Fitting the Pieces Together

 In my week one discussion, I stated, "As a student, I tend to learn through more unconventional means and tend to have more success if the instructor uses more theories. I know that I focus more on getting to the destination rather than the 'correct' answer; this is why I struggled so much in traditional science and math classes. I couldn’t see how my answer was wrong just because I got to it in a different manner. As the cognitive theory says, it is about how you acquire the knowledge, not necessarily the 'intended' response (Ertmer & Newby, 1993)."  After learning about all different types of learning theories, I still agree with my original statement; however, I have reworked my concept of what an ideal learning environment is like. 
In my statement, I say that I learn in more unconventional ways.  Through this course, I've realized that the unconventional methods I stated are actually not unconventional at all.  I learn more through cognitivism, connectivism, and constructivism.  Within these theories, I am a pretty common learner.  I have also realized that just because I don't retain information through behavorists methods doesn't make me an unconventional learner.  Most people struggle to gain information that way.
As far as learning styles, I said in the beginning that I am a audio/visual learner.  I still believe that to be true; however, I did have a little bit of a breakthrough in this course when I took the online evaluation to see what my perferred intelligence is.  It turned out that it is language, which I figured since I am an English teacher.  The breakthrough came in that I realized this intelligence is what stopped me from excelling in math and science, not necessarily because the instructors weren't teaching in the cognitivst theory.  As a language dominate learner, I would get hung up on the wording in the problem and the "deeper meanings" in the text, which made focusing on the linear problem difficult.  Furthermore, I had a few revelations with my 2nd and 3rd intelligence perferences: interpersonal and intrapersonal.  I didn't realize how much time I spend in intrapersonal thought until after that assessment.  I actually thought most people think about what's going on within themselves (mentally, emotional, etc.) as often as I do.  It really clarified some of the stress I put on myself and the importance I place on relationships and interactions.  The multiple intelligences section of the course really spoke to me .
If I gained this much insight into myself and my learning style and was able to clarify some elements of my life through this information, it is only fitting that I be able to do the same for the students I serve.  Therefore, as an instructional designer, I must keep in mind all learning styles from behavorist to multiple intelligences when designing learning activities.

Connectivism Reflection

My learning changes on a constant basis.  I find online learning more challenging than the traditional classroom for two reasons.  In the traditional classroom the information is relayed through a lecture/presentation, and I have physically present people with whom to converse and extend my knowledge.  In the online setting, I still have people who extend my knowledge, but the interaction is delayed by one to three days.  While I find online learning beneficial and a necessity for my life right now, it has challenged my learning.  As a visual/auditiory learner, I have had to really  challenge myself to make my own connections within the texts.  I love to read, but I learn best through the other venues.  Connectivism says that learning changes through diversity and will change to stay up-to-date.  I feel that the diversity of people (some in classroom education/some in the business sector) and the diversity of technology has changed my learning network.  I have made connections with people and thought processes in the class which have enriched my knowledge.  Also, I have learned and utilized many new technologies, keeping my learning up-to-date, that have given me connections in my education and that I will use in my high school classroom to help with student learning.  As I grow more into an adult learner, I have become more intrinsically motivated to learn and have surrounded myself with professionals and technologies that allow me to learn and grow.  Also, by expanding the way I learn, I have increased my capacity to learn (Davis, and Kelly-Bateman, 2008). In our online classroom setting, I learn best through the video lectures because the actually facilitate my connections more.  I just learn better through those avenues.  The discussions and blogs, while helpful, are delayed in stimulating my thought processes.  In my own learning, if I don't know the answer to a question or have questions about something, I  immediately get logged into a search engine or article database.  While I don't make connections as quickly through reading, I am efficient in researching topics and skimming for my answer. If that doesn't help, I look to the professional in my network for the answer.  Finally, my personal network supports connectivisim in that I have diversity in the way I achieve knowledge, have made connections to personal experiences, and have stayed up-to-date in my information.  I don't feel that my network really refutes connectivism.  I  need to continually reflect on my learning and the way I achieve it to stay current in education.  I connect to the concept of connectivism (Davis, and Kelly-Bateman, 2008).
 Davis, C., Edmunds, E., & Kelly-Bateman, V. (2008). Connectivism. In M. Orey (Ed.), Emerging perspectives on learning, teaching, and technology. Retrieved from http://projects.coe.uga.edu/epltt/index.php?title=Connectivism

Connectivism