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.