Week 8: Reflection on Learning Theories

As I reflect on the theories and learning strategies discussed this semester, the most important concept I have taken away is; understanding and meeting the learner’s needs. There are many ways to meet these needs; knowing past experiences will help create relevance in the material you are constructing, giving attention and setting expectations early, encouraging
participation as a way to motivate intrinsically, and using technology to tie
it all together. Producing engaging material is possible when learning strategies are applied properly.
The most striking information was the constructivist theories. I have always enjoyed
interacting with others; however, I did not realize how much learning is attained from others and a person’s own previous experiences. Concepts continually evolve so it is critical that learning occur in realistic settings and that the selected learning tasks be relevant to the student’s lived experiences (Ertmer & Newby 1993)

This course has opened my eyes to pay more attention to myself as a learner. Applying metacognition and self-regulation to my studies has been extremely valuable. Dr. Ormrod described how metacognition is a process that evolves over time and the most effective
learners are always wisely thinking about thinking (Laureate Education, Inc.,2009). This is the most excited I have been about learning in a long time. I had much anxiety about going back to pursue my Master’s. There were several factors that created this anxiety. Two of greatest concerns where; 1) I was afraid of not being able to contribute as well as my classmates who may have more experience in the field of instructional design, 2) juggling family and work plus school. What I have found in the past eight weeks is that I am not the best contributor to the discussions, but I am improving and I am learning from my classmates by attempting to contribute. The anxiety has to some extent dissipated as I have become more comfortable participating. Although for any task, there is probably some optimal level of arousal at which learning and performance are maximized (Laureate Education, Inc., 2009 p. 249).
Organizing my time and using connectivism techniques to stay current on
blogs and websites of interest has made me more efficient. We must create networks which, simply defined, are connections between entities (Davis, Edmunds & Kelly-Bateman,2008).
Learning theories and styles can all be used in online education. The more in demand distance education becomes the higher the expectation for quality online education is going to be.
From what I have learned in this course, meeting high quality standards is entirely possible. Experiential learning allows for the generation of understanding and allows for the transfer
of skills and knowledge. This is particularly effective in adult education as it addresses the cognitive, emotional and the physical aspect of the learner (Conlan, Grabowki & Smith 2003). When we are discussing adult learners we know they are motivated by the opportunity
to gain new skills, knowledge, and attitudes to improve their work performance (Conlan, Grabowki & Smith 2003). Scaffolding strategies in the online learning environment needs to provide the cognitive support to identify strategies for accomplishing learning tasks not
attainable by the individual (Lim, 2004).
Learning in this course has already made me a better educator. I have a new grasp on approaching the students’ needs. Taking a step back to evaluate the methods I currently use shows me that there are needs for improvement. Creating
motivation and confidence in the learner through how a course is designed is extremely exciting. As an adult learner I understand why adults are most interested in learning about subjects that have immediate relevance to their job or personal life (Conlan, Grabowki & Smith 2003).
In conclusion, I have taken away valuable information about online education, adult learners
(myself included), and becoming an intrinsically motivated person. Using technology in the classroom through distance education has helped me to have a better understanding of how my distance education students feel. I have an improved sense of awareness on how to approach learning theories, strategies and technology because of this course, thank you!



References

Conlan,J., Grabowski, S., & Smith, K. (2003). Adult Learning. In M. Orey (Ed.),
Emerging perspectives on learning, teaching, and technology. Retrieved
, from http://projects.coe.uga.edu/epltt/

Davis,C., Edmunds, E., & Kelley-Bateman, V. (2008). Connectivism. InM, Orey
(Ed.). Emerging perspectives on learning,teaching, and technology. Retrieved from http://projects.coe.uga.edu/epltt/index.php?title=Connectivism

Ertmer,P.A., & Newby, T.J., (1993). Behaviorism, cognitivism,constructivism: Comparing critical feature from an instructional design perspective. Performance
Improvement Quarterly, 6(4), 50-57

Laureate Education, Inc. (Ormrod, S.).(2009). Information Processing and Problem Solving [Video webcast]. Retrieved from course resources.

Lim, C. P. (2004). Engaging learners in online learning environments. TechTrends: Linking Research and Practice to Improve Learning, 48(4), 16–23.

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

Week 7: Fitting the Pieces Together

The biggest change that has occurred for me in the past seven weeks is how I approach my learning. I have become conscience about applying metacognition and self-regulation to the information I am reading or viewing in this class. I am motivated to get the most out of the resources provided by Walden University, Dr. Weaver, and my classmates. Everyone has brought their varied backgrounds and experiences to the discussions every week. The questions posed and ideas brought to the discussions have been very valuable. The social interactions through distance learning have been more engaging than I thought it would be.
In my week 1 discussion post I said;
Constructivism seemed to be the most applicable. The statement; “Every action is viewed as “interpretation of the current situation based on an entire history of previous interactions” (Clancey, 1986) connected with me. I feel as though the topics I have studied have been applicable to situations that occur in my life and are relevant to my life experiences. What I have experienced in one situation was useful to me later on.
In week 7 social constructivism, adult learning styles and connectivism help explain my personal learning style. Social constructivists view learning as a social process. It does not take place only within an individual, nor is it a passive development of behaviors that are shaped by external forces (McMahon, 1997). Meaningful learning occurs when individuals are engaged in social activities (Kim 2001). Experiential learning theory builds on experience. This is especially important in adult learning because simply by living, adults bring a wealth of experience to every learning situation they face. (Conlan, Grabowski & Smith, 2003). These thoughts tied together with online learning create the networks or nodes of connectivism. Siemens principles included, nurturing and maintaining connections is needed to facilitate continual learning, seeing the connection between fields and concepts, also understanding the need for accurate and up-to-date knowledge (Davis, Edmunds & Kelly-Bateman)
Technology is my education. This is an online program; I would not be able to access my class without it. As an adult learner the flexibility online learning allows is the only way it is possible for me to be continuing my education. Researching information is at my finger tips with technology. Whether it be on my computer or iTouch. This course introduced me to aggregators, this simple idea is amazing. The ability to go to one site and find updated information from blogs or websites that I have interest in has been a huge time saver. I feel much more organized because of the aggregator. I feel more comfortable browsing various information regarding educational/instructional design topics since I have spent more time doing this in last seven weeks.

References:
Ormond, J Video program: Information Processing and Problem Solving, Laureate 2009
Ormrod, J., Schunk, D., & Gredler, M. (2009). Learning theories and instruction (Laureate custom edition). New York: Pearson..
Kim, B. (2001). Social constructivism. In M. Orey (Ed.), Emerging perspectives on learning, teaching, and technology. Retrieved from http://projects.coe.uga.edu/epltt/index.php?title=Social_Constructivism
Conlan, J., Grabowski, S., & Smith, K. (2003). Adult learning. In M. Orey (Ed.), Emerging perspectives on learning, teaching, and technology. Retrieved from http://projects.coe.uga.edu/epltt/index.php?title=Adult_Learning
Davis, C., Edmunds, E., & Kelly-Bateman, V. (2008). Connectivism. In M. Orey (Ed.), Emerging perspectives on learning, teaching, and technology. Retrieved from http://projects.coe.uga.edu/epltt/index.php?title=Connectivism

Week 5: Mind mapping

This is a link to my mind map, it doesn't look as good in a jpeg.
http://www.webspirationpro.com/view/1045067a221b8

My network has created opportunities for learning and allowed a great amount of flexibility at work and in school . Working on my Master’s through distance education was made possible because of the Internet. Having the availability to further my education after my kids are asleep made the thought of going back to school less daunting. They are 5 and 3 so I need to be available. In my work connections the Internet provides me the opportunity to work from home at certain times during the semester. The availability to log in remotely to my desktop allows an amount of flexibility. As does ICON the University of Iowa distance education portal. https://icon.uiowa.edu/ The courses I teach online are managed through ICON. This gives me 24/7 availability to monitoring, adding information and corresponding my courses.
Google Reader has been extremely helpful when organizing thoughts and ideas. Going to one site to check in on all of my favorite blogs and newsfeeds does save time. The blogs I have found during this class have been insightful. I also appreciate the discussion boards more and more. Honestly, I was intimidated by discussions at the beginning of my courses through Walden because I felt under qualified. I appreciate video links or video lectures as a break from reading everything. Video demonstrations are also extremely helpful to me as I am learning how to create technology based tools.
To gain knowledge I “Google” it. When I needed to know more about connectivism, a recipe or the times that movie is playing I typically Google the question or key words to create a starting point. From there I can browse to find the information that seems of value or interest. I email people to ask for help or clarification.
My personal learning network is supportive of the central beliefs of connectivism. Siemens said “connectivism is driven by the understanding that decisions are based rapidly altering foundations. New information is continually being acquired and the ability to draw distinctions between important and unimportant is vital” (Seimens, 2005 para.24). The world we live in is rapidly changing. An endless amount of information is at our fingertips. We cannot read everything available to us but we can decide what is important and what is not worth our time. Understanding different tools to help organize thoughts and piecing together the information you learn and how it relates to your life is how I recognize connectivism.

Reference:
Davis, C., Edmunds, E., & Kelly-Bateman, V. (2008). Connectivism. In M. Orey (Ed.), Emerging perspectives on learning, teaching, and technology. Retrieved from http://projects.coe.uga.edu/epltt/index.php?title=Connectivism