Connectivism Cont. ...

Wow, I thought I had it covered, but the more I thought about it, the more I realized how many more connected features were woven into my everyday life, learning, and professional activities. Not until recently did I stop to consider how rapidly technology has changed and how much it had become a part of my daily life. In the days of learning to type on the old Smith Corona in high school (you will know what I am talking about if you are a baby boomer) I never envisioned the extent that technology and being connected would develop my life. Because my learning is influenced though the filters of my past and present experiences and how I socialize the information, I now can see too how the way in which I approach and process learning has also evolved due to the infusion of technology and social networking. Text messages, smart phones, social networking, search, share, collaborate, create... I am connected 24/7, and trust me, when I’m not, I crave it…seek it out, and feel disconnected and somehow disassociated from the world without it. And I’m not even a digital native! A phenomenon of connectivism has risen to the forefront of my understanding and my interest, and now leads me to consider its implications in instructional design.

Oy vey…here are the few others that came to mind after I constructed my map: These are just the tools I use frequently. The list is much longer for those tools/resources that I use occasionally.


Youtube
ItunesU
Google
Yahoo
Alta Vista
Google Scholar
EBSCO
ERIC
IDEAL
MarcoPolo.com
Unitedstreaming
Discovery Education
EduForge
NACOL
Del.icio.us
Wimba
Eluminate
Google Groups
Linkedin Groups
Yahoo Groups
Google Reader
RSS feeds
Webtreker
Pbworks
Wikispaces
Wikipeodia

These days I seek to pursue learning in a combination of some old and some new ways- I need content that is relevant and meaningful. As a busy adult learner I don’t have time to jump through hoops of meaningless facts memorized in isolation. I don't have trouble with motivation, but I now appreciate the student centered model which allows me to investigate, (dig in…collaborate, discuss and construct my understandings.) This approach has proven to be so much more efficient. I find that the material is much more meaningful when I construct it myself, and I retain the content in context to a greater degree. It makes my learning meaningful and puts my understandings in real life, useable context. I like creating and constructing authentic products. They don’t waste my time and they provide me with processes and concepts that are easily translated into application.

My current approach to learning is to use emerging technologies, in relevant contexts, to construct understanding. I search for, read, and create information; then view lectures and models via the web. Even now, many of the basic ways in which I have always approached learning are still very strong in me I consider myself to be a visual learner. I still like the teacher lectures and demonstrations; so now, even though I can’t receive them in person, I seek them from a variety of web-based sources I love Youtube, ItunesU, and Second Life. I like the content “on demand” and available to me whenever and wherever I need them. I enjoy discussion threads and forums with peers and professionals that bring me different perspectives and understandings. Though F2F classes are not a viable option for me, online and asynchronous online classes are a terrific and practical option for me to pursue my continued education. Now, with a variety of new tools and some understandings of how I learn and what works best for me, I feel like I have evolved from a teacher centered traditional learner to an active learner whose application of a connectivist approach allows me to shape and transform my understandings to real, meaningful applications.