The Forty Watt Lightbulb: A Reflection on Learning

I read recently a book called "Iconoclasts" by Gregory Berns (2010) about people in history who have thought differently. In the introduction Berns (2010) writes that the brain runs "on about 40 watts of power (a lightbulb!), it doesn't have a lot of energy to spare. So it must be efficient. This means that it will draw on both past experience and any other source of information, such as what other people say, to make sense of what it is seeing." What an image. Our brains are constantly making sense of our world, constantly learning. After eight weeks of reading and researching different learning theories I have come to appreciate the power of my brain. How it works efficiently and how sometimes it doesn't. Along the way I've identify some learning theories as ones I thrive best in, enjoy learning best in while others I've identified as structures I'd like to leave by the wayside. 

Did you know that "what you do and learn in life physically changes what your brain looks like-- it literally rewires it" (Medina, 2014)? Before investigating how we learn and learning theories I had no idea the power of our brains. How we encode and transfer information can depend on how well the learner takes that information and repeats it, makes it meaningful, or uses it in a similar situation and it can also depend on how well an instructor has helped the learner stay motivated and identified what learning theory the learner is best suited by (Ormrod, Schunk, & Gredler, 2009). The theory of Connectivism surprised me; I had no idea there was a theory for how I was learning at work and in my own life. I thought I was just hacking my education, looking up bits of information when I needed them and making connections out in the communities (virtual) that I needed in order to complete my work (David, Edmunds, Kelly-Bateman, 2008). 

It was the discovery of  the theory of Connectivism  that has deepened my understanding of my own personal learning process. My own job is constantly changing because of new advancements in technology, the constant updating could be exhausting but with these connections I'm able to get the key information I need. In Connectivism the key factors to learning are "connecting to and feeding information into a learning community" (Kop & Hill, 2008). 

As a learner and instructor I've come to realize the importance of recognizing these different learning theories and how they are connected to the learning styles. To maximize my own learning I need to seek out connections that reflect my own learning styles. A video where there is both auditory and visual aspects is the "sweet spot" for my learning style (Gilbert & Swanier, 2008). As an instructional designer it is important to incorporate all three learning styles visual, auditory, and kinesthetic into instruction in order to engage all types of learners (Gilbert & Swanier, 2008). According to Ormrod (n.d.) adult learners are motivated by stimulation or things that interested you or cause arousal, competence or the need to feel like you’ve done something well, self-determination (autonomy) or the need to feel like you have a sense of control over what you are learning, and relatedness or the need to interact with others and build connections. Keeping these factors of motivation in mind I can build an online environment that helps keep learners motivated.

The learning in this course will help me design, create, and build instruction that keeps in mind how people learn, including their learning styles, their different intelligences (Gardner, 2003) and the different factors that motivate adult learners. 

According to Medina (2014) "audiences check out after 10minutes, but you can keep grabbing them back by telling narrative or creating events rich in emotion."  As an instructional designer I'll have to consistently reach for better narratives, better simulations, and better strategies in order to keep the learner's attention and ultimately in order to help them use the information later. By reflecting on and implementing the theories, learning styles, and motivation factors I've learned in this course I'll help each student use their forty watts. 

 References

Berns, G. (2010). Iconoclast: a neuroscientist reveals how to think differently. Boston, MA: Harvard Business School Publishing. 

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

Gardner, H. (2003, April 21). Multiple intelligences after 20 years. Paper presented to the American Educational Research Association, Chicago, IL. Retrieved from http://www.consorzionettuno.it/materiali/B/697/773/16/Testi/Gardner/Gardner_multiple_intelligent.pdf

Gilbert, J., & Swanier, C. (2008). Learning styles: How do they fluctuate? Institute for Learning Styles Journal [Vol. l]. Retrieved from http://www.auburn.edu/~witteje/ilsrj/Journal%20Volumes/Fall%202008%20Volume%201%20PDFs/Learning%20Styles%20How%20do%20They%20Fluctuate.pdf

Kop, R. & Hill, A. (2008). Connectivism: Learning theory of the future or vestige of the past? The International Review of Reasearch In Open and Distance Learning. volume 9, No 3 October 2008. Retrieved from http://www.irrodl.org/index.php/irrodl/article/view/523/1103

Medina, J. (2014). Brain Rules. Seattle, WA: Pear Press. 

Ormrod, J. (n.d). Video Program: Laureate Education (Producer). (n.d.). Motivation in learning [Video file]. Retrieved from https://class.waldenu.edu

Ormrod, J., Schunk, D., & Gredler, M. (2009). Learning theories and instruction (Laureate custom edition). New York: Pearson.

After six weeks of delving into the world of learning theories, learning styles, and all things brain, I have discovered a few things about how I learn, how I enjoy learning, and what style of learning I use the most.

Being the offspring of two teachers, I’ve always loved learning and exploring. Although I’m technically a digital native, I relate to the world of the digital immigrant more (Sullivan, 2011). I still buy real physical books and I look forward to “unplugging” everyday. This makes how I learn eclectic in that I enjoy and even crave traditional face-to face cognitive style learning but I also thrive in both social learning and Connectivism.

I prefer Social Learning Theory style best because it allows me to collaborate with others while still being able to observe the behaviors or ideas of other learners and professionals. By far I employ the Connectivism Theory for my learning the most. I have created numerous networks for work, school, and my personal life. Information is so readily available and technology is changing so fast that these networks help me stay connected and current on the topics I need in order to be successful. Most of my learning in Connectivism comes from “non-human appliances” (Davis, Edmunds, Kelly-Bateman, 2008). Because this is the mode I do most of my learning in I seek out good old fashion lectures for things I consider fun learning like art history. But even for a good portion of my “fun” learning I have to implore the help of technology like Khan Academy instead of going to a brick and mortar institution.

Technology has made learning and education widely accessible. Because of the pace of my days, I use technology in a variety of ways to learn. I used an just this morning to help me identify a bird at the feeder instead of using my bird book because the app is exponentially faster. In college I worked at a retirement home for nuns and someone had locked their padlock onto my locker so I watched a YouTube video on how to open a padlock by just using a part of a pop can. When I’m looking for some design inspiration for logos, flyers, or brochures I Google “best posters of 2014.” At work I use technology to stay connected to the networks I’ve created to better support me in my instructional design work. I use blogs, forums, user groups, Lynda.com, and videos to help me create our company’s eLearning lessons.

The real question is: how do I learn best? Ertmer and Newby (1993) said it best when they said “is there a single ‘best’ approach and is one approach more efficient that the others? Given that learning is a complex, drawn-out process that seems to be strongly influenced by one’s prior knowledge, perhaps the best answer to these questions is it depends.”

-Happy Learning.

Reference List

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

Ertmer, P. A., & Newby, T. J. (1993). Behaviorism, cognitivism, constructivism: Comparing critical features from an instructional design perspective. Performance Improvement Quarterly, 6(4),50-71.

Sullivan, B. (2011, August 12). Are you A Digital Native or a Digital Immigrant. BigDesign. Retrieved from http://bigdesignevents.com/2011/08/are-you-a-digital-native-or-a-digital-immigrant/

Connectivism

Mapping my Learning Connections

My coworker's youngest son is going off to college and I have to admire how prepared she is. A planner by nature, she does not leave details to the last minute. Recently, she has been asking around at work about what computer they should get him for college. Our Person Centered Technology Coordinator stopped by and explained to her the differences between the myriad of computers that are out on the market.  Needless to say it was not a short conversation but that's how we operate these days. Technology is changing so quickly that we either study up on every single thing or ask someone more qualified than ourselves as to what the best answer is. As my mother-in-law always says "it's not what you know, it's who you know" and, more importantly these days, it's a question of knowing  how to access the right network to gain the knowledge you need. 

These learning networks are best described by Siemens (2005) as connectivism which is "driven by the understanding that decisions are based on rapidly altering foundations. New information is continually being acquired and the ability to draw distinctions between important and unimportant information is vital. Also critical is the ability to recognize when new information alters the lands ace based on decisions made yesterday." For example, if a newer version of of Captivate was published I would know because I would receive an email from Adobe. If I wanted to purchase it I could go to their website, purchase it, and download it instantly to my computer. To learn about any of the new features Captivate might have I could read about them on their Adobe community site, I could watch a Lynda.com video about it, or I could join a Captivate community that is a forum for users to post questions and answers about the product.  My learning network for work is a great example of the learning theory of connectivism.  I use all of my networks in order to keep up in the eLearning world.

I use a lot of digital tools to help me learn and what tool I use is dependent on the question I'm asking.  If I need a step-by-step instruction on how to calibrate my Yeti microphone in order to get the best sound quality I'll do a Youtube search. If I want to learn a new program like Photoshop I'll look for tutorials on Lynda because it is a full course with exercise files for the learner to practice with. No one way works best for me every time and I often need to move on to the next resource if I can't find what I am looking for but because I have so many connections, both human and non-human, my question will eventually be answered. 

Being connected is imperative for my job and my personal life. One day I'll need a new computer  and I'll rely on my learning connections to get the best deal so I can check my Facebook and watch Netflix with the best resolution money can buy. 


Reference List

Siemens, G. (2005, January). Connectivism: A learning theory for the digital age. International Journal of Instructional Technology & Distance Learning, Retrieved August 02, 2014, from http://www.itdl.org/Journal/Jan_05/article01.htm