Fitting My Learning Pieces Together

When I started this course (Learning Theories and Instruction), I considered myself a visual learner with aspects of the cognitive theory where learning is organized, sequenced and presented in a manner that is understandable and meaningful (Ertmer & Newby, 1993). I also saw myself using my past experiences to help in constructing new meaningful information.

Now, after studying each theory a little closer, I still see myself learning by creating meaning from experience (constructivism). However, the social learning theory and connectivism are also responsible for how I learn. I am influenced by my work environment, events in society, and other people. These influences/interactions are always feeding me new information and I filter the meaningful information from the not so useful information. According to Kim (2001), social constructivists view learning as a social process… meaningful learning occurs when individuals are engaged in social activities. A good example of this is when I am with my coworkers and we are discussing current events. With my schedule I usually only have time to catch some headlines so the social activity with my coworkers provides me with the in depth information and stories behind the headlines.   

Like a lot of people, I rely on my networks and online connections to acquire new knowledge. Karen Stephenson (as cited in Siemens, 2005) states:

“Experience has long been considered the best teacher of knowledge. Since we cannot experience everything, other people’s experiences, and hence other people, become the surrogate for knowledge. ‘I store my knowledge in my friends’ is an axiom for collecting knowledge through collecting people (undated).”

In this digital age, technology offers new ways to learn. You can search any topic on the internet to view articles, videos, and images. One problem can be too much information so the user has to be able to discern what information is relevant for their needs. Along with that, information has become very accessible with the arrival of smartphones and tablets. Information can be accessed from just about anywhere and learning can happen from those online searches and interactions.

Technology is still moving forward and introducing new ways to facilitate learning like virtual reality training, more realistic simulations and devices, and other tools. People are always learning and depending on the context of the information, one of the learning theories will be utilized. An important thing to remember is that the advances in technology are just tools and that the learner must see the value and relevance of the new information or experience for the learned material to be retained.

Reference

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

Siemens, G. (2005). Connectivism: A Learning Theory for the Digital Age. In itdl.org. Retrieved from http://www.itdl.org/Journal/Jan_05/article01.htm