• Now that you have a deeper understanding of the different learning theories and learning styles, how has your view on how you learn changed?
  

I no longer think I can be categorized into any single style. I thought I was in a category because the majority of my learning was Cognitive. After reviewing the theories and styles, I know now that I am a equal mix of all of them. There is overlapping and similarities in all mentioned theories, yet many differences. If I were making a graphic organizer for this idea it would be a 6 circled Venn diagram with my name in the middle of them all. There are several areas (connectivism, behaviorism, constructivism) that I thought did not apply to me. Not only do they apply, but they are used every day when acquiring new knowledge. This was very eye-opening.

• What have you learned about the various learning theories and learning styles over the past weeks that can further explain your own personal learning preferences?

I did not realize that the Social Learning Theory was being utilized throughout the entirety of my education. I understood that my online learning was using the ideas of others in discussions to further my knowledge. I never thought of group work, or simply a teacher, as a social learning environment. The use of memory was an interesting discovery as well. I have always been able to remember information, and recall it easily. For example, I can recall golf rounds from years back, shot by shot. Yet, when it came to information on language arts tests, or remembering a book I read; I found it difficult. I have discovered that being metacognitive and self-motivated are determining factors in whether I can retain information to memory and recall. My mother would call that being stubborn, but now I can tell her it's being self-directed in my acquisition of new knowledge.

• What role does technology play in your learning (i.e., as a way to search for information, to record information, to create, etc.)?
  

Technology plays a huge role in my learning. Almost every facet of the process uses technology. I use the Internet to gather information for research on a topic. I might look at people's opionions on blogs and social media. Then go to how-to websites and even by the resources/materials online. Then when I want to organize the information I create spreadsheets, graphic organizers, and digital media to use. I frequently use Google, twitter, facebook, home depot, pixlr, and progress book for my education. I look up information on Google in the form of text, pictures, videos, etc. I may ask questions to friends on the social media sites Twitter and Facebook, then double check their ideas on professional websites like Home Depot. Then I use Pixlr and Progress Book to create and post graphics and forms for my students to use. All of these are done on my computer, with support from a camera that might help others give me advice. I would imagine my knowledge would be extremely limited without technology. The difficult acspect of using so much technology is trusting the “More Knowledgeable Others”. So much information is bound to have bad apples.

Resources

Ertmer, P. A., & Newby, T. J. (1993). Behaviorism, cognitivism, constructivism: Comparing critical features from an instructional design perspective. Performance Improvement Quarterly, 6(4),50-74
http://projects.coe.uga.edu/epltt/index.php?title=Connectivism

http://www.learning-theories.com/vygotskys-social-learning-theory.html

http://www.learning-theories.com/social-learning-theory-bandura.html

http://projects.coe.uga.edu/epltt/index.phptitle=Adult_Learning#Variables_Affecting_Adult_Learning