My mind "over runneth" with learning theories!

• Now that you have a deeper understanding of the different learning theories and learning styles, how has your view on how you learn changed?
• Over the length of this class, I have developed a much broader understanding of learning theories, including simply the number of theories that exist! I was very naive in labeling myself simply as a visual learner! I think my greatest "aha!" moment came when we explored the nature of adult learners, and I recognized myself in the description of this particular group of learners and how I have been this independent, self-motivated learner who wants my learning to be relevant and immediately applicable. I also agree with the NCREL description of adult learners that stated that says, "Transfer of learning for adults is not automatic and must be facilitated" (n.a.). I've really struggled with all of this new information in this particular class. I realized that I've been doing all of these things as a teacher, and as a learner, but labeling and separating them has been a challenge!
  
  
• What have you learned about the various learning theories and learning styles over the past weeks that can further explain your own personal learning preferences?
• As I mentioned above, my greatest revelation came from an understanding of what it means to be an adult learner. As such, it explained why I did not enjoy my university experience when I was younger, which was geared for the traditional student, while I was an atypical student who was married and lived off campus and held down a full-time job. The learning and projects weren't relevant to me, and there was no collaboration on projects, which would have been difficult for me because I didn't live on campus anyway. I am basically a social person, though, so I enjoy sharing ideas, but I still prefer the option 0f completing assignments on my own. Again, this is just a matter of practicality as I must squeeze in my assignments as my hectic schedule allows, which, again, is typical of adult learners. I want to know why I have to learn something; I need to see its immediate application and relevancy to my life (Conlan, Grabowski, & Smith, 2003). Tied in to this, I see that the theory of connectivism also applies to my learning style. I need to see how ideas are related to one another. I don't learn them well in isolation. I've noticed that this preference also shows up in my teaching then, as I consistently try to explain to students, before they even ask, why we are learning things, and how the ideas connect. Therefore, I teach grammar in context of literature and writing. I am glad that curriculum has changed over the years to reflect this thinking. I remember teaching 16 weeks of grammar to freshman years ago that was torture for both them and me!
  
  
• What role does technology play in your learning (i.e., as a way to search for information, to record information, to create, etc.)?
• Personally, I cannot separate technology from learning! I use technology for everything I do related to learning. Of course, as a teacher, my life revolves around learning, either on the part of students or myself as I prepare for their learning. Therefore, I not only do the research for learning using the computer, but much of the work I assign for my students and that I do for my own classes involve the use of technology such as digital photography, wikis, the use of our class website for resources I've found or created, email, online grade books, online databases, and suitable software applications like Word, Excel, Inspiration, PowerPoint, iWeb, iPhotos, iTunes, and QuickTime. My technology has become such a vital part of my life, especially my computer, that when I do no have access to it, I feel lost!
  

References
Conlan, J., Grabowski, S., & Smith, K.. (2003). Adult Learning. In M. Orey (Ed.), Emerging
perspectives on learning, teaching, and technology. Retrieved , from http://projects.coe.uga.edu/epltt/

North Central Regional Education Labratory, Initials. (n.a.). Adult learning theory. Retrieved from http://www.ncrel.org/sdrs/areas/issues/methods/technlgy/te10lk12.htm

Connectivism

• How has your network changed the way you learn?
One thing that I've noticed is that I now prefer to communicate via online tools than by phone. I'm not comfortable on a phone, so I would just not communicate. However, words come easily to me, and with the convenience of blogs, email, discussion boards, etc., I find myself much more involved in communicating with a broader range of people, more regularly, than I ever did before.


• Which digital tools best facilitate learning for you?
I'm comfortable with so many different ones that I find that I don't have one particular favorite, but rather I'm not afraid to use a variety of tools to suit my purpose. I will say that switching to my iPhone has probably been the greatest technological challenge I've faced recently, as I had huge issues trying to get my fingers to work on the touchscreen. It became a personal challenge, but not before I went back to the store to think about returning it! I can't imagine going anywhere without it now, and I love the fact that it gives me access to so many things I use all the time -- Facebook, text messaging, email, Internet. For example, when I went to the wrong school for my daughter's basketball game this week, I didn't panic! I simply pulled out my iPhone, searched the school website for where the game was really taking place, and then clicked on the mapping feature to find a route to the school. It was a great stress reducer! I think that's how I view these digital tools. They are just that -- tools -- which make my life easier and more complete.


• How do you gain new knowledge when you have questions?
How I gain new knowledge depends on the type of knowledge I am seeking. If it's something related to school, I will usually turn to those with more experience in my school setting and talk to them face to face. However, if it's something I need to use, such as when developing a new unit, I turn to the wide variety of teaching resources on the Internet. If it's a personal question, I send out an email or a text message to whomever I need to reach since getting to a phone is nearly impossible during the day. Mostly, though, I like the freedom to search for information that I find relevant by reviewing a variety of sources and reading the reviews of others who have used the information previously.


• In what ways does your personal learning network support or refute the central tenets of connectivism? I use the best tools to suit my needs, yet how I learned to use those tools isn't isolated to one setting. For example, I learned to use blogs in this class, but now I'm using them to help my daughter raise funds to study in Costa Rica this summer. My learning in one area carried over to another. Similarly, I have used my network of friends initially gained through face to face interaction to share Malia's fundraising efforts through Facebook and email. Everything I do is inter-related. The skills I have, the people I associate with, are not isolated to one part of that web. Those I teach with are on Facebook; those I taught are on Facebook. I keep up with family more through email and Facebook than through the phone. They know about my life from multiple perspectives through their own interaction with these tools. I go to church, but those same friends text me to share meeting times and post them on Facebook.
  
  The bottom line is that it was very hard for me to develop this map because it called for separating out the different components in my learning network, and I found that there's so much overlap between them that this map is somewhat forced in that it shows more separation and clarity between the segments than actually exist.