Connectivism

My network of peers, websites, and agencies has changed the way I learn by providing me with instant information. The list of websites that are in my favorites varies depending on the laptop I happen to be using. I recently spent a month without Internet access at home, during this time I discovered how essential it is to my functionality. I use technology at work in the form of my laptop, document camera, projector, and a list of software that grows daily. Each year I find new ways to utilize technology in my classroom. In my personal life technology is everywhere you look from the multiple computers that grace my home. then there are the multiple televisions, game systems, MP3 players, digital cameras, and my living room abounds with electronic toys. All of this technology helps me to locate information, find new adventures, increase my knowledge, provide entertainment, stay connected, and keep the peace.

The most essential resource for me is a laptop with Internet connections. I am constantly connected at home and work with typically 7-8 web pages open at all times. My style of learning involve alternating between various data and continually updating my projects as I learn. to gain new knowledge I am continually researching every questions through new websites, blogs, and on line books. My ability to learn new information and improve my understanding of the world around me has changed though out the years as technology has changed.

Currently I am able to take work on my graduate courses from home, be with my children, and attend to household responsibilities simultaneously. My learning style is in line with the learning tenets of connectivism. Learning and knowledge rest in diversity of opinions and is a process of connecting specialized nodes or information sources. Learning may reside in non-human appliances. the capacity to know more is more critical than what is currently known. Nurturing and maintaining connections is needed to facilitate continual learning. My ability to see connections between fields, ideas, and concepts is a core skill. the currency (accurate, up-to-date knowledge) is the intent of all connectivist learning activities. Decision making is a learning process in itself, choosing what to learn and the meaning of the incoming information is seen through the lends of a shifting reality. While there is a right answer now, it may be wrong tomorrow due to alterations in the information climate affecting the decision. All of this is part of my learning style and part of the definition of connectivism. My learning network is fully supportive of the tenets of connectivism. I have an ever changing list of people, resources, and technology that expand my knowledge.

This is my second version of a mind- map I created this version in word then had to convert it to a acrobat file before having the option to convert it to a JPG image. I found this project unnecessarily time consuming. Clear instructions should have been available on how to complete the process. I wasted my time completing a fully hyperlinked version in Webspiration software only to discover this software does not have the option to convert to a JPG file and you can only link the file if other people have the same software. I found the software easy to use and graphically interesting yet the ability to share the information quickly hindered me. This Map is to exemplify how I connect with technology in my daily life.