Learning in a Digital World

As a lifelong learner, I believe technology plays a major part in my learning experience.  Using technology, I am able to connect and collaborate with other scholars who may or may not have the same views/opinions that I may have.  I am able to share my thoughts/ideas with others, and gain a better understanding of concepts that I struggle to understand.  Having the ability to learn with and from others using technology has broaden my horizon, and has made me a better person/educator.  Learning through an online environment has change the way I view education.  Not only am I able to learn from others, but I am also building meaningful relationships through various technology devices.  I have the flexibility of setting my schedule to meet deadlines within my coursework as well as attend classes (online)and collaborate with classmates on a daily basis without having to fight traffic, smile.  I am able to achieve my goal of completing Graduate School, and gain the experience necessary to assist me in being successful in my career.  Online learning environments are different from face-to-face learning environments because they provide you with opportunities to maintain a full-time job while attending college, and they teach you how to multi task unlike a regular classroom setting.  In an online ;earning environment, you have options to use several different  programs to maintain files and email in order to be successful in your studies . The course work is distributed online through email or posted on websites. The Internet is ideally suited to bring together all kinds of learning tools. Papers and assignments are submitted by email. The entire learning process is online.

My philosophy of learning is children learn as a whole person.  They develop and learn through interacting physically, socially, emotionally, morally, aesthetically, and cognitively.   Learning occurs at different rates and styles for all children.   Learning is a process that enables an individual to construct their own views of the world, and it must be meaningful and relevant to the students’ interest.  Learning consist of hands-on experiences which challenge individuals to develop critical thinking skills and problem-solving skills that will prepare them for real world situations.  Learning should motivate,inspire, and be engaging to all learners.  In teaching and learning, student learning should be the focus in the classroom environment.  What is critical and non-negotiable in teaching and learning?  Using flexible teaching strategies that will accommodate all students to be successful in their academics is vital in teaching and learning.  Educators must develop and teach classroom curriculums that promote self-directed learning and  provide continual evaluations to assess their students to ensure they are learning theintended concepts.  Learning should be student-centered, and it must guide them to utilize prior knowledge skills to scaffold new information.  Teaching and learning should provide students with opportunities to interact and collaborate with their peers to develop their social skills.  Teachers must also incorporate the use of technology into their classrooms to aid students in finding information and understanding it through the learning process.  The use technology  enhances learning, and learners are connected to various resources needed to link information together.   According to Driscoll (2005), learning is a persist change in human performance and performance potential.  This focuses on views of behaviorism, cognitivism, and contructivism theories.  These theories view learning is acquired through either reasoning and/or experiences. 

References

Driscoll, M. P. (2005). Psychology of learning for instruction (3rd ed.). Boston, MA: Pearson Education.

I responded to the following classmates’ blogs:  Dorothea Nelson @  http://dorotheanelson.blogspot.com/ and Sandra Longan @ http://sandralogan.wordpress.com/.