Module 4 comments

I have posted comments to the following module 4 blogs:
http://learningtheoryaanzaldua.blogspot.com/2011/10/module-4_23.html?showComment=1319582345020#c3925129707918332477

and

http://ena-spoonfulofsugar.blogspot.com/

Module 4

Module 4: Connectivism Mind Map

How has your network changed the way you learn?
Networking has changed the way I learn in both professional and personal situations. Previously, my professional learning was gained through lectures and reading textbooks and journals. These textbooks were often purchased through the university book store at a high cost and journals were retrieved by going to the university library. In today’s digitial society, Since receiving my BS degree in Early Childhood Education through a traditional university, I have received my MEd and am currently persuing my EdS degree through Walden University, an online degree program. During this time, I have gained knowledge through textbooks-downloaded online whenever possible and journals directly linked from Walden’s Library. A large degree of my learning has also come from collaboration with learning communities through networks such as blogs, wikis, and skype.

Personally, as a “want to be” photographer, I am a member of several photography forums where I can learn from other amateurs and professionals by viewing tutorials and reading updates. I also enjoy scrapbooking and often visit scrapbook forums to get new ideas for page layouts. In any situation, if I want to quickly learn how to do something, I search youtube.com for videos. Last week on youtube.com I learned how to make a paper airplane for my 8 and 4 year old sons.

Whether professionally or personally, networking has made learning new things as easy as the click of a button.

Which digital tools best facilitate learning for you?
I feel that the internet is the tool that best facilitates learning. In all of the situations I previously mentioned, the internet was the source of information. I use the Google search engine to research any question that I have. When using the internet, it is important to look for credible sources of information.

How do you learn new knowledge when you have questions? When I have questions, I often use Google search engines. If I have questions about a topic and am familiar with a discussion forum related to that topic, I will also use that as a source of information. When doing this, I can ask the question and others who are knowledgable in that area can post responses. After reading responses I am able to use all the knowledge gained to form my own opinion on the topic, choose the way of thinking that works best for me, or best aligns with my thoughts on the topic. Siemens (2006) refers to this as the process of acquiring and creating one’s own knowledge.


Siemens, G. (2006). Knowing Knowledge. Retrieved from http://sylvan.live.ecollege.com/ec/courses/72030/CRS-WUEDUC8812-5701377/siemensknowingknowledge.pdf

Module 3 comments

I commented on the blogs of Vaughn http://vaughnswalden.blogspot.com/, and Elizabeth http://escroggs.blogspot.com/.

Module 3

Module 3: Learning Communities and Collaboration
I agree with the belief that humans have the basic need to work and interact as a group. Rheingold (2005) reminds us that humans have co-existed in groups since long before we became “civilized”. He gives the example of the nomadic hunters who worked together to overtake large game. In today’s society we see many communities where collaboration is used for a variety of topics including professional topics, academic topics, and hobbies. Communication existed before the creation of the alphabet. Technology has continued to promote communication and collaboration with innovations such as the printing press, telephone, television, news media and social networking systems. Communities exist in the local environment (cities/towns), within the workplace, common interests and social networking systems.
Collaboration in the educational environment assists learners in sharing knowledge and gaining new ideas. Barron and Darling (2010) feel that critical thinking and effective writing and speaking can be developed through traditional learning task requiring rote memory. Instead, these skills must be developed through complex meaningful projects which require student engagement and collaboration. In today’s classroom, finding the correct answer is not necessarily the object of the task, but the inquiry that takes place while solving the problem to get the answer. In my classroom, this is emphasized in Math Workshop. During this time, a problem is presented, students are given a few minutes to independently work, deciding who/what the problem is about and what exactly must be solved. Students then form partners or small groups to discuss how they would solve the problem, explaining to one another the strategies they would use to solve. By incorporating this workshop model, students gain understanding from one another while they are exposed to multiple problem solving strategies.

Barron, B, Darling, L. (2010). Powerful Learning: Studies Show Deep Understanding Derives from Collaborative Methods. What Works in Education Retrieved from http://www.edutopia.org/inquiry-project-learning-research

Rheingold, H. (2008, February). Howard Rheingold on collaboration [Video file]. Retrieved from
http://www.ted.com/index.php/talks/howard_rheingold_on_collaboration.html