As a trainer of other adults, I've always recognized my personal method for gathering information. I am a visual learner. However, I now recognize that there are many other factors that extend my learning beyond just what I see. Social factors, including my colleagues and their extensive network of resources (people, places and things) along with technology, my personal beliefs and experiences all have a contributing factor to my education. In social learning, Bandura states behavior is learned from the environment through the process of observational learning. (www.simplypsychology.org) I tend to carefully watch others and never realized the time spent was helping to support my education. In other words, I saw what to do and what not to do from those surrounding me. Using these observations and other resources, I have shaped my own learning. By definition, this building approach (constructivist) has given me another perspective. I now understand that knowledge is not mechanically acquired, but actively constructed within the constraints and offerings of the learning environment. (Liu, 2005) This construction along with the other theoretical approaches have given me new perspectives and factors that must be considered when developing instructional materials.
As a technology specialist, my view of collecting information and understanding its contributions to my learning changed when I started my position. Transitioning from a specific tech field into the ever changing expansive world of education, I soon came to realize that technology is a key component for our learning. Gathering resources is no longer limited to a physical location with books, newspapers and microfiche. The resources available at our desks and while on the go via tablets and smartphones, allow for instant information which leads to instant education and learning. During my first trip through the higher education realm, gathering information required hours of time spent in a library looking for materials. The hours were spent collecting notecards, printing (and wasting) reams of paper while spending hundreds of dollars in the process. Our technology has streamlined our information gathering and through the internet, expanded our research opportunities beyond the traditional for walls. As we prepare the current and next generation of learners, our world requires students to be flexible, to take the initiative and lead when necessary and to produce something new and useful. (www.thoughtfullearning.com) As an instructional design architect, I hope to provide the needed information to help support those who are headed to where I have been.
"There is a learning opportunity in every activity" - MFABRAMS - ID ArchiTECH
Resources:
Bandura - Social Learning Theory (n.d) Retrieved from http://www.simplypsychology.org/bandura.html on December 14th, 2014
Liu, C. H, Matthews, R. (2005) Vygotsky’s philosophy: Constructivism and its
criticisms examined. International Education Journal, 2005 6(3), 386-399
What are 21st Century Skills? [Blog Post] Retrieved from http://www.thoughtfullearning.com/resources/what-are-21st-century-skills on December 15th, 2014
