Network For Learning

My network of learning influences the way I learn because it is the sources that I use to connect new information to my current understanding of what I am learning. There has been more than one time that I have picked up something that I wrote and thought, wow, I could not write that today. At the time, what I wrote fit into where I was in my thinking, learning, and life experience. Journals are an awsome reminder of this fact. Journaling is not something that I use often enough, but if I did, I believe that it would be part of my network. It is a reminder of where our thoughts started and holds important aspects of how we interact with information.

I use digital tools to build on my learning. One of my most utilized tools are electronic journals available through professional organizations I belong to and the school library. I use the internet for list serves to get others opinions and ideas. This was especially helpful during my National Board work. I got lots of feedback and good advice as well as sharing what I knew also.

I always have questions :) I ask other experts, google, and read books and articles to learn the answers to my questions.

Collaboration

Howard Reheingold focused his discussion on communication, media, and collective action. He discussed how communication has developed form verbal to written communication and in the most recent years, media. He focused on groups like Google, Amazon, and EBay to show that media is learning that to grow, there needs to be a collective action between the provider and those provided for. By providing and interacting with the global environment, there is growth internally; “Certain charity is in their best interest…”

I do believe that humans have a basic instinct to “interact and work as a group”. I do believe, however, that the instinct changes over time with experience. The instinct, based on trait, and then meshed with experience is the primary determiner of how much a person enjoys and seeks out collaboration. I agree with a basic instinct because if you watch a group of young children in a room, they will almost always gravitate toward other children. Developmentally, collaboration takes a few years, but the need to be near and work beside someone is there from the beginning. Children will often offer help and work together to come to a solution.

The use of social networking provided through technology will be a strong way to facilitate collaboration among student not only in their schools, but globally. Using graphic software and other programs to design will allow young minds to form new ideas and approaches. Today’s generation is growing up with social networking and though maybe socially awkward, are able to communicate through technology. When people talk about preparing students for jobs that are not even thought of yet; I can see global networking on collaborative projects falling into that category.


Howard Rheingold: Way-New Collaboration [Motion picture]. (2008). United States: TED Ideas Worth Spreading. Retrieved July 2, 2009, from http://www.ted.com/index.php/talks/
howard_rheingold_on_collaboration.html