Is there a portion of society that technology has not changed? According to Siemans (2004) the progression of technology has ushered in a new form of learning in which the networks we associate with allow us to learn. This learning happens through our connectedness with the individuals we groups into certain areas of our life. His theory has merit and is a valid assessment if communal learning. Because of the vast amounts of information, it is impossible for someone to learn in isolation. Our networks are instrumental in our learning, but we also learn to use our groups in different ways to meet our learning needs.
Network Reflection
As I look at my mind map, it seems rather simplistic. I have this primal fear that anything so simplistic must be wrong or done incorrectly. However, the more I think, it is probably that my networks have slowly changed to reflect my simplistic lifestyle.
Although simplistic, my networks to allow me to share knowledge and, at the same time, learn from others. Again, I point to the simplicity of my networks, but warn you that they are more complicated than first thought. Maybe the simplicity of my life leads to complexity in my networks as many of the same people, if I named everyone in my network, would be present in each grouping.
Digital Tools and Learning
I must admit that I have always learned best through face-to-face contact and conversation. Although I am a hands on learner, I generally learn best when I can interact with others as I "play with" whatever I am trying to learn. Because of this, Skype has been one of my favorite digital tools for learning. This allows me to see the person I am interacting with and gives me the face-to-face contact that I enjoy so much. To many, learning can be void of emotion as texting and typing lose meaning through translation. However, face-to-face interaction gives learning an emotion and a feeling.
New Knowledge
As I have mentioned, learning happens best for me when I am able to work with something in my own way and in my own pace. When I first have questions I contact the people in my networks that would have the most relevant information. For example, if I have a question about something that deals with my spirituality then I would contact someone in my church circle. However, this is only to give me guidance in my personal search for meaning. By contacting someone about a question, it gives me a starting point and information for which I will use to measure my own findings.
John,
ReplyDeleteI enjoyed reading your posting. I have noticed that our networking webs are remarkably similar. You even added a branch on the web that I did not even consider. The branch that had your church and pastor was an excellent idea. I had not even considered adding that to my web. I have also learned best from face to face and hands on learning. I need to be able to do something to actually learn it successfully. There are indeed several tools that are available to help me in the learning process. Good post!
Brian
Brian,
DeleteThanks for the commentary and the compliment. I had a very difficult time with this mind map because I didn't know which way to go. Sometimes the start is the hardest part. I may have mentioned this in my initial post, but I feel that my networks are shrinking and becoming more concentrated. These three areas of my life are the only areas that I would consider networks.
John,
ReplyDeleteI think simplicity is best. Let technology hang on to the myriad of detailed information for us to use as needed. Keeping a few goals in our working memory is enough to make us happy and successful.