Final Course Reflection

I came into this course eight weeks ago with a completely different view of not only how people learn, but also my own learning process. I said in week one that I am a visual and kinesthetic learner, but by week seven I posted on my blog that I am a learner that benefits from most learning styles. It has really opened my eyes to the different ways that I can motivate my students in my classroom and how I can better learn myself. If I take the knowledge I have gained throughout this course and apply it to both situations, then learning should definitely improve for both my students and myself. There has been much knowledge gained in this course, and I will most definitely use it as I continue to grow in my educational field.
The thing that I found the most striking as I explored the many different ways that people learn was the concept that one person can benefit from a multitude of different theories and learning styles. I was under the impression before now that a person learns best in one particular way or another but not in a variety of ways. In order to be a more effective teacher, I must understand these different styles and apply them to the best of my ability into my classroom lessons. “A teacher well versed in the various theories of learning, with a thorough knowledge of his or her students and a high level of competence in using and applying a range of educational technologies, will create appropriate learning environments” (Semple, 2000). Applying Gardner’s Multiple Intelligences and teaching with social learning theory, cognitive theory, etc. will improve the way that my students process the information that I am presenting and hopefully help to better commit it to long-term memory.
There is definitely a connection between learning theories, learning styles, educational technology, and motivation. An understanding of all of these will result in the best possible success for students in the classroom whether traditional or online. If an educator in well-versed in learning styles such as visual or auditory learning and theories such as multiple intelligences or cognitive theory, for example, then he/she can create a learning environment using these methods along with educational technology to best motivate students to learn. “Educators can manage learning environments to stimulate and sustain motivation, even though they cannot control it” (Keller, 1999). As an educator, I can set up online learning in a way that speaks to the many learning styles and theories but also motivates students to learn by evaluating motivation, using methods such as ARCS.
My motivation for taking this course was to give me the skills and knowledge to teach a computer elective class at the middle school where I presently teach 6th grade. The knowledge I have gained throughout this course on the importance of teaching to different learning styles through the use of educational technology will make me a more effective teacher of this subject. I will be able to motivate my students to learn in a variety of ways and will be able to constantly evaluate motivational levels and adapt to the changing needs of my students. It has been a great class, and I look forward to applying many of these principles in the upcoming school year.

My Learning Styles Revisited

In week 1 I described myself as a visual and kinesthetic learner because I learn best by seeing and doing. After 7 weeks of learning about learning theory, I can definitely expand my description of how I see myself learning best. When I explored Edutopia.com for this week’s post, I decided to take “My Learning Style” quiz to see where I scored according to Gardner’s Multiple Intelligences. Instead of putting me solidly into one or two categories, I was 50% or above in 6 categories and 33% in each of the remaining 2 categories. My strongest were musical and intrapersonal at 63% each. I was very surprised to see musical as being so strong since I haven’t picked up a clarinet since the 12th grade, but can possibly attribute it to the fact that I am a dancer. It made me evaluate my learning in a whole new way and changed my perception of how I learn best.

The readings that we have been doing over the last several weeks have opened my eyes to the fact that there are many different ways to learn, and calling myself a visual learner is only the tip of the iceberg. The truth is that I personally benefit from many different learning theories and can take bits and pieces out of each one to enhance my personal learning. I am an adult learner because I am self-motivated. Behaviorist theory works too because I always learn from my mistakes and will respond to reinforcement and punishment. Cognitive theory describes me because of the connections I make in my mind when learning a new concept. I am a constructivist when I apply new learning to previous experience and ideas. In my dance classes I observe the steps being taught and imitate them, which allows me to benefit from social learning theory. And finally, we are all connectivists in this class because of our network of online learners. So, I’ve gone from saying that I have a preference for visual and kinesthetic learning to saying that I am a learner who learns best from all methods presented. It really changes the way I evaluate my own teaching and the needs of my students.

I use technology to a great degree in my own learning. I am constantly researching information that I need on the Internet, and am unsure how I survived the days of card catalogs and the Dewey Decimal System. When I create anything from a simple memo to a research paper, Microsoft Word is that tool that I utilize. Power Point presentations are another favorite tool for organizing and presenting information. I even used Garage Band to create my own Podcast for a class I took a few years ago. Technology plays an enormous role in my learning, teaching, and networking. Even though I didn’t use a computer for the first time until I was in the 5th grade, and my mom sent me to the mall with a quarter for the pay phone, I can’t imagine my life today without computers and cell phones. Technology has truly changed our world.

Connectivism

I have to start out by saying that I’m experiencing technical difficulties and wasn’t able to convert my mind map to jpeg format. I created a blog that showed my network of educator resources on the Internet. I broke it into 3 categories with the first being “Teaching Ideas,” then “Social Networking,” and finally “Educational Resources.” I referenced websites that gave access to lesson plans such as “Thinkfinity,” websites with teacher blogs such as “Teachers.net,” and resources with scholarly articles such as “ERIC.”

I have used some of the networks that I referenced in this assignment but not all of them. “Thinkfinity” has been a website specifically that has improved the way I teach because of the vast number of lesson plans and teaching ideas. I have learned a great deal about improving my own teaching through access to these websites.

The digital tools that are most helpful to my own learning are search engines, which allow me to find what I am looking for whether it is lesson plan ideas, or a scholarly article needed for a class assignment. I also enjoy using Power Point in order to create presentations for classes or to present to my students on a particular topic that I am teaching.

When I have questions, I use the Internet to find answers. We are so fortunate to be living in a digital age where information is accessible with the click of a button. If I have a question on any topic I can find websites and articles that will answer my questions quickly and effectively. I also use my coworkers as tools of reference because they have so many ideas and suggestions that come from experience and education.

Because I haven’t used all the resources on my learning network, it has only partially supported connectivism for me. This assignment has shown me that there are resources our there that I should be using to connect to other educators and professionals in this field in order to better my own teaching and learning. Through creating this network, I feel that I will begin to use these tools. Connectivism uses the vast network of resources and technology to improve connections within an organization. I also mean to use these resources in order to improve my connections to my profession. It might also help me to better network with the people I work with by exposing them to the tools and learning theories gained in this class.