Bringing It All Together

Bringing it All Together

There is an old English proverb that says “Old habits die hard”.  (Thinkexist.com)  I am trying to determine if my learning style is an old habit or simply the way I actually learn.  I believe my view on how I learn has not changed after our eight week study of learning theories.  I stated that I was a visual learner during the first week of discussion and I still believe I am a visual learner now.  However, I have come to the conclusion that visual is more than meets the eye.  I better understand now how I process information.  The cognitive theory best describes how I process information.  I do receive, organize, store, and retrieve information systematically. (Ertmer, 1993)  I also thrive to increase my knowledge through demonstrations, explanations, and examples. (Ertmer, 1993)  So I would rather say I better understand how I process information rather than say I have changed my view on how I learn.  I am a visual learner and it is not a habit but how I learn.  Now when it comes to the most recent learning theories, I would like to think that you can “teach an old dog new tricks”.  Having grown up in the rote memory era, I think the connectivism and constructivism theories would be hard for me to apply.  However, I am able to better understand how my life experiences and work experiences influence how I learn.  I am also building a network of individuals who will ultimately become an influential factor in how I learn. In all of this, technology is definitely interwoven in all of the theories and it truly plays a huge part in how I am learning now.  But understanding the components of all of the theories does help me to plan for a better learning experience for individuals who may be of those learning styles

 

What I have learned over the past eight weeks that can further explain my personal learning preference is I am driven by my changes in social roles and responsibilities.  I have been thrust into the arena of becoming a leader.  I believe in order to be an effective leader, I must first be and effective learner.  I tend to take control of my own learning experience, I like to immediately apply new knowledge, and I also look for ways to connect new knowledge to life or work experiences. (Conlan, 2003) I seem to fit the mold of an adult learner.  Needless to say, technology is definitely a must in my quest.  Without technology, it would be a lot more difficult for me to pursue a graduate degree.  The role technology plays in my learning experience is all-inclusive.  I use technology to research information, collect information, record information, and communicate information.  I receive, send, and store information.  I read, write, and talk using technology.  I collaborate, network, and build relationships with technology.  And all of these uses of technology are impacting how I learn, work, and play.

References

Conlan, J. G. (2003). Adult Learning: Emerging Perspectives on Learning, Teaching, and Technology. Retrieved 10 2, 2012, from Adult Learning: Emerging Perspectives on Learning, Teaching, and Technology: http://projects.coe.uga.edu/epltt/index.php?title=Adult Learning

Ertmer, P. &. (1993). Behaviorism, Cognitivism, Constructiism: comparing Critical Features from an Instructional Design Perspective. Performance Improvement Quarterly, 6(4) pp. 50-72.

Thinkexist.com. (n.d.). Retrieved Oct. 20, 2012, from Thinkexist.com: http://thinkexist.com/quotation/old_habits_die_hard/335948.html