Connectivism And My Mind

The theory of connectivism purports that information is stored in our brains through a series of connections rather than the methodology of rules (Slavin, 2006). I have been very fortunate live in different regions and encounter individuals from various backgrounds. When I first moved to the United State to attend community college, I found that the principles I used from my primary and secondary school learning carried over to my start of my college experience. Culturally, I was always exposed to being a top achiever and striving to be top of the class. During my secondary school years, rather than doing the required school hours, I was also involved in after school (which we called “lessons” – which was primarily an extension of subject matter learned in school) learning activities. As I moved through my college experience, the principle from secondary school learning process remained with me and I learned and shared these traits with connections I made at community college and university. My network expanded as I moved Arkansas and explored different fields through my time at university and work experiences.  

My experiences with online learning and its different forums, I have found two methods that have worked best to facilitate learning for me: chat rooms and discussion boards. With large online class groups, many of my facilitators divided the class into manageable group sizes, making it easier to connect and respond to discussion postings from other students. In my last online course even though there were set groups formed for the discussion forum, every two weeks the facilitator would rearrange the members in the group. This method worked best as I was able to interact and build relationships with other adult learners in the course, rather than forming bonds with only specific members. Another method that I have found useful in facilitating learning was the use of chat rooms during group projects. The use of real time active chatting has been essential in my distance learning. Distance learning can often times make it difficult to coordinate group projects, however, I have found that the use of the chat room feature, group members are able to interact with each other in real time similar to a traditional classroom atmosphere.

Through my graduate studies, I have learned the importance how valuable scholarly research plays in the learning process. It was not until completing my first semester of graduate school that I found my learning process changed. Instead of constantly asking questions or asking for suggested resources, I began to be heavily rely on my own resources and seeking out information on my own. Presently, if there are any questions that I have or if I desire to acquire a new skill, I would thoroughly conduct research on the subject. It is only when I am unable to formulate a clear concise answer, would I feel comfortable asking for the insight of someone else. This habit is also reinforced at my place of employment as team leads and managers require you to perform self-research before seeking help; with questions such as “what resources were used before contacting me?” being the first inquiry, I have conditioned myself to rely on all available tools before asking questions.  

I strongly believe that my personal learning network support the tenets of connectivism. In Davis, Edmunds & Kelly-Bateman’s 2008 article, the authors discussed several principles of connectivism that apply to my personal learning network and how it directly reflects on my learning processes. I have always noticed that no matter what field I enter, I can always draw on past experiences and use them to respond to new stimuli. My first instinct is always use what I know (as it favored positive results), and if it does not bring about desired results, I try to find a past connection until it does.    

References

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=Connectivism#A_Comparison

Slavin, R., E. (2006). Educational psychology theory and practice (8^th ed.). Boston: Pearson