Reflection: My Learning Network

“I don’t see networks as a metaphor for learning and knowledge.  I see learning and knowledge as networks.  In global, digital, distributed, and complex settings, a networked model of learning and knowledge is critical… Everything… is a function of connected specialization.  Novelty and innovation arises when we collide ideas or specialties that previously had not been brought in relation to one another” (response to posting on blog: Connectivism: http://www.connectivism.ca/).

“Collide” is exactly the word I was looking for!  It describes my learning network perfectly.

As a child, I learned information and skills by reading, listening, and imitating others.  As an adult, especially as I learn and practice new teaching methods, I acquire information and skills through personal exploration of journals and online databases and through interactions with my colleagues or peers.  I am challenged best academically and professionally best by technology through online discussion boards and professional databases.  Although I learn well using technology, when I have a question, the first place I look for the answer is to a colleague or peer.  Then, I’ll confirm their knowledge or search the answer using a reliable online source, sometimes including online blogs and discussion boards.  If I still cannot find the answer I will access published materials, such as books.  All these sources tend to “collide” with one another to produce the final answer.

My learning network matches up well to Connectivism, which relies heavily upon “chaos theory, importance of networks, and the interplay of complexity and self-organization” (Davis, 2008).  Often I find myself recognizing and adjusting to pattern shifts, using other people in my network as sources for information, interacting in a way that produces organized ideas, “nurturing and maintaining connections,” seeking current information, enjoying diversity of opinions, and creating connections among a variety of fields, ideas and concepts (Davis, 2008).

References

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

Connectivism: http://www.connectivism.ca/