EDUC 7105 Module 4 Blog Post

Throughout my experiences in attending Walden University online courses, my network connections to people and technology have greatly expanded. Learning through distance education has helped me to realize the importance of networking and gaining knowledge through such sources. Siemens (2004) states that, “a network can simply be defined as connections between entities”. My network is made up of social, personal, professional, and educational connections. With the popularity of social networking rising, I have been able to stay connected and learn from people I know and continue to meet in my personal and professional life. I have created a personal wiki and blog to track my educational experiences and receive feedback from peers and professionals about my work. My professional network helps me to learn about changes in my field of work, and connect with other professionals in my field to stay updated on new ideas and technologies that I can implement with my students. Through my educational connections I have gained as I attend Walden University, I now mainly learn through discussion boards, Skype, wikis, blogs, and Google Docs to communicate my knowledge and collaborate with other students and instructors.

The digital tools which have best facilitated my access to information and learning are web 2.0 tools such as wikis, blogs, and discussion boards. As explained by Siemens (2004), “connectivism provides insight into learning skills and tasks need for learners to flourish in a digital era”. Using these tools gives me the ability to connect and communicate with other professionals in my field and gain an insight into their views about what I am learning. Wikis and blogs give me the opportunity to gather information about the opinions and knowledge others are sharing on the internet. As I have read the blogs and wikis of my peers in my courses, my learning is facilitated as I conduct deeper research into the topics I read about or find interesting and applicable to my professional work.

 When I have questions and want to learn new knowledge, the first resource I turn to for locating information is Google. This search engine provides access to the most direct and valuable information available on the web. While evaluating the sources I come upon for validity, I gain knowledge by reading articles, websites, blogs, and wikis. Being a part of the Walden community, I also confide in my peers and instructors to answer any questions I have about my research in educational technology.

 Reference

Siemens, G. (2004). Connectivism: A learning theory for the digital age. Retrieved from http://elearnspace.org/Articles/connectivism.htm

Additonal Resources

Digital Tools for Students- This blog gives great examples of new and emerging digital tools available online for student learning. It has a collection of resources that students will find useful for researching and collaborating.

http://studentdigitaltools.wordpress.com/

Stephen Downes’ Connectivism Blog- The following blog was created by Stephen Downes, as he expresses his views of connectivism. Here he also responds to the views of George Siemens.

http://www.downes.ca/cgi-bin/page.cgi?journal=3174