Reflection

Below you will find the content of my Reflection assignment.  I hope you enjoy!

What did you find surprising or striking as you furthered your knowledge about how people learn?

This class allowed me to experience the aspects of learning that I have never experienced before.  This is my first time taking education courses and I never knew how much learning could play a essential part in how human obtain information in the classroom setting.  I knew that everyone learned differently but the information that was obtained throughout this course allowed me to see how as I embark on my instructional design career, how I have to take into consideration that everyone is different and you have to cater to everyone and their learning needs.  The content that I feel will stick out the most to me and I enjoyed learning about was how to motivate learners during Week 8.  I felt that the information that was given allowed me to understand the importance of how we as instructors have to keep the learners motivated.  Dr. Ormrod gave of many factors that will help cater to the psychological needs of adult learners and strategies for motivating students.  These examples I feel can be used in any instructional setting and be used to help the learners.

How has this course deepened your personal learning process?

            While taking this course, Dr. Weaver allowed us to do assignments that allowed us to look at how we learn as an individual.  She challenged us to look at how we learn and how it has changed from the beginning of the course.  The theories that were learned allowed me to see how I can incorporate them into my learning process.  It has allowed me to open my mind to new avenues and to experiment with what will work best.  Being able to understand how I learn and the difference it can make will allow me to be able to understand how students learn.  In order to be a great instructor, I to build that relationship with my students and understand how they learn affect what I do and how I can teach them.

What have you learned regarding the connection between learning theories, learning styles, educational technology, and motivation?

            I learned that each subject that we learned about is connected to each although they suggest different factors.  The connection between them allows instructors to cater to their students.  Although the technology is growing and education is being more available to access, the traditional theories still play an important part in the learning process.  You cannot have one without the other.

How will your learning in this course help you as you further your career in the field of instructional design?

The course was very helpful and will allow me to experience the field of instructional design at another level.  I have a better understanding when it comes to the learning process of students and how I should make content that will help them grasp the concept of what is being presented.  Being able to learn about the learning theories and styles that can be incorporated will allow me to continue to focus on how to help learners.  This is my first time experiencing the education sector and learning how to understand the learning process but I feel as I continue through this program I will be ready to help other grow in their learning.

 

 

 

 

Fitting the Pieces Together

Now that you have a deeper understanding of the different learning theories and learning styles, how was your view on how you learned changed?

In week one, we identified the best strategy that we felt we learned best.  As I stated, I learn best whenever I am hands on and can get in there and do it myself.  After learning the theories, I feel that the connectivism theory best relates to how I learn as well.  The ability to have information, technology, and social environments allows you to have resources that give many avenues to learn.

What have you learned about the various learning theories and learning styles over the past weeks that can further explain your own personal learning preference?

I feel that I can incorporate all the theories that we have learned through this course in my learning experience.  Each theory coincides with each other and caters to everyone and the way they learn.  Also, I would incorporate each theory in how I teach others as well.  All learners do not learn or think the same way, so I would determine which one to use at the point of time.

What role does technology play in your learning (i.e. as a way to search for information, to record information, to create, etc.)?

Technology is a huge part in my learning experience.  Just with this class alone, I use the internet for research, discussion boards with my peers, and the reading resources that we used for our assignments.  I was also introduced to how to create a blog during this class as well.  It gave me an open mind to how other forms of technology are used to help individuals learn.  Without technology, I don’t know how I would be able to function.  Technology is a piece of my learning experience in my workplace as well.  I am always dealing with computer based learning modules for our orientation classes as well as myself to help me stay up to date with policies and procedures for the organization.

Reflection on Connectivism Mind Map

How has your network changed the way you have learned?

The examples that I used in my mind map have allowed me to see different ways throughout technology to learn.  Social Networking has become a huge factor in technology and individuals use this form of communication everyday.  Facebook is not only for communicating with your friends anymore.  Business use this to communicate to the public and help you learn about the services they offer.  I have been exposed to blogging a lot more in this class as well.  The tool has allowed me to see what other options I can use in my instructional design career.  Another tool that I use throughout my learning process is through the learning management system that my employer uses.  We use this tool to help us as employees to stay up to date on trends and to keep us compliant with regulation.  Some other examples that I included in my mind map consisted of search engines and Blackboard which I currently use in my Masters program.

Which digital tools best facilitate learning for you?

I really like the online format that I use for my program at Walden University.  I used Blackboard before in my undergraduate institution but it has changed since then.  The online education that is offered to me allows me to learn at my own pace but also allows me to manage myself so I can meet deadlines for assignments.  The system also allows you to interact with your classmates throughout the course if problems arises on assignments or if you just want to chat to see how things are going.  This type of learning atmosphere is best for me because it works with my schedule and I can still keep a full time job and go to school.

How do you gain knowledge when you have questions?

I am old fashion when it comes to questions.  I’m not afraid to ask anyone if I don’t know the answer.  I also rely on search engines such as Google to help me find information that is needed.  This one reason I listed this in the mind map because you can learn numerous of information just by searching the world wide web.

In what ways does your personal learning network support or refute the central tenets of connectivism?

In one of our required readings, George Siemens defines connectivism as a learning theory that integrates technology, social networks, and information.  My mind map network supports what connectivism is trying to explain because every tool that I use in my learning is associated with the contents.  Everybody learns different and should have a different mind map but in the end it should reflect how we learn.

Connectivism

The mind map shows tools that I use to help me in my process of learning new material.

Information Process Theory

This week we have learned about the Information Process Theory.  I have found two sites that I felt relate to what we have discussed.

Information Processing Theory – Teaching and Learning: My …

The author of this blog is explaining the information process theory from his/her perspective.  The information that is presented relates to the material that was presented to us during week two.  The author breaks down the three primary processes of theory along with the three main stages.  This site will be great for someone who is researching this topic and wants to get a general idea of the topic.

THEORETICAL PERSPECTIVES OF BULLYING : Social Information …

This site is explaining perspectives of bullying through the concept of Social Information Processing Theory.  The author discusses the origin of the theory and how it relates to individuals that bully and the reasoning.  This information will help someone who is studying this concept and help individuals understand why someone is acting out through bullying.

Blog Sites for Instructional Design

The following are three sites I viewed for my assignment for Week One.

Instructional Design and Development Blog

This blog site consists of several bloggers that post different subject matters that they are involved with.  This site will allow myself to stay up to date on current trends and news that is going on in the instructional design field.

What Everybody Ought to Know About Instructional Design – Articulate

This site allows you to understand the importance of being an Instructional Designer.  It breaks down the goals of what you should focus on to allow your content to be understood by the learner.  This site will be great for upcoming or current designers in the field to revert to when they are needing a refresher of why their content should grab the attention of the learner and help them through their journey.

What does an instructional designer do? « Experiencing E-Learning

This site gives you a background of what an Instructional Designer does.  The author breaks down how designers can help learners practice real life skills through its content.  The site will allow me as a student and upcoming designers to understand the job skill that it takes to be in this field.

 

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