How has your network changed the way you learn?
Although of the “Baby Boomer” generation, my background in graphic design and the design software I have used for years, did me a favor and propelled me fast forward smack into the digital learning world. One of my earliest jobs directly out of graduating with an Associates in Applied Science, in Communication Design required me to use a Mac. Back then, household didn’t know what a Mac was. Fortunately, all my graphic design course afforded me to learn the Mac, and very quickly at that. Remember America Online (AOL), which was one of the earliest World Wide Web (WWW) applications? In design classes we AOL to research design concepts to apply to prototype design work. Using the network to research my design work, to this day, provides an endless information and learning stream for the exact information I need to do my job today, this hour, this minute.
Which digital tools best facilitate learning for you?
I have a background in Graphic Art and Design. That being said, the bulk of my career has been centered on the use of what we now know of: The Adobe Creative Suite Illustrator, Photoshop, InDesign, and Acrobat. My focus was professional 2- and 4-color print and web design. Oddly enough, I had never created a blog until this course, and I really enjoyed the experience. Being I am a constructivist visual learner, these digital design tools enabled me to quickly excel in learning how to improve my design work.
How do you gain new knowledge when you have questions?
I am not shy when it comes to asking questions. I can’t tell you how many times I have reached out to the Walden Chat room to figure out one thing or another, or where to find information that I needed in different areas of the Walden site. And every time, I got my answers and learned something. Asking questions seems also drives my creativity. It cultivates an open mind. The questions I ask lead me to new knowledge. Questions drive me to answers that I never thought to consider until I asked the question. (Johnson, 2012).
In what ways does your personal learning network support or refute the central tenets of connectivism?
My personal learning network supports the central tenets of connectivism because as I am working within my learning network, it is constantly introducing me to new ways of thinking about learning. Learning does not necessarily require training or instruction. We learn in many ways – through access to well-designed information, by using new performance-enhancing design tools, through prior and new experience, and from my co-students and professors.
Reference:
Johnson, T. (2012). Asking questions is more important than finding answers — why?. I’d Rather Be Writing. Retrieved 2 December 2018 from https://idratherbewriting.com/2012/04/27/asking-questions-is-more-important-than-finding-answers-why/
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