My Learning Theory

I have thought back to the way I have studied and what my particular learning style may be.  I still feel that I am a cross between a visual and hands on learner; however I was able to also associate other learning theories into the way I learn.  As a true adult learner, I do tend to use life experience as part of my learning and apply it when I can.  I do juggle my time between family, work and my education. Even on line, as a social learner, I pull from memory; things said by students and try to recall them when needed to reflect upon them for information. 

The Cognitive Learning Theory would most likely be the foundation of my learning with Social and Connectivism Learning as the walls and Constructivist learning serves as my roof. 

Technology in today’s society is a necessity for any type of learner.  The use of the internet offers more than the Encyclopedia Britannica or World Book Encyclopedia could ever provide.  Information is constantly being updated, where as you would have to wait a couple of years before new data was available with either of these two were to provide before the internet.  Laptops and hand held “mini” computers like the IPads, IPod touch and phones make it possible to contact to the internet and with the Nook, Kindle and others like these readers help not only with the internet access but can download books for easy on the go students like myself.  

Having social networks such as Facebook, Linkin and MySpace helps one connect to the outside world, where ever that outside can be, your neighbor next door or the neighboring country half way around the world.  No more of the pen and pencil writing now days, if you can type or speak into a microphone, you can have written words in minutes.  This is good whereas no loose papers to rip or file, trees are saved.  You can purchase a program that allows you to use voice recognition to print the words on the computer; spell check is still needed and you may have to retype some words as the programs are not perfect.

Lynch, David February 21, 2011 Live Mind (2011 June 18) http://livemindblog.com/2011/02/21/6-ways-online-learning-is-highly-social-learning/

(2011 June 18)   http://www.britannica.com

(2011 June 18) http://www.worldbook.com/about-world-book-inc.html

Connectivism.

I’m always looking for new ways to learn and retain the information in order to recall it later when needed.  Staying focused and organized is a good way to start on that journey.  I have found that the internet tools such as Google, Bing, ask etc., works really well as portals to various websites.  I tend to use them all; I found that sometimes each one may take you a different route to different sites.    

Friends and family as well as co-workers are also good sources of learning tools.  They may provide awareness to areas of the web you may not have thought of previously.  

 Social networks, such as Linkin, Focus.com etc., provide a sense of online community, neighbors who maybe next door, two states over or even a country you may have wanted to visit one day.  They may offer information you are seeking, for instance you may want to monitor the weather pattern in Edinburgh, Scotland, well if you have a friend on one of your social networks, who lives in or near Edinburgh that can help you obtain that statistics.

Emails, instant messages are great when you have questions, type it up push send and there you go question asked.  Hopefully your answer would come between 3 minutes and 24 hours.

From the time we are born we learn by mimicking others.  As we grow the need for knowledge continues, the technology that we have today help quench the thirst for that knowledge.  Using the internet, cell phones and video sources to connect with others helps us acquire the wealth of information that is waiting for us.