The Importance of Understanding How We Learn.

As I get further into my online studies I am continually realizing what it takes to be an online student. Before beginning this program I understood what worked best for me as a student and thus how to get the most out of my studies and results. However, I think new learning theories will be created in the next few years because of Online Learning. We have entered a new era; which means everyone will need to shift into this new form of learning at some point. As an instructional designer I will be helping people to make more of a shift into the online learning world. So, it will be extremely important for me to understand how people learn and what motivates them through their online programs.
What I have always found surprising about learning is the motivation behind it. Motivation is key in anything we do however, for an adult learner the reasons for deciding to complete a training or online course tend to be similar but their motivation levels vary so drastically. As an instructional designer it will be important to understand how motivations vary and to ensure programs relate to what the learner is hoping to learn about and keeps them engaged. Most adult learners are taking courses so they can improve their career path and to learn new skills for money or other career reasons. Therefore, they will potentially be more interested in courses that are geared to case studies, problem solving and things relevant to their current role.
From studying various learning theories I have deepened my understanding of factors that contribute to a students learning experience. The most interesting assignment of the module was the mind map application. It made me realize how many networks we are a part of and how they can expand our knowledge and life experiences. As the world becomes more technolically oriented the online networks we have created will continue to drive many of our learning experiences. When we are uncertain about something we will turn to these online networks. The importance of online communication and networks I realized is going to continue to drive and change the world.
There is a definitely connection between learning theories, learning styles, educational technology and motivation. As we enter an a learning environment all these pieces must work together in order for a student to have a good learning experience. If an Instructional Designer does not understand the learning styles and learning theories of their students then the educational technology and motivation will not work. It is important to take each piece into account to ensure that all bases are covered so a student is motivated and is able to understand and learn the material being presented.
Learning theories will be extremely important to understand for my work as an instructional designer. By knowing the different possibilities of how students learn ensures that I understand how best to motivate and ensure the programs I develop achieve the outcomes I was aiming for.

Fitting the Pieces Together.

Understanding my own learning process is incredibly important for any learning experiences I have. For the next year and a half understanding how I learn and the best strategies to learn will ensure my learning experience for my Master’s is a positive one. I believe all online students have to learn how to learn differently to be a successful online student. As an online student we are driving our learning experience and need to understand how to find answers and information in a whole new way. I do not have a background in teaching so it’s difficult for me to understand different methods to use for different learners. The learning theories module I am just finishing has really shown me the different ways our learning experiences can be influences. It has deepened my understanding of the possibilities of how different influences, environments and social settings will change our learning experience. My views on how I learn has not really changed from what I initially thought. I still have the same motivations, environment, cultural and social factors that cause me to learn more effectively. I now have a better understanding of how others in my class or those I teach may learn or be influenced in their learning journey.

Connectivism is one learning theory that changed my view on my learning style and the resources that are available to me. I learn best from discussion information and understanding others interpretations of that information. It is quite helpful for someone to explain their views and then talk things out with me. Currently, with everyone building online networks with Facebook, email and other websites it will increasingly important to use these networks to find solutions to information you are uncertain about. In this module having to put together a blog and learn how to use Google reader really opened up a new underground world for me. As an instructional designer it will be beneficial to build my own network of people that have experience in the field. This will allow me to trade different ‘war stories’ to get a better understanding of the Instructional Design world out there.

As someone that has grown up at a time where technology was beginning to arrive in the world, it really has shaped my learning experience and career. Technology is used for all of my learning experiences since elementary school onwards. Therefore, it plays a huge role for all searching of information/solutions, completing my assignments and interacting I make with other students. In the future it will continue to shape the personal web network I am beginning to build and will shape my career since I work for an online University. It will be interesting to see how technology changes in the next 5 years. Hard to know what will happen next in the learning world.

Connectivism- My Mind Map

Having a strong network in all aspects of our lives can help us get through the tough times and learn from these experiences. Previously, everyone stayed in touch with their networks through letters and the telephone. Now the rise of Facebook, LinkedIn, Skype and email has allowed us to stay in touch and contact our support networks via the internet. It has become much easier to remain in contact with people from all over the world. Currently I live overseas so in order to keep in touch with all my networks I use Facebook, email and Skype on a daily basis. At work and for school I rely on the internet to do my job and complete my coursework. Without the internet I would not have been able to stay in touch with people I have met from all over the world or reconnect with those I had lost touch with. Being able to remain connect with people over the world teaches me about different cultures, has meant new experiences and has allowed me to learn a lot about myself.

I believe its technological advances that have forced me to change the way I learn. If you do not follow where technology is going than you are left behind or do not learn the important information as well as those that stayed up to date with technology. Previously, if you were uncertain about something you would go to your instructor or go to a Library and search for the specific solution with the help of someone. This has change because now my learning is driven by research I conduct on my own. The internet allows me to search for solutions, videos, write to others with the same issue or call them. The digital tools I use to help learn are Google, YouTube instructional videos, Walden’s online Library, and email or Skype.

My personal learning network supports the central ideas and beliefs of Connectivism. We are now in a world where learning and technology go hand in hand. So understanding technology allows us to be ready and able to participate in future trends or the latest technological fad that takes place.


For my Learning Theories Module I was to create a Mind Map that outlined how the networks I am a part of allow me to learn and access different people.

Connectivism Mind Map

Great sources to check out!

As we all know the internet is busting with information about every subject. So it sometimes becomes incredibly time consuming to try and find valuable information. I wanted to share a few excellent sources I came across. The brain connection website http://brainconnection.positscience.com/ gives excellent insight into learning and how the brain reacts. Under the ‘Education Connection’ tab that is meant to apply brain science to teaching and learning. Also, the library tab on the website there are three categories that articles and information is broken into including general topics, education topics and clinical topics. I found the Learning and Memory section under education topics quite extensive. There are various feature articles that are worth a look. Also, there is a Brain Teasers section that gives ideas on games for memory attention and sound discrimination for children to develop these skills.


The website for New Horizons for Learning is a valuable resource. Although the site is no longer being updated it still has extensive resources and articles. New Horizons for Learning was originally created “as a leading-edge resource for educational change by identifying, communicating, and helping to implement successful educational strategies http://www.newhorizons.org/nhfl/about/history.htm .” Their website is full of articles and resources that are focused on teaching and learning strategies, transforming education and lifelong learning. I will definitely use and review the recommended readings about Learning Styles, Character Education and Technology in Education. http://www.newhorizons.org/index.html


Currently, I am studying about learning theories and how everyone learns differently and thus potentially uses their brain differently. I came across a chapter from the book Education, Psychology and the Brain in my school’s online library. I found this chapter extremely informative as it reviews psychological theories with learning theories to explain how the brain learns. I think this chapter provides valuable insight to understanding the science behind how we learn.
Posner, Michael I & Rothbart, Mary K. (2007) Education, Psychology, and the Brain. American Psychological Association, Chapter 1, pp.7-21.

Its a big Instructional Design world out there!

The concept of blogging is fairly new to me. I have never read nor was aware blogs could be used for educational purposes.  I was under the impression most blogs out there were interest or hobby driven and were not used for learning or career purposes.   I have thought about keeping a blog when I was on a 7 month travel break but turned to email instead as the concept of blogging seems too difficult to tackle.  I now face my initial judgments and am facing my blogging demons.   As a new Instructional Design and Technology student,  (I am just beginning my second course) I am being thrown into a new world of new technologies and applications.  At times it feels like a sink or swim scenario of either put in the time to figure things out or you will be left gasping for breath. 

Since I am new to the world of Instructional Designing and Blogging it was quite fascinating to enter this world where there seem to be hundreds or thousands of other students, career people or those interested in this topic.  It’s amazing to see the possibilities of being able to get firsthand accounts of those in this field and understand their trials and tribulations.   As someone that is new to the blogging world I am attracted to blogs of those that are either a student, instructor or are within the field of instructional design.  I thought it would be best to find a blog of each as this would allow me to get an understanding from all different perspectives.  I have included specific blogs below that I will continue to visit to see if there are new topics of interest.  Any new blogs that seem to be of interest I will continue to add to my blog list.

 I came across Marian Klein’s blog and was extremely interested as she has over 20 years of experience in helping to improve people’s performance and designing programs to help corporations improve their training facilities for their employees.  She has many different topics that she writes about including instructional design, consulting, elearning, and learning strategies.  These are all topics that interest me for my studies and for my career path.    

http://marianklein.com/category/instructional-design/

In my searches Terry Morris’ blog came to the surface.  Mr. Morris has over 10 years in the field of instructional design, instructing courses and has written a book about Web development.  His focus is in IT and technology based courses as you see on his personal website (TerryMorris.net).  However his blog reviews topics like instructional design, e-learning and universal design.  His blog will assist me in getting a better understanding of these topics and in possibly some of the areas of IT that I struggle with. 

http://teachingonline.wordpress.com/2010/03/03/universal-design-for-learning/ 

 

Shelley Gable’s blog I find quite interesting because she is a trainer and freelance writer.  So her blog contains her past written articles and the blogs that she currently writes for.  She has written about topics such as instructional design, elearning, and training.   She has many previous blog posts that are definitely worth a look.               

http://shelleygable.wordpress.com/about/