Reflection

“I am learning all the time.  My tombstone will be my diploma,” (Kitt, n.d).  Whether it is a baby, an adolescent, or an adult, learning is a part of daily life for everyone.  This course has opened my eyes to why people learn and why theories have been formed to address it.  As I furthered my knowledge about learning, I found surprises along the way, deepened my understanding of my own personal learning process, and was able to make connections between learning theories, styles, technology and motivation.  These will help me as I further my career in the field of instructional design.

With this being my first exposure to learning theories, I found it surprising how having an understanding of theories can truly help me teach and design instructional materials better.  The theories have given me a background of why people learn the way they do.  I have found already as an instructor that I am more aware of the theories and strategies and putting them into practice.  For example, I think some of the modules I teach are lacking connectivity with other adults.  I am working on implementing a discussion forum for these particular modules, as creating networks will create connections between my participants at different hospitals (Davis, 2008).

This course has definitely deepened my understanding of my own personal learning process.   First and foremost, I have found there is a lot of overlap between all of the theories, making it difficult to categorize myself into just one or even two.  In the beginning I thought I fit into the Cognitivist and Constructivist theories.  While I still believe this is true, I now know and understand that depending on what I am learning, all of the theories apply in some way to my personal learning experience (Ormrod, 2009). 

I have learned there is a huge connection between learning theories, learning styles, educational technology, and motivation.  I think they all have the same goal…which is to help us teach and learn most efficiently and effectively.  With the emergence of technology, it is going to be crucial to have instructional designers that are not only aware of the trends in adult online learning (i.e. blogs, discussion boards, etc.), but also have an understanding of the theories and ways to keep online learner’s engaged.   Technology is changing how we access information and how we collaborate (Johnson, 2009).  Without the traditional classroom, it is more difficult to know what motivates students.  Online learning is very self-directed; but having resources and instructional material that is designed and presented well, effective learning can take place. 

I will definitely be using this course in my journey and career in instructional design.  Although I found it very frustrating to comprehend all of the theories, I now feel as though I have enough of a grasp on them that I will be able to use strategies in my design.  I am also glad I was able to learn about blogs.  I knew they were out there because they often would come up in my search results, but I was unaware of their use.  One of the best things about technology is that we have resources at our fingertips.  Half of the battle is knowing what is a reputable source and what is not.  I now feel as though I have a plethora of scholarly material available to me that I can utilize in my instructional design.

Learning is for life, and for someone who teaches adults, I found this course very helpful.  It has furthered my knowledge about learning and deepened my understanding of my own personal learning process.   I have also been able to make connections between learning theories, styles, and technology that will help in my career in instructional design.
 
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.

 Johnson, L., Levine, A., & Smith, R. (2009). The Horizon Report (2009 ed.). Austin, TX: The

New Media Consortium. Retrieved from http://wp.nmc.org/horizon2009/.

Kitt, Eartha (n.d.).  Eartha Kitt quotes.  Retrieved from http://thinkexist.com/quotes/eartha_kitt/.

Ormrod, J., Schunk, D., & Gredler, M. (2009). Learning theories and instruction (Laureate custom  

           edition). New York: Pearson.

Fitting the Pieces Together

It was rather humbling to take a glance at my first discussion in my Instructional Design course from six weeks ago.  It was obvious to me that I was extremely confused about the learning theories and how they relate to my learning and how I design instruction for others.  This is my first exposure to theories, as even though I do instruct others, my background is in healthcare.  Now that I have a better understanding of the learning theories, I think I can take a little from each of them when describing how I learn.  I also have now realized just how much technology plays a role in my, and others, learning.

I’ll illustrate a couple of examples of the theories and how they relate to my learning.  Sometimes I have to give presentations in front of an audience.  I have to learn the speech enough that I am not looking down a lot.  From a behaviorist’s perspective, I practice, and practice, and recite, and recite, until I get the desired response (Stanridge, M., 2001).  In addition, until I get encouragement or acknowledgement from someone that my speech is “good”, I keep changing it, adding inflections, illustrations, etc. until I get the desired response from the poor party who has to hear me practice.

I also often think I learn using the cognitive theory.  I am one who does not like to reinvent the wheel, but learn from what others have done, and build off of that (Ormrod, 2009).  For example, a couple of years ago I built a website for our local junior golf league.  It was a new experience for me, thus instead of starting from scratch, I researched other Michigan golf websites and got some ideas that we could use.  I didn’t copy them, but was able to get my creative juices flowing and tweak the website to our needs. 

Having the ability to research other websites to develop the junior golf league’s website is really just the tip of the iceberg.  With information now at my fingertips, technology has become a key part of my learning experience on a daily basis.  This is in line with the Connectivism theory, which describes how learning occurs through the integration of technology, networks, and information (Laureate Education, 2009).  I am connected to people through LinkedIn, Facebook, my interoffice communicator, and discussion forums.  If I need information about something, I can usually find someone to help me out or information about it on the web. 

I have found that I am a self-directed, adult learner that appreciates technology and the information it allows me to access quickly.  It has allowed me to keep up with everything from the latest trends in my career, to finding a recipe for dinner in a moment’s notice.  Technology has allowed me to be employed for a company in New York, while working in my pajamas in Michigan.  I am able to find resources that enrich my instruction to my clients, inspire me to create, and provide access to anyone.  I’m a big fan of technology. :)

References

Laureate Education, Inc. (Producer). (2009).  Connectivism. [DVD].

Ormrod, J., Schunk, D., & Gredler, M. (2009). Learning theories and instruction (Laureate custom edition). New York: Pearson, p. 137.

Standridge, M. (2001). Behaviorism. In M. Orey (Ed.), Emerging perspectives on learning, teaching, and technology. Retrieved from http://projects.coe.uga.edu/epltt/index.php?title=Behaviorism.

Staying Connected to Learn

Having networks has helped given the resources I need to be successful in my job and my education path.  I am able to learn from and depend on my network to offer me the latest information, and quickly.  

There are several digital tools that facilitate my learning, and my teaching.  I use a Greenshot Image Editor to get quick screenshots of the material I am working on or using for a reference.  I own an iPhone, and the various applications available help me access information quickly.  Whether I need to quickly access a map or find out what time zone one of my clients is in, the information is at my fingertips.  I have also found youtube to be an excellent resource for finding demonstrations on how to do things.

When I need to gain knowledge, I am able to utilize a multitude of resources.  For example, my company uses an interoffice communicator.  Last week when I was training software, one of my clients had a question that I was unable to answer.  I was able to quickly see which co-workers were online, ask them the question, and get my answer –all within approximately three minutes.  Google has become a part of my daily routine.  I still remember the days of looking up everything in Encyclopedias.  I try to explain this concept to my children, but they truly do not understand that we couldn’t just type in what we were looking for and have the information in seconds.

My personal learning network supports the central tenants of connectivism in that I strive to keep my knowledge up-to-date, I learn through various means including emails, blogs, and web searches, and I improve my learning by plugging into these networks. 

Connectivism

Neuroscience and Information Processing

In my quest to gain more knowledge about how people learn, I took a look at couple of journal articles that I thought could help me be a better instructional designer.  My first discussion is about teaching in a group verse individually.  The second one is about the cognitive load theory and aging. 

I thought it would be interesting to look into if people learn better as a group or individually.  Typically, I train software with more than person at a time.  There are times, however, that I train one person. 

The article Differential effects of problem-solving demands on individuals and collaborative learning outcomes discusses which of these methods is most effective and efficient.  A study was conducted using 140 biology students.  An instructional format was used both emphasized worked examples (those that needed to be studied) and equivalent problems (those that needed to be solved). 

The article discusses Cognitive Load Theory (CLT).  This theory “focuses on learning from complex cognitive tasks based on what is known about human cognitive architecture.”  This includes long-term memory (LTM).  The working memory (WM) interacts with the LTM.  The article then discusses how CLT and individual WM can be a basis for instructional design.  Most of the research that has been done has been done regarding information processing for individual learning settings.  Kirschner and Kirschner have been looking at alternative ways to deal with an individual’s WM limitations.  They suggest “groups of learners are considered to be information-processing systems consisting of multiple limited WMs which can create a collective working space.”  They say that valuable information that is possessed can be shared, discussed and remembered, thus learned more efficiently.

The study found that learning from solving problems together as a group led to higher learning outcomes than studying from worked examples.  However, for individuals, the opposite was true.  Learning outcomes were higher when studying worked examples verse solving problems.  Thus, when g students are learning individually, instruction should be emphasized using worked example study.  When learning collaboratively, emphasize solving problems for students. 

I plan to keep this in mind when holding my software training sessions.  For my group sessions, I will have them work together to solve problems I propose.  For the individual learners, worked examples will be incorporated.

Reference:  

Femke Kirschner, Fred Paas, Paul A. Kirschner, Jeroen Janssen, Differential effects of problem-solving

demands on individual and collaborative learning outcomes, Learning and Instruction, Volume 21, Issue 4, August 2011, Pages 587-599, ISSN 0959-4752, 10.1016/j.learninstruc.2011.01.001.

(http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S095947521100003X)

Keywords: Cognitive load theory; Worked-example study; Problem-solving; Collaborative learning; Learning efficiency; Learning outcomes

One of the challenges of working in a technology field is designing my instruction for all ages and all skill levels.  I work with a great amount of dietitians, clerks and food and nutrition directors.  Sometimes I have an elderly learner that has been in the business for many years.  They are typically not very excited about learning something new, particularly on a computer. 

The journal article Cognitive load theory and aging: effects of worked examples on training efficiency  discusses cognitive aging.  While there is growth that occurs from all of the knowledge they have accumulated throughout their life, there is also a decline.  This relates to their working memory.   This decline makes it difficult for them to acquire new complex skills, making it difficult for them to comprehend it.   A study was conducted aimed at “testing the efficiency of worked examples relative to conventional problems in elderly and young learners.”

The study found that the elderly benefited comparatively more from worked examples than the young participants and that worked examples were found to be a more efficient means of training the elderly than conventional problems.  Another great tip as an instructional designer who trains a variety of ages!

Reference:

P.W.M Van Gerven, F.G.W.C Paas, J.J.G Van Merriënboer, H.G Schmidt, Cognitive load theory and aging: effects of worked examples on training efficiency, Learning and Instruction, Volume 12, Issue 1, February 2002, Pages 87-105, ISSN 0959-4752, 10.1016/S0959-4752(01)00017-2.

(http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0959475201000172)

Keywords: Cognitive load; Cognitive aging; Complex skills; Instructional design

The Doorway to Professional Learning Communities

This is my virgin voyage when it comes to blogging.  I have to admit, I am so far quite fascinated at the wealth of information that is out there!  I am pretty sure I have run across blogs when doing research in the past, but had no idea what their purpose or their function was.  Without a doubt, these blogs will be helpful in my current occupation.  In this post, I will highlight and discuss one of the blogs I have come across.  Links to the blogs I have discovered are listed below in My Blog List.

Out of all of the blogs I read through, I found the Minute Blog to be most helpful for my current occupation.  Because a portion of my job is developing eLearning materials, I am always looking for new ways to present my ideas to administration, new tools to design my materials, and ways to make learning fun.  This blog had all of those components.  In addition, it had a link to an interesting article about learning styles called “Think You're An Auditory Or Visual Learner? Scientists Say It's Unlikely”.   This gave information about how they are finding teachers should not target student’s learning based on a learning style.  Because I deal with such a wide variety of learners as a corporate trainer, this has always been a question I have had.  This article intrigued me because I have always thought of myself as a “visual” learner. 

In addition to some great free tools, the blog also gave some information on the ADDIE model.  Recently, I have been asked to lead the implementation of a new software program for internal use.  I have been battling how to approach this.  The blog gave a link to Creating e-Learning from Inception to Evaluation.  This pdf file provides a quick glance at the ADDIE model.  I am still, however, unsure if I will be using this approach.  If you have any ideas that would be helpful instead of using the ADDIE model to get me started with a project plan, please let me know!    

All of the blogs I have listed in My Blog List have good information.  I found it very useful that one blog led to another blog, and so on.