Wk5 Mapping Your Learning Connections

A series of questions was posed to me this week along with an assignment to create my learning network via a mind map. The mind map I created was posted earlier in the week. In this post I attempt to answer the questions.

How has my network changed?

As I have matured educationally I have learned to take advantage of everyone and everything around me as part of my learning network. Because of a personal evolution in my own way of thinking some years back I have become more aware of listening to what people have to say, and what things in my environment might be indicating. I recall a previous manager who was very nice but not very present. He was not a good role model and I would not have considered him a learning tool. Then one day when I became a manager I was thinking of what type of manager I was going to be and I realized that I could learn from him, to ensure I kept his niceness but make sure I was present for my own teams needs. I was able to reach out to him to ask what he did as he took over a new team at a new site as well. I then weighed what he said against my experiences with him and was able to learn new insights from him as well as how not to develop a few of those old bad habits.

Which digital tools best facilitate learning for me?

I have come to love technology. I didn’t get my first email address until I was 27 and even then we didn’t have a computer at home so I used the email infrequently. Once I started at a new job where I was working on computers I really began to understand things like Microsoft’s office suite, email, and instant messaging. It was another couple of years before I got a cell phone and at that time there was no texting options just make a call and get voice mail for calls I missed.

I now own an older HP laptop that I use primarily for some editing software I have on it, a macbook, an iPad, and an iPhone – all of which I use for email, online activity, some game play, reading (Kindle app), making online purchases and social media. I also use a computer at work, and for my studies as well.

Although I am on Facebook and starting to get more into Twitter I do not yet use Pinterest, Instagram, Reddit or whichever new social media apps are gaining popularity. The half-life of these social media networking tools influence how much time I can invest in learning their usage before they become less relevant although I know that as some remain popular over a few years that they are worth what little of my time they may take to learn (Davis, Edmunds, Kelly, 2008).

I find that each of these hardware and software tools as well as my digital camera, and video camera have all played a role in facilitating learning for me.

How do I gain new knowledge when I have a question?

Another thing I learned from my work experiences has been that the bigger my network the better for me. I have had great success in finding someone or something within my network that can help me gain new knowledge.

Recently I was asked to take on a project at work. It supports an area I have not worked with much previously. The first thing I did to gain the knowledge I want to get is to check with a colleague who has worked closely with that area. I also asked my questions of someone in that area. In addition I pulled up online records from several different sources to get some background.

When the question is related to technology I consult technology sites like lynda.com or I see if there is a video on YouTube that can provide me the information I need.

When the question is related to a site like Pinterest or Instagram I ask my niece and nephew as they are both recent high school graduates and they use these technologies frequently.

The larger and more diverse my network is the more likely I will be to find the answers I need and expand my knowledge (Davis, et. al., 2008).

In what ways does my personal learning network support or refute the central tenets of connectivism?

“The starting point of connectivism is the individual. Personal knowledge is comprised of a network, which feeds into organizations and institutions, which in turn feed back into the network, and then continue to provide learning to individual. This cycle of knowledge development (personal to network to organization) allows learners to remain current in their field through the connections they have formed” (Seimens, 2005).

My personal learning style fits well to support this concept that Seimens describes. I learn best by putting what I am learning into practice or at least relating it to every day life situations, and by interacting with others. I have been able to leverage the networks I developed for different work and different experiences in order to learn something completely different in many instances and I can then in turn influence back to my network and to my organization (Seimens, 2005).

Resources:

Davis, C., Edmunds, E., & Kelly-Batman, V. (2008). Connectivism. In M. Orey (Ed.), Emerging perspectives on  learning, teaching, and technology. Retrieved from http://projects.coe.uga.edu/epltt/index.pho?title=Connectivism

Seimens, G. (2005). Connectivism: A Learning Theory for the Digital Age. Retrieved from http://www.itdl.org/journal/jan_05/article01.htm