Reflection Paper

Looking back on the past eight weeks of this course I see many important concepts and experiences that will likely influence the significant changes occurring in my life. It doesn’t seem like so long ago that I made the commitment to pursue a certificate in Instructional Design, but I find myself already a quarter of the way there. It marks my first online learning experience and my initiation into a different world of instruction and learning than the one I have been a part of for the past 20 plus years.

One of the most surprising revelations to come from this class for me was how much more relevant this material is to me now as opposed to 25 years ago when I was first introduced to learning theory.  As an adult with years of teaching experience my perspective has altered significantly. I am able to draw many more connections and assimilate this new learning into many more areas of my life. Previously I viewed these theories as lofty concepts and disconnected ideas about how people process information and behave. Now I see these theories as foundational and practical resources for establishing solid and productive instruction for learning. Another surprise was in the degree of interaction that occurs between classmates. I was under an incorrect assumption that I would be navigating my way through this course on my own with very little meaningful contact with classmates. I was wrong, and this interactive element of the course has been fruitful for me especially since I am usually quite reluctant to want to share openly in group settings. Having access to others’ perceptions and applications has been both insightful and encouraging to me.

These enlightenments have helped to open the door on my own personal learning process. They have shown me the importance of making connections to prior learning and the role of experience in assimilating new information with prior knowledge to create new mental constructs. It has also enhanced my appreciation for the vital role that others play in enhancing our learning. Social interaction and discussion have helped me to see content from varying perspectives and has exposed me to new and creative ways to look at information.

My current views regarding the connections between learning theory, styles, technology, and motivation have been clarified throughout this course. I now recognize that “no single theory can adequately account for all learning… each theory describes particular features of learning or cognitive development and focuses on identifying the factors that will lead to identified outcomes.” (Ormrod, Schunk, & Gredler, 2009, pg. 6) I now believe I have a proper appreciation for the foundational role that these theories play with regards to explaining how we learn. Gardner’s concept of learning styles is helpful in describing the various preferences that people have for how they learn but it is important to remember that preference does not mean that individuals can’t learn using other formats. It is also important to note the fact that some content is best delivered using a specific method regardless of the learners preferred style.

Technology has changed the face of education in recent years. It now plays a vital role in the delivery, dissemination, and application of information. I currently find myself in agreement with those who would say that the technology itself does not manufacture learning, but is a potentially very useful tool for enhancing the way that people learn in the 21^st century. The other (and maybe most important) factor that influences learning is motivation. It can originate from either internal or external sources but is most influential on one’s learning when it comes from within the learner. Adults tend to be more intrinsically motivated to learn than younger students but can still experience frustration that interferes with their motivation to learn. This course has helped me to place a healthy emphasis on the role of motivation as well as providing strategies to enhance and foster its realization in the learner. All these elements of learning are interrelated and serve to explain and clarify a portion of this complex process called learning. Understanding how they relate to one another and the importance each one plays will help me to design effective instruction in the future.

I believe that the content from this course will serve as a firm foundation for the remainder of my coursework. Since the ultimate goal for an instructional designer is to help an individual or group to learn, retain, and apply information; this course lays the groundwork on which I can build the practical and technical skills to accomplish this goal. It will also serve to enhance my own personal learning process since I now understand how I learn best. The concepts and strategies that I have learned from this course will serve me well as I pursue a future in Instructional Design.

References:

Ormrod, J., Schunk, D., & Gredler, M. (2009). Learning theories and instruction (Laureate custom edition). New York: Pearson

Fitting the Pieces Together

The past seven weeks I’ve been learning about various learning theories, styles and strategies. As I look back on my experience and contemplate the relevance and meaning for me professionally, I am asked to consider my personal learning preferences and discuss the role of technology in learning. As I began this journey I was unorganized in my understanding of learning theory and the relevance that each one provides. As I’ve grown in knowledge and understanding these past weeks I have come to believe that each of the learning theories and styles have merit in the proper context. In the beginning, I was under the impression that I would find the one theory that explains it all and I would become a follower of a specific field of thought. Quite the contrary, I have become a fan of all of the theories and styles. In looking at my own personal learning I can see that I have moments when all of the learning theories and styles are prominent. I can very easily relate to a behavioristic approach when I develop a new skill or ability as I have recently in a construction job. I look to the cognitive model as I read and study new information and try to make connections with my long-term memory. The connectivism theory has been highlighted the past couple of months through the discussion posts and conversations with classmates regarding the learning resources. The constructivist approach speaks to me in this class as I consider the context of my learning and the manner in which I will apply the content to my present environment. As an Instructional Designer I believe that knowledge of the various learning theories, styles and strategies will better allow me to design curriculum to meet the needs of learners by considering the content of each lesson and determining the most advantageous delivery method available. The role of technology is primarily as a tool to assist in the delivery, manipulation, or interaction with the content. I intend to take advantage of the various technological tools to help learners get the most out of what they are learning and to enhance the learning theory best suited for a given lesson. The technology can be used in a variety of ways to support and enhance the learning theory, style or strategy being implemented for a given lesson. Placing greater expectation on the technology itself to deliver learning will eventually lead to frustration and failure. So whatever the task set before me, I am now more capable of matching an effective learning theory, style or strategy to the content being delivered. I hope to become more proficient at the utilization of current technologies to best support the learner and aid them to achieve their learning goals.

Connectivism

Describing the current view of education as opposed to 50 years ago George Siemens says, “Today I would say education is complex, and complexity is like a weather system, lots of multiple impacting factors. We suspect it will be like this tomorrow, but if this storm system comes up from over here or this factor changes over there, it will be completely different. That's education today, and that's the dimension that I'm trying to address with connectivism is that nature of abundant information, of primary use of technology, the increasingly complex systemic-based environments that we face today.“ (Laureate Education, 2009, p. 6) Learning then comes at the intersection of one’s personal and professional networks and systems facilitated by today’s technology tools. My networks have had a profound impact on my learning. The people and information that I am exposed to on a regular basis shape my thinking and guide my interactions throughout each and every day. As new people, information sources, and systems add to, replace, or modify my existing network I am effectively changed as a result. I am a product of this environment and the influences that I allow into my network. I utilize various digital resources to help me learn. I rely on the internet heavily for various forms of information; research, personal opinion, news, and entertainment. Work related tools like googledocs, wikispaces and dropbox allow me to collaborate and connect with various professionals. I communicate through email and use computer databases and programs for organization and management of information that I gather/learn. The diagram above demonstrates the various ways that I access information and where I turn to when I have questions or I am searching for help with a problem. It helps to describe the way in which connectivism applies to me personally and the network that I have in place to facilitate learning.

References:

Laureate Education, Inc. (Producer) (2009). Connectivism [Video webcast transcript].

Learning How To Forget

Have you ever seen, heard, or experienced something that you just wish you could forget? I usually struggle more with trying not to forget but on some occasions I have felt it would be useful if I could simply erase an element of my life just as if it never happened. It may sound strange but much of the current brain research on memory is focused on making subjects forget. Scientists have target proteins that are connected to specific memories and have experienced some measure of success at wiping those memories from the brain. In The Dana Alliance’s 2010 Progress Report On Brain Research (http://www.dana.org/uploadedFiles/News_and_Publications/Special_Publications/WEB_ProgressReport2010.pdf) they state that they believe, “To optimize the way memory functions, scientists must continue to map out its inner workings at the molecular level. Recent research underscores the role of specific proteins for preserving memory. In addition, scientists have shown that rapid erasure of memory may someday become a reality.” Wouldn’t that be great if you could just erase the most embarrassing moments from your past just like they never happened? Well, that may be trivial, but considering those who have truly experienced severely traumatic experience, this research could be life changing. In a recent article from wired.com (http://www.wired.com/magazine/2012/02/ff_forgettingpill/) they discuss the implications for individuals with PTSD (Post Traumatic Stress Disorder) and the role that a recent brain research might play in helping victims forget the experience ever even happened. Jonah Lehrer of wired.com states, “In the very near future, the act of remembering will become a choice.” The ethical dilemmas surrounding this application of recent research are hugely significant; however, the implications for learning could be just as important. By discovering the way that we forget we may just figure out how we learn. These recent advances on the molecular level are paving the way for future research on how these chemicals function in storing information into long-term memory.

Blog Assignment #1

Here you will find three links to blogs related to education and instructional design.  I have enclosed a brief description of each to give you an idea of what you might find if you were to visit the site.


The first is an education blog http://ilearntechnology.com/ with the primary goal of helping educators to incorporate the use of technology into their classroom. This website was awarded the Edublog award for best website in 2009 (http://edublogawards.com/2009/best-educational-tech-support-edublog-2009/) You'll find a wealth of information for practically implementing various technologies into the classroom setting.









The second blog is http://www.21apples.org/  Here's what the author says about his site:

"21apples is a blog with a few lofty goals

• explore ways of empowering students to be more in control of their own learning
• help educators learn more about integrating technology into their curricula
• propose educational projects and hear feedback from around the world
• evangelize the benefits of particular technlogies in helping young people learn"

I chose this blog because it is an eclectic mix of information that is useful to me both as an instructor and as a learner. He uses cutting edge information and technology mixed with art.

21APPLES

learning in the 21st century

 

 

My third blog http://123elearning.blogspot.com/ is from an instructor from another part of the world who's goal is to link people together for the purpose of improving education. It seemed to fit well with the basic idea of the assignment from Dr. Artino and I was intrigued by the challenges faced by her as she attempts to connect with other educators around the globe.

E-Learning Journeys

Innovation, Leadership, Creativity, Collaboration

I hope you find these links useful and interesting. I hope to add more as I come across them and I will figure out the best way to post the links to my blog site for easy access.

It’s All Relative!

I have enrolled in my first online course with the goal of obtaining a certificate in Instructional Design. My first class, titled “Learning Theory and Instruction,” has introduced me to the 3 prevailing theories of learning; behaviorism, cognitivism, and constructivism.  As I completed the required readings from the text, additional articles, and supplemental documents that described the constructivist view, I found myself disturbed by the statement, “constructivists believe that the mind filters input from the world to produce its own unique reality.” (Ertmer and Newby,1993, pg. 62)Two things bothered me about this statement; one is the question of the input we get from the world and second is the creation of our own unique reality. Where do we get our input? If the answer is internet web sites, social media, and blogs then I think we are in big trouble.  I have observed an increasing dependence in these areas of our lives and inclusion of them into mainstream education as viable resources for information. Students are taught that it’s not what you learn that’s important but how you learn. The information is out there, we just need to be good at accessing it. The content therefore becomes secondary or even irrelevant as long as the process for its acquisition is learned. I see an increasing relativism developing that makes fact, truth, and concrete science seem less important. Instead, it’s really what people think about something that makes it “real.” This leads me to my second concern, and that is with people using this input to create “their own unique reality.” A constructivist believes that “Humans create meaning as opposed to acquiring it. Since there are many possible meanings to glean from any experience, we cannot achieve a predetermined, “correct” or fixed meaning. Learners do not transfer knowledge from the external world into their memories:  rather they build personal interpretations of the world based on individual experiences and interactions. Thus, the internal representation of knowledge is constantly open to change; there is not an objective reality that learners strive to know.” (Ertmer and Newby,1993, pgs. 62-63) I don’t know, maybe it’s just me, but I don’t like the idea of there not being an objective reality. Everybody determining their own reality- that seems pretty relative to me. So, the way I see it, we have relative truth and relative reality. Where is right and wrong? By the way, don’t try arguing with me because I have already created my own reality for this new information and who are you to tell me my reality is wrong?