Sunday, February 24, 2013

A Paradigm Shift






I have done six weeks of learning about learning theories and in that time I have had the opportunity to learn more about the theories of learning.  My view of on how I learn has changed to include connectivism.  We are so connected to the internet for all types of activities but I had not considered it to be part of how I learn over all until I took Learning Theories and Instructions.  I have learned that I thrive in an online environment socially and academically.  I like the fact that I can do to a virtual library and download books or documents any time of the day or night.  Thanks to PDF files I can even save a copy of documents to review later.  The theory of connectivism also lends itself to the social learning theory where I learn quite well in an environment where I can interact with my classmates online.
I have learned that I like to socialize with people in the online environment.  My socialization began with joining Facebook this October.  I just thought well this is really fun but then when I took this Learning Theories class I found out that learning could happen where ever I was as long as I had access to the internet.  I think the socialization and connectivism theories have really opened up a whole new way for me to think about learning and how I might institute learning into IDT.  I was really surprised that I could take my mobile device and use QR’s to help students stay on task when teaching while they use their own mobile devices.
Technology has had a really profound effect on how I learn.  I like the online library at Walden and I have even downloaded books from other universities using my library card.  I also like the live chat option that many sites now offer because I can access real time help if I have a technology problem.  I like the fact that when I use the online library I can download and save a copy of articles needed for my classes.  I also like to have a hard copy of the information that I have saved so I can read it and then highlight key points I will use when I am preparing to write a paper, write a post or respond to a post.
In summary since I began this class I have learned that I like online learning.  I have also realized that as a student I have an impact on others through my online post and activities.  I am a social learner thanks to the connectivism that exists through the internet.

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