Looking Back…

This has been my very first class at Walden. I am not in the Masters program. I have opted instead to go for a Certificate in ID for three reasons:

1.) It is shorter, and I could get a piece of paper by September which I could add to my resume.

2.) I didn’t really know what I was getting myself into and what this was all about. Again, I just had my eye on a piece of paper, a credential that would add to my resume by September and hopefully get me more jobs.

3.) Most importantly, I didn’t know at the time if I would enjoy distance learning in an online classroom. It seemed daunting to spend two years without every physically meeting my classmates or hearing their voices. September seemed bearable.

At the end, I am pleasantly surprised at how much I’ve learned and at how much I’ve enjoyed it. It was actually great!

The entire subject matter itself was surprising. In the past, I had never thought about learning theories at all. I had no idea about how people learned, and I never asked. I never thought about my own personal process of learning, and I never thought about what occurs in different areas of my brain. I just had some vague street observations. For example, I had some observations about a system of reward and punishment which seemed quite effective. After this course, I can now give it a name: Behaviorism. In another example, I found that facilitating problem solving exercise was quite useful for teaching someone how to use a piece of software, and now I can call this: Cognitivism. I thought that was all there was, but then a whole new world opened up for me. I learned about new theories such as Constructivism, Social Constructivism, Connectivism and Adult Learning. And I can choose from them for developing all sorts of learning experiences.

Learning theories gave me an understanding of the various learning processes out there. Learning occurs in different ways, and depending on the subject matter, one learning theory might be more appropriate than the other. Moreover, different factors influence learning, and it is important to have the right structure in place when applying a particular theory. For example, Connectivism might be inappropriate for someone who does not know how to use a computer or someone who is distrustful or reclusive. There are all sorts of people out there, and there are different types of subject matter. Thus, knowledge of each of the various aspects of learning theories will help me create richer learning experiences.

In addition to learning theories, I also studied learning styles, educational technology, and motivation. All of these are factors that contribute to the learning process. Week 6 is my favorite, because just when we thought we knew it all, Dr. Gardner said maybe we don’t. He introduced a whole new concept about intelligences, which challenged the efficacy of learning styles. Then, in Week 7, Dr. Willingham made a confrontational statement when he claimed outright that there are no such things as learning styles. As the old adage goes, the more we know, the more we don’t know. These learning theories and styles are not universal truths. They are just theories and descriptions. These are useful tools, but we shouldn’t get too attached to them.

In my career as an instructional designer, I will focus on teaching adults. I hope to start a business where I help software companies develop learning material and curriculum for their customers or employees. In addition, I will focus on online or distance education and the use of technology. This course has helped me in a number of ways.

First of all, I have a good understanding of the needs of adult learners. Adults bring prior experience and knowledge, certain beliefs and motivational factors into their learning. Moreover, learning occurs thru mutual planning and personal responsibility. Adults have a need to direct their own learning, and my role as a teacher will be more of a facilitator rather than an instructor. I never realized that before. I used to have a tendency to be bossy, and sometimes I even yell at students (classic behaviorist techniques). Now I know that I can trust the students to direct their own learning.

Secondly, I have an understanding of how technology and the learning experience come together. In addition to reading about new technologies coming into play in the Horizon Report, we have done some hands-on exercises. For example, we created blogs and mindmaps. We learned how to use an RSS aggregator. Most importantly, we got comfortable enough with the technology to actively participate in the Discussion Boards. We got used to it, and at the end, I didn’t miss the physical classroom at all.

Last but not least, motivation is a very important factor in the learning process, especially for adults. With respect to my own personal learning, the section in the textbook about achievement hit me hard. I have been an achiever in my life. I did well in school, went to a decent university, and did well in my career. However, none of it ever felt like success. Then, I read on page 242 of the textbook, “The strive for achievement is a function of two related needs: the motive for success, or Ms (the desire to do well and accomplish goals) and the motive to avoid failure, or MAF (anxiety about failing to accomplish goals and reluctance to engage in activities that may lead to failure).” It suddenly dawned on me that I fall in the second category. My life has been all about avoiding failure, and it’s been quite limiting. It has affected my choices and my openness for learning. There is a lot more in the chapter about motivation for all kinds of people (like Maslow’s hierarchy of needs), and I’d like to study that area even more. Motivation is the one factor that can affect the success of any kind of instruction, especially adult learning.

All in all, this course has been very helpful, and I can’t wait for the next one!

Week 7 Assignment: How do I learn?

To be honest, my view on how I learn has not changed much. It’s been a great class though. I have learned a lot during the last 7 weeks, and I’m able to break learning into the different pieces now. To use an analogy, I’ve always known what fried chicken tastes like, but now I am aware of the different types of fried chicken. I also have an understanding of the different styles for how to make fried chicken.

In my original posting during Week 1, I wrote that learning is a function of discipline and entertainment (interest/motivation). This very much describes Adult Learning Theory. (I guess I’ve been an adult for a while, and I’ve intuitively been learning that way.) I also reflected back on my childhood and recognized Behaviorist and Cognitive influences. Now that I’ve read additional theories, I can see their influence throughout my life. For example:

• I’ve really gotten into NLP and ontology during the last 5 years, and I have evolved into a constructivist. I create meaning. Knowledge is not acquired but created. I find that if I don’t create it, it doesn’t exist. 
• I’ve gotten into improv comedy (amateur). As an improviser, I have become aware that learning is a social process. (I didn’t know it was a theory back then. I just experienced it that way. Most improv comedians are really very smart, and now I understand why.)
•  I work in IT, so I’m constantly in front of a computer. I’m also a big Facebook user, and I’m quite aware that information is so abundant. I can’t keep up. It’s impossible. So, I’ve learned to accept that memory is collective. We need to collaborate.

As for the role of technology in my learning… we live in a different world now. Technology is not just a tool we use. We have become the tool. We are actually becoming nodes in an information society. “Hypertext is no longer just linking information. The web is linking people…. People sharing, trading and collaborating.” (Source: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6gmP4nk0EOE) That has huge implications for us, not just legal or financial, but also our identity, sense of self, and sense of others. Technology is not just a way to search for information or record information. It’s become a way of being. It’s become the means for Jung’s collective unconscious to express itself. (Damn, that sounds deep!)

I’ll conclude this posting with a quote from Daniel Willingham. “Styles don’t exist….Good teaching is good teaching.” We’ve learned different recipes for learning, but that’s not the end of things. It’s just the beginning. There’s much more out there to discover. Let’s not limit ourselves, but learn from these classifications and perhaps discover (or create) new styles.

Cool links

Using iPhones for learning on a college campus: 
http://www.acu.edu/technology/mobilelearning/video/connected.html


The myth of learning styles by Daniel Willingham:
http://www.thepsychfiles.com/2009/03/episode-90-the-learning-styles-myth-an-interview-with-daniel-willingham/

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sIv9rz2NTUk




About the Semantic Web: 
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6gmP4nk0EOE

How has my network changed the way I learn?

In the past, I used to think that I would have to take a traditional classroom course or buy a book to learn about something. But, nowadays, knowledge can be obtained instantaneously everywhere, at any time and from any place. Information can be delivered to me via Twitter or Facebook, and I can join different bulletin boards and forums. I can also search for the expertise via YouTube or Google. Then, there are online universities that have sprouted up, like Phoenix and Walden, which offer a structured learning approach with a mentor/coach to facilitate my learning process.


The best tools for me involve a combination of technologies & people. For example, I have a laptop, a blackberry & mobile phone, and internet access. In addition, I use a variety of social media tools (such as Twitter, Facebook, LinkedIn) and rely heavily on search engines and wikis. To complement these technologies, it is critical that I maintain a huge social network of several hundred friends and colleagues. I surround myself with subject matter experts and a network of business contacts.

Nevertheless, even though I have these technology tools and connections, it doesn’t mean much unless I have a process for being able to keep up with the information. I need both a process to follow and discipline to follow through. And when I have questions, I also need to be brave enough to reach out to my network and ask.

My personal learning network is very much aligned with the central tenets of connectivism. First of all, my personal contacts are from all walks of life, and they have differing opinions. If “learning and knowledge rest in a diversity of opinions”, then I have built a very rich learning environment. Secondly, “capacity to learn more is more critical than what is already known.” I am driven to learn more, because I just don’t know enough. The world is complex and constantly changing. I could never know enough. Last but not least, “nurturing and maintaining connections is needed to facilitate continual learning.” Indeed, it’s not what you know that matters so much anymore. And it’s not even who you know that is the most important. What really matters is the ability to meet and connect with the right person and the right sources of information at the right time.

(Quotes are all from reading assignment:  "Connectivism" by Davis, Edmunds, and Kelly-Bateman)

My Mindmap On My Learning World

Imagine what we can do with our brains!

What would it be like to have your brain genetically altered by injecting it with viruses that carry genes taken from pond scum, and then flooding those genes with blue light inserted into your skull?

http://www.wired.com/magazine/2009/10/mf_optigenetics/all/1

Blog Assignment: Evaluating and Identifying Online Resources

http://www.newhorizons.org/lifelong/higher_ed/crawford.htmThere is a lot of information out there about the brain and learning, information processing theory, and problem-solving methods during the learning process.  Here is some of what I found:

1. Wikipedia:  This is a nice introduction to Information Processing Theory. I love Wikipedia, because the articles here are always framed nicely and bundled up neatly. Indeed, Wikipedia is very cognitive in its approach (putting things into bullet points and subheadings), and perhaps this organizational approach is a byproduct of collaborative learning.
2. The Magical Number Seven, Plus or Minus Two: Some Limits on Our Capacity for Processing Information:  This is an article written by a Harvard Professor (George A. Miller) in 1956.  It describes experiments with a person's capacity to transmit and receive information (input and output). His conclusion is that we can do about 7 "bits" (+ or - 2). A "bit" is the amount of information "needed to make a decision between two likely alternatives." For example, is a person taller than six feet or not(yes or no). Second example: the ability to identify and distinguish a musical note from the other 7 notes.  A person can learn more information ("bits") by grouping the information and creating larger "chunks" of information.  The formula still applies, however.  A person can process only 7 chunks of information (+ or -2). 
   
3. The Role of Aging in Adult Learning: Implications for Instructors in Higher Education:  Most articles on information processing theory are always talking about children and developing young brains. I wanted also to find out about the brain when one gets older.  This article discusses:
   
   • Physiological Aspects of Aging on Learning
   • Psychological Self-Image of the Adult Learner
   • Learning Expectations of the Adult
   • Implications for Educators in Higher Education
   
   In the past, it was thought that the brain’s ability to learn decreased by 1% each year after age 25. Ridiculous!
   
   “The good news here is that research supports the notion of lifelong learning in healthy individuals at least well into their seventies. While no one can stop the aging process, there are some things that have been associated with increased retention of mental processes: education; exercise; absence of chronic diseases and illness and otherwise stimulating activities to the brain have all been shown to help the cognitive process (Merriam, 2001).”
   
   
4. Games (Applied Theory).   I don’t know why I’m so focused on growing old. It’s a big fear, I guess. Anyway, there are a lot of sites that claim to help exercise the brain and enhance learning. There are over 35 million adults over 65 years old in the U.S., and this seems to be a growing market. Here are some sites that contain brain fitness exercises:
   
   http://www.brainwaves.com/
   http://www.lumosity.com/users/me/home
   http://www.sharpbrains.com/blog/2007/10/16/brain-teasers-and-games-for-adults-our-top-50/
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   

Social Media

Social Media will have an impact on how we learn....

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sIFYPQjYhv8

This is the new age of collaborative learning.

A Vision of Students Today

Really cool video about the evolution of learning....

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dGCJ46vyR9o&feature=player_embedded

by Dr. Michael Wesch

Three Interesting eLearning Blog Sites

#1 The Rapid eLearning Blog - I installed a software suite called, "Articulate Studio 09."  This is a set of programs that allows me to create Flash-based eLearning courses using MS Powerpoint.   In addition, it allows me to convert videos into Flash, create Flash-based quizes, and add interactive content.  As a service, the company publishes a blog that shares tips and tricks for eLearning success.  It's a very practical site.  You learn instantly how to jump start your next eLearning project.  There isn't much on learning theory here.  It's more about how to get started right away, with some quick tips on Instructional Design.

#2 All Things Upside Down - This is a blog by Mike, a learning development consultant based in Ohio.  He posts interesting links and readings here for others to view.  It's a nice summary and synopsis of what's out there.  I like his choices.  He allows and invites commentary, so I think that I could make a contribution to his site.

#3 1:1 in Practice - This is a very intresting site, because it involves using new eLearning technologies for kids in Indonesia.  It's international, and it's got a lot of innovative ideas.   A Literacies Specialist at Sinarmas World Academy in Indonesia describes her journey as she experiments with new technologies in the classroom.  But it's not just about your traditional eLearning tools.  She talks about video games that kids play today (some of them being too violent) and also about PBS documentaries such as "Digital Nation," a new, open source PBS project that explores what it means to be human in  a digital world.  I like this site the best, because of its international focus as well as its timeliness in describing our rapidly changing digital world .