Week 1 course reflection
This week's readings were interesting and gave lots to think about. The only theory I could not mesh into my brain was the cyborg theory. The video alone gave me nightmares. Just the thought of surgical procedures or talking about them tends to shut me down.
However, I did find the Constructivism and Connectivism theories interesting. With Constructivism, the learner makes new knowledge from new information attached to prior knowledge perceived as similar. In the video, they discuss this theory as being subjective: No one will hear or process the information in the same way. I agree with this theory. How can we expect any one individual to receive or even perceive information the same way or give the same conclusion. As individuals that is impossible. How we process depends on our perceptions. It is like the question, "Is the glass half full or half empty?"
Connectivism is equally as intriguing to me. It proposes knowledge gained as connections made internally AND externally. The external part is the social networks we create to discuss, study, and learn together. What I like about this is the social interaction that is involved. If you think about it, it does make sense. How do we learn? It isn't only from a learning environment but also through social circles. With our society and technology intertwined, the way information is distributed from one network to another, it is how you can stay current with new, relevant information. My most current information learned has not been in a traditional, educational setting, but with my networks of people and groups I associate with on a daily basis.
Each theory has equal merit for me. The key is to allow our students to make those new learning possible in meaningful, deeper ways and with the networking and technology possible.
No comments:
Post a Comment