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.