Blog Assignment: Fitting the Pieces Together

            After revisiting my post, I feel that I learn about the same way as I said in the first week.  I still feel that I need group learning situations in order to excel and that I’m very much a project-based learner.  I think that, through reflection, that I’m very much of a connectivism learner.  I try to see the connections between fields, ideas, and concepts.  I also put a heavy emphasis on creating networks of people, both on and offline in order to enhance my learning.  This is evident through the mind map project, which helped me visualize how exactly I learn (Davis, Edmunds, & Kelly-Bateman, 2008). 

            Overall, I’d say that I’ve learned quite a bit about various learning theories and learning styles over the last few weeks.  It has opened my eyes in understanding not only how I use various styles, but how my students are mixing styles, as well.  We all borrow from other learning styles in order to become well-rounded students.  As teachers, it is our responsibility to differentiate our teaching styles so that we can accommodate more learners.

            And finally, technology plays a very important role in my learning.  Google is my homepage.  I use my iPhone everywhere I go so that I can always find the answer to a question when I have it.  Honestly, I’d be nowhere without technology.

            Something I would like to add to this discussion is something that I learned at the University of Central Florida.  In college, one of my childhood literacy professors marked me as an “info-kid.”  I asked her what she meant and she just kept walking by.  As soon as class let out, I immediately went home and scoured the Internet for answers.  Not able to find much, she referred me to the book Info-Kids by Rob Jobe.  While I do not have the book any more, I would highly recommend you read it because it explains a population of students that you may think of as annoying.  They are the ones that always question why the sky is blue or why they have to go inside when it is raining.  They want to know the answer to everything.  She knew I’d run home to find the answers and prove her point – I was definitely an Info-Kid.  That was the first time I really though about my learning styles and I will never stop trying to figure out new ways to attain information, thanks to her.

Resource

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

Connectivism Word Map

I feel this best represents my current networking!

Connectivism Reflection

            My network has very much had an impact on the way I learn.  Since I have been involved in many types of networks, I feel that I am more equipped at communicating online with a variety of ages.  Also, I feel that I am able to gain more information by just reading it than by finding it any other way.  I am very adept at finding information online because I have many years of practice with searching for information.

            When it comes to the tools I use, I am a big Google fan.  I tend to use Facebook to communicate about social events, as well as job offers.  I find groups that appeal to me and keep updated through status updates.  When I game, I use the World of Warcraft chat to find people to help me with the quests.  I use LinkedIn to create connections with people I have or currently work with so that it opens me up to more opportunities.  AIM and iChat allow me to communicate with friends, family, and co-workers and to work on projects with classmates. 

            When I have questions, I turn to Google.  I start researching.  I, of course, check the credibility of all of my sources, as well.  For example, I use Wikipedia, but I always check the resources at the bottom to make sure that where they got the information was from a credible source. 

            One of the main principles of connectivism is the ability to see connections between fields, ideas, and concepts (Davis, Edmunds, & Kelly-Bateman, 2008).  I feel that my personal learning network exemplifies this principle because, by using social networks, I feel that I am much more adept at finding connections than before.  Because of sites like Wikipedia, which stress making connections and showing sources from all over the web, I feel that connectivism is much more prominent in this upcoming generation.

Resource:

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