Now that I have a deeper understanding of learning theories and styles, the main thing that has changed is that I had to move away from how I think I like to learn to how I actually learn. My preference is to not work as hard as I must to really process the information and learn. I described a training situation in my first discussion post. I enjoyed the session because it did have meaning for me, I was not bored, or pushed beyond my cognitive load; I did not get discouraged (Lim, 2004). In the end, I did not really learn the material. I do not use Study Island, the material never made it to my long term memory (Ormrod, Shrunk, &Gredler, 2009).
Connectivism and the theory of social learning describe how I learn best. I do not think that one theory is adequate to describe my learning style. When I enrolled at Walden, I thought that I was going to miss the social interaction of the traditional classroom setting. I have found that I interact more because of the discussion board than I would in a live classroom setting. I have time to process information, go back and review material and make thoughtful contributions. My fellow classmates’ posts help me to give information relevance (Smith, 1999). I feel that I am learning so much in the online environment. This work is hard, a lot harder than I though it would be, but I am REALLY learning. I learn because I have to reinterpret material in order to answer the discussion questions. I learn a great deal from my classmates. Our instructor helps us to make connections and I feel that our learning has been scaffolded (Lim, 2004). The complexity in the discussion questions has increased exponentially!
In the social learning theory, social activities and interaction amongst the learning community is how learning occurs (Kim, 2001). I enjoy being part of a learning community. The connectivism theory states that active participation (Siemens, 2011) and diversity of opinions (Davis, Edmunds & Kelly-Bateman, 2008) are the ways in which learning occur. One must be an active participant in the discussion board; one must read and respond to people who hold similar and varied viewpoints. The social learning theory states that learning is transactional and socially constructed (Ormrod, Schunk, D., & Gredler, M. 2009). The discussion board is all of these things and how I learn the most.
Technology plays a tremendous role in my learning. I was sure I was going to resent reading from the computer but have found that being forced to take notes rather than highlight helps me process the test more thoroughly and more quickly. The ideal note taking situation is for me to stay after school so that I may use my dual monitor to read and type notes rather than have to write them. I enjoy being able to manipulate the text in the word document. Cutting and pasting actual paper notes is much messier. The files on my drives are much more organized than the physical files in my office. If I cannot find something, I can make use of the search function. In general, I find that I am more able to make and keep up to date with contacts through email rather than phone calls. My cell phone does not always have service; I am not always in my office, but I can always email as I am addicted to my Smartphone!
References
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
Jenkins, J. (2006). Constructivism. Retrieved September 23, 2011, from Encyclopedia of Educational Leadership and Administration : http://www.sage-reference.com/view/eleadership/n121.xml
Kim, B. (2001). Social Constructivism in M. Orey (Ed.). Retrieved September 23, 2011, from Emerging Perspectives on learning, teaching, and technology: http://www.projects.coe.uga.edu/epltt/
Laureate Education, Inc. (Producer). (2009). Connectivism. [DVD].
Lim, C. P. (2004). Engaging Learners in Online Learning Environments. TechTrends: Linking Research and Practice to Improve Learning , 48, pp. 16-23.
Ormrod, J., Schunk, D., & Gredler, M. (2009). Learning theories and instruction (Laureate custom edition). New York: Pearson.
Siemens, George. (2011, May 1). Connectivism: Moving beyond self-directed learning: Network-directed learning.[Blog message]. Retrieved from http://www.connectivism.ca/.
Smith, M. (1999). Learning Theory. Retrieved September 09, 2011, from The encyclopedia of informal education: www.infed.org/bibkio./b-learn.htm
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