When I look back at my undergraduate studies in the early nineties and compare my network then to my network now, the change is astonishing. In 1990, the internet really did not exist. My studies consisted of the classes I attended two to three times a week, the books I read, trips to the library, the study groups I attended, and the office hours I attended when my professor was available. When I communicated with people at the university I either called (using my dorm phone), or went and stood in line and spoke in person to the people who could help resolve any issues. We had several computer labs on campus, but they were used primarily for word processing. If we look at my academic network today, much has changed. The classes I attend are online, and I participate when my schedule allows. Yes, I still have text books that I use, but I also have a plethora of other resources provided via an online library as well as online journals that I find using Google Scholar. When I need to contact my professor or the university I write emails at any hour of the day or night, and my study group is my entire class that I communicate with using class posting boards, email or blog resources to share thoughts and ideas. A final way that my networks have changed the way I learn has to do with the speed at which I now am able to gather and process information. In the good old days, I was limited to bookwork and class time a few days a week. My learning network now allows me to have access to resources at the click of a mouse.
Currently the internet provides a great array of tools that have helped facilitate my learning. In looking at my mind map, I can see several tools that have had a significant impact on my learning. Of these tools, the ones that have facilitated my learning the best are the ones provided by Walden University. The organization of resources provided weekly for classes as well as the Laureate videos has been the most important since beginning my program. The Walden E library has also been an excellent resource in facilitating my learning.
Masters level work is quite new to me. I have found over the past several weeks the level of material I have encountered often prompts questions either about the material, or about the procedures in the work being completed for the class. Often questions I have about the material are answered by reading the posts of my classmates. I have at times looked for other resources concerning the class material by using Google Scholar or the Walden Library. Finally, those questions about procedure are often answered via email conversations with the class instructor.
If I compare my learning network with the central ideas of connectivism, it is clear my learning today supports the tenets of connectivism. Below I will post the principles of connectivism as proposed by Siemens in the article "Connectivism" by Davis, Edmunds & Kelly-Bateman (2008) and give support via examples in my own learning experience.
•"Learning and knowledge rest in diversity of opinion." : I have learned a great deal from my classmates over the past several weeks because of the diversity in experiences and the willingness of my classmates to share their experiences and knowledge. •"Learning is a process of connecting specialized nodes or information sources." If you look at my mind map, I have several information sources. Be it personal, professional, or academic, these sources all can act as resources for connecting and learning. •" Learning may reside in non-human appliances." Though humans are the ones who are providing the information that is found on the Walden web site, and on sites such as Google scholar, my non-human computer is the means by which that information is delivered. Information that will add to my learning. •" Capacity to know more is more critical than what is currently known." This one took some time for me to wrap my mind around. But for me what this means is that in my Masters program what I know is important, but what I will learn in the future will be even more important as I build a base of knowledge and then build upon that base. •" Nurturing and maintaining connections is needed to facilitate continual learning: The connections made during this learning process is so very important because each connection that is made is like a friendship. What can be gleaned from these connections can only benefit all parties involved. •" Ability to see connections between fields, ideas, and concepts is a core skill. In this week's discussion, the idea of relevancy in learning was a topic of quite a bit of discussion. In a program such as instructional design there is a large array of topics covered in the program. Understanding the connections between classes allows us to see the big picture within a discipline and be at our most effective within the field. •" Currency (accurate, up-to-date knowledge) is the intent of all connectivist learning activities": In a field such as instructional design and technology, there may be nothing as important as this. Technology is a field that is changing at incredible speed. The ability to stay current is critical to our success as instructional designers. References
Davis, C., Edmunds, E., & Kelly-Bateman, V. (2008). Connectivism. Emerging perspectives on learning, teaching, and technology.. Retrieved May 31, 2011, from http://projects.coe.uga.edu/epltt/index.php?title=Connectivism
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