Q: How has your
network changed the way you learn?
My initial learning (in my youth) might have reflected a
natural learning style combining visual and kinesthetic learning, but my
(current/modern) learning network stimulates other types of learning and – most
importantly! – it fills in gaps in my learning by expanding resources.
For example, while I grew up with my nose in a book and have
always made page after page of notes, these days I find I touch base with
people and an array of tools as means to gather information and determine
either a strategy (for how to do something) or an opinion (of my assessment of
something). Having more accessibility to both people and online resources
allows me to deepen my understanding of material in a meaningful way – and MUCH
more quickly. A quick illustration of that may be in car searches; a few years
ago, my significant other and I were almost killed in a car accident; we used
people and online resources to find an attorney, to get a rental car, and to
find a replacement vehicle to purchase.
Q: Which digital
tools best facilitate learning for you?
Two items jump out at me when I think in terms of digital
tools for learning: (1) virtual libraries and (2) Internet searches.
Q: How do you
gain new knowledge when you have questions?
I turn to my ‘go to’ resources for a given type of learning.
Some may have a singular primary/initial source for learning, but I have found
that this varies considerably for me. This initially breaks down to whether I
find the knowledge relates to a person I know or does not. If it seems related
to a person I know in any way, I am likely to talk with someone and stimulate
my thinking further with answers or comments that person provides. If it does
not, I am inclined to turn to Internet searches or to virtual libraries for
further resources. To backtrack a bit, my ‘go to’ for a specific class is
class-related material, whether files provided in the learning management
system or chapters in a purchased textbook.
What this process affirmed for me was the significance of my
interest in getting people I know to “weigh in on” certain topics. While this
doesn’t often tie in to work in academia, it ties in to consulting work I do as
well as personal learning. I find it instrumental to get peoples’ views on
social approaches, household decision-making, and more. In some ways, this may
be a way I “work in” social connections, but it does play a part in my
learning!
For work or academic purposes, I have become an avid online
researcher. Whether I use Google Scholar or a virtual library on campus, I find
it invaluable to explore “deeply” in research returns. Likewise, I tend to use
the Purdue OWL site for help creating citations.
Q. In what
ways does your personal learning network support or refute the central tenets
of connectivism?
My personal network definitively supports connectivism. As
Davis, Edmunds and Kelly-Bateman expressed (2008) in their summary of
Siemens’defining tenets of connectivism, connectivism is rooted in using/having
multiple resources for learning (as nodes and for diversity), non-human
appliances can be instrumental in the learning process, and maintenance of
connections is important for continued learning. These things are well
illustrated in my learning experiences!
Reference
Davis, C., Edmunds, E., & Kelly-Bateman, V. (2008).
Connectivism. In M. Orey (Ed.), Emerging perspectives on learning, teaching,
and technology. Retrieved February 17, 2014 at http://epltt.coe.uga.edu/index.php?title=Connectivism
