Fitting the Pieces Together

Now that I have had the opportunity to explore the different learning theories and learning styles my perspective of how I learn has changed. When I first began this course my exposure to learning theory was limited. My perspective was what I would call more classic. I had read the Adult Learner by Holton, Knowles and Swanson and had exposure to some theories on a superficial level. I had the idea of my own learning as being very me centered but after exploring all of the theories I find that my learning is very social and sometimes external from me.

As we moved into the constructivist theory and the role of memory it explained my learning very well. I do not tend to remember things as particular facts I remember concepts. I use the concepts as new situations arise that relate to the concepts and then apply them to the current situation. Social learning is also a big part of how I learn. I may ask for others assistance on various topics and learn from their thoughts or methods of how they approach a task or topic. Working with the matrix assignment is a perfect example. I was programming the interface for my flash program and I was sure that I could make my code more efficient but I could not see how so I consulted with an “expert” to observe how he would approach the problem. This is a good example of the type of social learning activity that I prefer. In addition to face-to-face interactions I also utilize technology to assist my learning.

The Mind Map assignment really made me realize how much I utilize technology and my network of resources. It not only helped me realize that I rely on them but how they all fit together. For example if I have a question about a topic that I am not familiar with I will google it and go to Wikipedia and read the information there. If there is an expert on the topic I will look for a website, blog, book or something written by an expert. If there is not a clear expert I may browse the resources and see what references are cited and then begin researching further. My next step after gathering basic information is to consult an individual with whom I have an established relationship whether that is a coworker, friend, professor, classmate, etc. This might be in-person but most likely the contact will be online. If I do not know anyone that I can discuss the topic directly with then I might post a discussion on Linked In or some other networking site. In addition to becoming aware of my reliance of this process I have also realized that I become quickly frustrated in learning environments where I do not have access to use these technology tools.