, B. (2001). Social constructivism. In M. Orey (Ed.), Emerging perspectives on learning, teaching, and technology. Retrieved from http://projects.coe.uga.edu/epltt/index.php?title=Social_Constructivism

Reflection on connections that facilitate my learning

Once upon a time, I used to learn setting in a face-to-face classroom environment, listening to teachers, interacting with classmates, reading books, newspapers, magazines, watching the local news, communicating with family and friends. As this was the extent of my learning; since then my network has drastically change relative to the way I gain knowledge. Nowadays, new technology forces the 21st century learner to process and apply information in a very different way and at a very different pace from any other time in history (Davis, Edmunds & Kelly-Bateman, 2008.

As a 21st century learner, my network provides me with information and support from different people and the use of various technologies. After creating a very challenging mind map, as a professional and college, it now behooves me to get on board with network connections. I now understand the value of networks for I will not otherwise be successful professionally or academically. Therefore, I can no longer personally use my family/friend circle and local media while trying to learn something new, instead I must create networks which, simply defined, are connections between entities. By using these networks – of people, of technology, of social structures, of systems, of power grids, etc. – learning communities can share their ideas with others, thereby “cross-pollinating” the learning environment (Davis, Edmunds & Kelly-Bateman, 2008)

To be honest, I was leery about Facebook and Twitter as I heard so much negative talk such as these were gossip sites for people without a life who use them as their daily dose of fame. The internet and local news would report harmful viruses on Facebook which could destroy your computer. On the contrary, during this course, I received a clear understanding of how valuable social networking is to me as a learner and a professional instructional designer. For example, the principles of connectivism includes such facts as learning and knowledge rest in the diversity of opinions, learning is a process of connecting specialized nodes or information sources, learning may reside in non-human appliances, capacity to know more is more critical than what is current known, nurturing and maintaining connections is needed to facilitate continual learning, ability to see connections between fields, ideas, and concepts is a core skill, currency (accurate, up-to-date-knowledge) is the intent of all connectivist learning activities (Davis, Edmunds & Kelly-Bateman, 2008)

With this information, I can increase the use of digital tools to best facilitate my learning. My computer and researching the Internet has been my most influential digital tool as I am able to gather information for personal and professional use at any time. I am an intensive researcher, but Google is the most frequently used cite for me. Other digital tools I have or will use in the near future to facilitate my learning are Email, Facebook and Twitter I can use to communicate with friends, family and exchange quality and important information. As a member of ASTD, I can connect to others websites, email, and Linked-In. We learn a wealth of knowledge from experienced trainers and designers of Subject Matter Experts (SMEs). I find You-tube videos valuable when preparing seminars, viewing as course assignments and researching. At Townsend Learning Center I learn through email, video, Face book and Linked-in along with various forms of technology.

My most recent and very valuable learning tools are through Walden University online learning. When I have questions, I gain new knowledge from online course materials, researching and answering instructor discussion questions, interacting with classmates on discussion boards, blogs feeds, videos, researching through library and internet resources.
My personal learning networks support the central tenets of connectivism because connectivism has expanded my social dimensions of learning and has broaden my learning environments to new heights. I am determined to continue to use social networking as an essential platform for learning and teaching instructional design and technology as it is inevitable for me to stay connected to the virtual world of learning. I will use my network connections as a lifestyle of ever learning to reach and teach others all over the world as I work on mastering the technological skills needed to be a successful instructional designer.

References
APA Citation: 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/

Connectivism

Here is the link to my mindmap.
www.edrawsoft.com,connectivism. I am having problems connecting this link, so please let me know if it does not come up.

Thanks