Module 4: Blog Post Connectivism:
How has your network
changed the way you learn?
In class today my students and I were talking about the advances in
technology over the last few years and they were excited to finally have a
computer lab that had current software and operating system. I wish it was
Windows 8 but as with all things in time we will eventually be current. The reason why I bring this up is it made me
reflect on the fact that I have been working with computer technology longer
than most of my students been alive.
Over those many years the way that I and the rest of the world view
knowledge and learning have changed. It
is no longer important for us to remember hard facts that would somehow be lost
and forgotten. I no longer spend hours
in the library searching through card catalogs hoping to find enough
information to write a research paper or a speech in English class. I no longer have to wait until I have a clear
line on the telephone or wait till I get home to use the telephone. Now I just need to worry if my battery is
going to last or my phone will automatically transfer from one cell tower to
another as I travel down the highway.
Computer technology has availed us the opportunity to not only reach out
and touch someone distance away but has provided us with an efficient means of
gathering information. Along with this
technology comes other issues such as deciding if the information is correct or
is someone’s idea of a sick joke. With
the various social media sites such as Facebook, MyBigCampus, Twitter, and
others keeping in touch with old friends is easier than having to write a
letter and send it into the U.S Postal Service.
Often, we would get tired of writing letters and the friendship sails
away into the sunset. With the Internet
it also provides me with the opportunity to travel to distance lands without
having to leave the comfort of my sofa and wish that I was there in person.
Which digital tools
best facilitate learning for you?
My first source of searching for knowledge is going to the Internet
and conducting a search using either of the following search engines: Google or
Bing. Other digital tools that I use
include the following; Facebook, Twitter, Myspace, Gotomeetings,
How do you learn new
knowledge when you have questions?
It really depends upon the type of knowledge that I seek. It might be as simple as picking up a cell
phone and calling an expert that might know the answer to the question that I
have. Other times it might require me to
go online to Google and conduct a web search for web sites that contains the
information I need.
