Week #8 - Assignment 1 - Reflections

Jason Wells
EDUC-6115-3, Learning Theories & Instruction
Dr. Artino
December 21, 2013
Week #8 - Reflections

 

I was fortunate to further my knowledge about how people learn in an online format with others who truly have an interest in the subject matter.  Progressing through the course forced me to take time to reflect on my earliest experiences and memories as a learner.  This opening activity not only afforded me and others an opportunity to see the relevance of lessons that would follow, but also to gain more of an appreciation for the experiences of those who we will instruct. 

Although I had long been aware of my learning preferences, I only understood them juxtaposed to what I preferred the least.  For example, I have always found myself growing bored and disinterested with content that was not engaging, but never really understood why.  When I was first exposed to learning styles, I had assumed that I was a visual learner and that if this preference was not appealed to, then I would have performance challenges to overcome.  This course immersed me in the study of the various learning styles, including connectivism.   Exposure to the connectivist theory helped me to understand the influence that my own networks were having on my learning process.  This was especially revealing as many of these networks were informal and virtual.  As I reflected on these networks and mapped them for a class activity, I was better able to understand the true complexity of my own learning preferences and process.

I have also learned that there is interconnectedness among the various learning styles, theories, motivation, and educational technology.  I would argue that no single theory or style can be applied to a learner or instructional design in isolation.  Rather, one must consider how these factors can work in tandem.  Technology can be used to support the learning process and make it more engaging to the extent that it is used in context and without serving as a distraction.  In terms of motivation, I would say that it is foundational to all learning experiences.  Learners must be motivated to remain engaged and there are a variety of intrinsic and extrinsic motivating factors at play.

          Beyond acquiring a much broader understanding of the learning process, this course has provided me with solid techniques to help me to better understand, motivate, and engage learners.  More specifically, I have a better understanding of how to leverage technology to engage today’s tech savvy learner.  The blog assignment was a great model of how to build learning communities/networks.  I am confident that this course provided me with the foundation necessary to complete future courses and be a contributor to the instructional design community

Week #7 - Assignment 1 - Fitting the Pieces Together

In the first week of the course, we were presented with an exercise in reflection related to our preferred learning styles.  In that discussion thread, I elaborated on how I thought that my style of learning more closely matched the social learning theory.  I pointed out that I would draw upon prior experiences and memories to inform future behaviors.

Now that the end of the course is drawing near, I have a deeper understanding of the various learning styles and theories.  Although I would not say that my view on how I learn has changed dramatically, I would say that it has expanded.  Most notably, I have a deeper understanding of how connectivism helps to further explain my learning experiences. 

In addition to social learning theory, connectivism is at play through the multitude of social and technological networks that I am a part of.  Although I was aware of my participation in professional discussion forums and associations, I cannot say that I fully considered their impact on my learning process prior to this course. 

Technology is at play in every facet of my learning.  I cannot recall the last time that I actually visited a physical library and thumbed through volumes of journal articles.  In this way, technology has revolutionized research and data retrieval.  With the evolution of online learning, I have found learning to be a far more interactive experience with the use of video, gaming, and discussion forums.  Asynchronous courses have also helped me with meeting the demands of a hectic schedule.  I am certainly among the adult learners who might not have the benefit of furthering my education if online degree programs did not exist.  Perhaps the most important aspect of how technology has impacted my learning may be the ability to interact with learners from across the globe.  

Week #5 - Reflections - Connectivism

Jason Wells
EDUC-6115-3, Learning Theories & Instruction
Dr. Artino
November 30, 2013
Week #5 - Reflections - Connectivism

 

In considering the theory of connectivism, I have found that my network has drastically changed the ways in which I learn.  As it stands today, my network includes inputs from the Walden University online course resources and the course blackboard discussion forums.  Outside of academia, my network includes instructional design blogs and discussion forums hosted by the American Society for Training & Development and Linkedin.com.  Prior to the advent of social media networks, my network was primarily centered on academic settings with most of the inputs from scholarly materials and the outputs limited to course assignments.

Digital tools have revolutionized my learning experiences.  If I were to select those that best facilitate my learning, I would have to say that it would be discussion forums and videos.  Videos seem to bring otherwise bland content to life and offer alternative perspectives or viewpoints.  Discussion forums are my absolute favorite.  Whether they are in an online course or in the form of a blog, discussion forums afford me the opportunity to be immersed in a community of thoughts and perspectives on various ideas.  Perhaps the best aspect of these forums is that they offer an opportunity to interact with other users in a multidirectional communication flow.

In terms of gaining new knowledge when I have questions, I find that I first consult a reputable online resource.  If my question requires more depth to the answer, I will consult a scholarly or professional resource that serves as the authority on the topic.  In some cases, my question is general in nature and I will simply consult friends and/or colleagues using social networks such as Facebook or LinkedIn. 

I would say that my personal learning network supports the central tenets of connectivism in several ways.  First, the discussion forums and blogs are in alignment with having a diversity of opinions.  Additionally, the technology tools such as video, etc. facilitate and illuminate my learning experiences.  Finally, nurturing and maintaining these connections through continual participation in these learning communities advances my learning.      

Jason's Adult Learning Mind Map

Week #2 - Blog Assignment: Identifying and Evaluating Online Resources

 

Jason Wells
EDUC-6115-3, Learning Theories & Instruction
Dr. Artino
November 10, 2013

 

I have located and evaluated the following resources related the brain and learning:

http://www.learningsolutionsmag.com

The eLearning Solutions Guild has been publishing the Learning Solutions Magazine since 2002.  The magazine is a well-respected industry publication highlighting advances in, and analysis of technologies, theories, and best practices in the learning field.  More specifically, the magazine is home to 100+ scholarly articles related to brain function and learning.  Readers are able to subscribe to RSS Feeds and view content online.

http://www.apa.org/pubs/journals/edu/index.aspx

The American Psychological Association's Journal of Educational Psychology publishes original research relating to the broad field of Educational Psychology.  Within its numerous volumes are articles related to brain function and the learning process.  This journal is useful as it covers research across the educational lifespan and is not narrowly focused on one stage of development.  Readers are able to subscribe to RSS Feeds.

Week #1 - Blog Assignment

Jason Wells
EDUC-6115-3, Learning Theories & Instruction
Dr. Artino
November 3, 2013

 

As I searched for blogs that reflected my interests related to the instructional design field, I wanted to focus on those highlighting the learner experience and technology.  My search produced thee blogs as follows:

1.     eLearning Brothers: http://elearningbrothers.com/10-elearning-game-ideas-for-instructional-designers/

 

eLearning Brothers is a blog that is focused on ways in which games can be incorporated into eLearning instruction to make for a more engaging and interactive learning experience.  In addition to providing information about ways to integrate gaming, the blog is also useful in that it features links to templates for graphics, audio, and games.  I plan to use this blog as a resource for the development of eLearning.

 

2.     Voices of Global Online Academy: http://globalonlineacademy.wordpress.com/

 

Voices of Global Online Academy is a blog that highlights educational technology reviews, student testimonials, and teacher contributions.  Global Online Academy is a consortium of independent schools.  The blog has a very clean and user-friendly interface that allows readers to quickly access postings of interest.  After perusing the blog, I found that the online teacher insights are quite useful.  I am especially interested in what motivates learners in an online environment.  The teacher insights often include student satisfaction survey results that back their postings.  In addition to becoming an instructional designer, I also have an interest in contributing to the field by teaching.

 

3.      Learning Snippets: http://learningsnippets.wordpress.com/

 

Learning Snippets is a blog created by an Australian Instructional Designer named Matt.   In addition to his professional work, Matt is completing his Masters at University of New South Wales.  Matt’s postings are created as diary entries of major concepts and useful tips that he is learning in his graduate program.  Matt’s blog has postings related to the use of technology in learning, gaming, learner motivation, learning theories, etc.  I think that this blog will be useful as I am also completing the same program at Walden University.  Matt’s reflections will serve as reminders of concepts that I have been introduced to, and may also present new concepts that I have yet to discover.