Connectivism

This week's assignment is a reflection on how our network connections facilitate learning. Connectivism is the nature of sufficient information, of primary use of technology, the increasingly sophisticated systemic-based environments that we face today (Laureate Education Inc., 2016). Below is an image of my network connections.

This network that I am continually building includes academic learning in the field of instructional design and technology, my Discount Tire co-works, blogs that relate to my field of study, and also my personal interest.

Each part of my network allows me to gain answers to questions I may have. Either through socializing through discussion board participation with fellow students, working collaboratively with fellow co-works, or finding how to videos from sites like Pinterest or YouTube. 

I find through these connections that interest I may have had but was too fearful to try, like crocheting a Christian gown for a baby, doesn’t seem so daunting anymore. I find myself picking up my iPad and searching for a video that can show me how to do a stitch I do not know how to do or searching information on a new delivery method I may want to try.

Working with my co-workers as a team always turns into some new learning experience especially with many of us continuing our education. Everyone loves to share what they are working on at school or show you something they learned with a new code or piece of software. I find that my online education at Walden works a lot in the same way as it does with my co-works. Such a wealth of information and different viewpoints you may never have considered before.

The one thing though that I have noticed with the abundance of information out there you need to be picky on how you take it in and process the information when it comes to further educating yourself on topics. An example of this is all the miss information that is flooding the Internet on our Presidential candidates. Don’t take things at face value do your diligence to learn the truth.

George Siemen reflects that we are seeing a significant explosion in how we start to connect with other people but also how we connect with data sources. (Laureate Education Inc., 2016). I have to agree with Mr. Siemen I can see it in the connection network map I created this week. My learning supports the central tenets of connectivism. What is your learning connection network?

Reference

Laureate Education (Producer). (n.d.). Connectivism [Video file]. Baltimore, MD: Author.

Assignment 2: Evaluating and Identifying Online Resources

This week our assignment was to use a search engine and the Walden Library databases, to locate two resources on the topics: the brain and learning, information processing theory, and problem-solving methods during the learning process. We were then tasked to comment on the value of these resources.

My resources for this assignment are as follows:

On the Walden Library I retrieved an article from Human factors titled Using Noninvasive Brain Stimulation to Accelerate Learning and Enhance Human Performance. The authors of this article were Raja Parasuraman, from George Mason University and Richard A. McKinley, from the Air Force Research Laboratory. The objective of the article was evaluate the effectiveness of noninvasive brain stimulation, in particular, transcranial direct current stimulation, for accelerating learning and enhancing human performance on complex tasks (August, 2014).

The value of this article was the finding from their test. The outcome found relatively low discriminative resolution from all learning styles test applied, but electrical brain activity phenomenology associated with test could possibly be a promising research field to follow (August, 2014).

The second resource I found was from the internet by Gregory Schraw and Matthew McCrudden on Information Processing Theory. Their article was extremely helpful to me this week in explaining information processing theory in layman’s terms I could fully understand.

From Schraw and McCruddens article I learned it is essential for students to become automated at basic skills such as letter and word decoding, number recognition, and simple procedural skills to help in information processing (2013).

Finally, the last article I found came from the internet also. This research article was written by Felisa M. Cordova, Hernan Diaz M., Fernado Cifuentes, Lucio Canete, Fredi Palmninos. The title of the article was Identifying problem solving strategies for learning styles in engineering students subject to intelligence test and EEG monitoring. By using several test methods like Kolb, VAK or Hermann dominance they report out their research findings on learning styles used by the first year engineering students (ScienceDirect, 2015). The results from their research found there was relatively low discriminative resolution from all learning styles (2015).

Stated in the opening of this blog we were tasked with commenting on the value of these resources. When researching for academia I have found that you need to be especially careful as to where you are gathering your information and citing your sources from. Online sites like Wikipedia may be great starting points to give you ideas on the path of research you would like to follow; the content provided on Wikipedia is not always factual. Many individuals can add to Wikipedia and the additional information they provide may not be based on facts.

The three resources I found this week are backed by creditable sources. All writers were able to back up there research or writings with creditable references found in their reference section of their papers.

When it comes to finding creditable references for your academic work from the internet “researcher be aware”. Do not take everything you read at face value. Continue to research and question what you read. 

References

Parasuraman, R., & McKinley, R. A. (2014). Using noninvasive brain stimulation to accelerate learning and enhance human performance. Human Factors, 56(5), 816-824.

Schraw, G., & McCrudden, M. (2013). Information Processing Theory. Retrieved from http://www.education.com/reference/article/information-processing-theory/

Cordova, F., Hernan Diaz, M., Cifuentes, F., Canete, L., & Palominos, F. (2015). Identifying problem solving strategies for learning styles in engineering students subjected to intelligence test and EEG monitoring. Procedia Computer Science, 55 (2015), 18-27. Retrieved from http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S1877050915014787