My First Blog for LETTP - M1.6

Reflections on Learning within e-environments

What did you learn about learning itself when working with technologies?

I have learned that technology can significantly improve the learning experience.  I believe that technology opens the learner up to a whole world of knowledge.  Through technology, learning can be adapted to meet the needs of the individual learner – allowing them to learn in the way that is most conducive to them.  I also learned that learning is fluid when working with technologies.  It changes and adapts as the needs of the learner and learning environment change.  Technology makes knowledge easier to share and allows it to be more relevant.  Collaboration and networking are improved through technology and the ability to simulate actual experiences adds to the overall learning experience. 

Where there any aspects of new territory in what you attempted within this module – and how did you address your own learning needs if that was the case?

There were definitely aspects of new territory that I faced so far in this module.  The biggest challenge for me had to be Second Life.  I had heard of it before, but never used it.  I have a background in eLearning and I have used tools like webex for meetings but I never spent any time in a virtual environment.  I struggled at first with my avatar. We still have somewhat of a love/hate relationship.  I tried to look at it as a challenge instead of feeling overwhelmed.  Once I found my way to ESC Island, I felt more in control and was able to learn how to navigate, fly, run and walk.  I thought I was prepared and had some control over things in SL until the night of our meeting.  My avatar decided to get stuck in the basement of the Rotunda.  I have no sense of direction in real life – I was hoping to possibly have more in SL, but I guess not!  In addition to needing to be saved from the basement, my avatar kept walking over chairs – quite the entrance she made – and dropping her head and snoring occasionally during the meeting.  I could not figure out how to make her stop and was afraid to make the situation worse, so I just decided to not stress and just go with it – not an easy task for me usually.  I was relieved to see others struggling a bit with their avatars during the meeting as well.  To overcome some of these obstacles, I took to YouTube.  I watched many videos both there and in Moodle.  Doing this helped me quite a bit.  I am by no means a SL expert – far from it – but a little more comfortable with trial and error now.

In addition to SL, I was also introduced to other tools such as Blogger, Slideshare and Diigo.   I am definitely enjoying the exposure to these various tools.

In what ways did your review of the work of others help you learn about your own future work?

I have enjoyed reading the posts and presentations of others so far in the class.  It helps me to recognize and understand common goals and challenges we all face in dealing with emerging technologies.  It seems to me that many of the goals we have and the challenges we face are similar whether we are dealing with children or adults, and in a classroom or corporate learning environment.  We all come from such diverse backgrounds yet many of the experiences we have had are similar.  Also, it helps me when others share their experiences – many times they communicate ideas and concepts I had not yet considered for my own future work.  Through the collaboration and sharing of these experiences, and the feedback and support we provide each other, I feel we will all benefit.

Are there other comments and notes that you want to make about your personal learning and/or the challenges that will lie ahead as you start thinking about the learners with whom you will someday be working?

There are definitely many challenges that I will face with my learners moving forward.  In our post, we needed to share what we considered to be our greatest challenge.  For me, this was a challenge.  I feel there were so many options that I could have chosen.  The way I see it, it is best for me to focus on and handle the challenges that are most in my own control.  For example, I am able to develop content in a clear, concise way incorporating emerging technologies.  I can develop more simulation and scenario based courses to improve transfer of knowledge.  I can increase the course/topic offerings available to employees.   I can help my learners to achieve a sense of ownership over their own individual learning.  I can promote networking and collaboration. I can make my learning environment effective and measurable by making better use of the learning management system. 

Other things, like mobile learning for example, will require additional budget and resources to implement.  I don’t have as much approval power over that and would require others to get involved to make it happen.  In addition, keeping up with technology and the growing needs of the learners as they mature and adapt will also be a challenge.  Our employees are diverse and decentralized making technology a major part of the success of my learning environment.