Reflection...

Connectivism... A Reflection

My network changed years ago when I first went back to school and got my undergrad degree. Of course I am only talking about eight years ago. I always took a course of one form or another like creative writing or basket weaving, but I had not taken a stab a really challenging myself. I returned to school in 2002 after a 20 plus year absence. What a way to make a girl sit up and take notice of what she doesn't know! I was introduced to online databases and journals and ebooks through the online library. I learned how to do legitimate searching through the internet and not quote from “wikipedia”.

Now the problem is that I cannot stop. I graduated in 2008 with a Commerce Degree with dual majors in Computer Information Systems and Management and a certificate in Human Resource Management.

I have been lucky to apply my degree to my income job and now I am looking for additional tasks in my job that I can do. I am a Delivery Consultant ( Instructor) at a global company. I am looking to add creatively with design too.

I know that something either my kids, my house , my dog or some other catalyst for distraction in studying always happens. This year it is now a impending divorce.

Best digital tools for me is the online library, and email. The Q and A section of this course is not bad either. I had an extensive technical background prior to my returning to school ( I was a Network Administrator. My role was to service servers, printers, email systems etc. I got tired of a 24/7 environment.) I have had extensive experience problem solving hence my ease at locating information. When I teach in a classroom I use multimedia projectors and do extensive live demonstrations. I like learning through Live meeting too. It is a digital tool which we use like a multimedia projector only it is internet delivery not classroom dependant.

How I gain new knowledge is peer discussion and hunting down someone I know has already doing the job and asking them for an opinion. Then I make my own connections.

I like visualization. I use it extensively and I draw learning connections by applying visualization to a problem and reverse engineer it to the level that I need. I know it is probably a weird way of approach things but it works. I consider all of my learning now to support the central tenets of connectivism. I look at things in bits and how it relates interconnected.

Pam :-)