When I started this course on learning theories, I mistakenly believed that learning theories were synonymous with learning styles. I now believe that they are two related yet different concepts. Learning theories delve into how material is presented to a student and accordingly how the person learns the information. On the other hand, an individual's learning style is the best way for a particular student to receive the information. I believe that in this online learning environment the theory that best fits how the material is presented to me is connectivism. I enjoy connecting the information I am exposed to from various people with the work I do in the classroom. Gleaning new ideas and concepts from my colleagues, course materials, and online instructor and experts can be overwhelming but is always fruitful.
In respect to my personal learning style as a visual learner this course has met my learning needs by presenting the material in many different ways. The material is presented using videos, interactive power points, a physical textbook, online articles, and through hands on creation of a blog. The blog and the RSS feed reader assignments have opened a whole new world of learning that connects me to Instructional Designers, educators, and techno gurus.
Technology continues to play an increasing role in my learning as I proceed through these courses. The application that has had the biggest impact this term has been my discovery of RSS feed readers. I used to google questions on lessons and have to sift through thousands of responses to find what I needed which would be lost forever once I was done reading it. I have found that RSS feed readers are an excellent way for me to organize the information I receive from the numerous educational blogs I am following. I am now able to have up to the minute news on educational technology, access to reviews of new teaching tools, lesson suggestions, and keep track of what my classmates are writing on their blogs.
Using a reader allows me to scan the titles of new posts for articles that look interesting to me. Once read they are archived, and I have the choice to tag them as important or delete them completely. This allows me to continually learn new information without having to go to a search engine. I will continue to use search engines for material that isn't covered in the feed while at the same time be exposed to information that I otherwise would never have thought to look for.
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