My Mind-map and reflection
http://www.mywebspiration.com/publish.php?i=275818acc83
Upon reviewing my mind-map you will probably notice that many of us that use the Internet on a regular basis depend on a lot the same resources to stay informed. More than just staying informed, today we have so many ways to learn and we are devouring information like no time in history. My mind-map covers several avenues to which I have access on a regular basis.
A usual day begins with me picking up the Washington Post at my front door, yes I still like to read the actual paper. From there, as I begin my day working from home, I will review several web sites that you see on my mind-map and a few more, to find out the latest news. Throughout the day I interact with friends and family at various points to discuss topics of the day. This does not happen every day, however, when it does, those folks have been getting their information from a wide variety of outlets as well. It makes for an interesting conversation. Occasionally, I will use Skype to contact folks in other countries, download free podcasts to iTunes and access Google Reader to stay connected.
It has been twenty years since I was in college and things have changed quite a bit. As a graduate student in instructional design and technology at Walden University, I have the ability to take my course completely online. I have a book, access online articles, ebooks and podcasts to make the process completely work around my schedule. Twenty years ago, I had to go to the library to use computers on the campus of my college, then save the work to a 3 ½ inch disk. Facebook, .pdfs, email and cell phones were rare back then, so, we have come quite a way. It is so much easier today and quite overwhelming at the same time. There is so much information and so many different outlets, it is difficult to keep up with how fast the world is changing.
The digital tools I like best would start with the Internet, of course, I access my email through Facebook as well as Google Reader. Also, I enjoy the vast online library Walden University provides, it is so easy to use, I find myself exploring it an incredible amount of information.
When I have a question about something, in other words, I am trying to gain knowledge, I usually go right to Wikipedia. However, many times for graduate school, I will access their online library for research. If the question is medical-related, I will go to www.webmd.com and anything sports, www.espn.com.
The Department of Educational Psychology and Instructional Technology at the University of Georgia posted and interesting piece, “Connectivism” out on Wikipedia (Edmunds, 2008). The detail the six principles of connectivism according to Dr. George Siemens:
- Learning and knowledge rest in diversity of opinions.
- Learning is a process of connecting specialized nodes or information sources.
- Learning may reside in non-human appliances.
- Capacity to know more is more critical than what is currently known.
- Nurturing and maintaining connections is needed to facilitate continual learning.
- Ability to see connections between fields, ideas, and concepts is a core skill.
- Currency (accurate, up-to-date knowledge) is the intent of all connectivist learning activities.
My mind-map supports many of the principles above in my estimation. I find the most compelling principle above would be, “Capacity to know more is more critical than what is currently known”. To that end, I will apply a more critical eye to my mind-map to see how I can make my ‘network’ even more robust. Connectivism is a learning theory that will continue to gain prominence, in my opinion, as it forces us to master the efficiency of information consumption in the effort to make better personal and professional decisions.
Reference
Davis, C, Edmunds, E, & Kelly-Bateman, V. (2008). Connectivism. In M. Orey Emerging perspectives on learning, teaching, and technology. Retrieved December 6, 2009 from http://projects.coe.uga.edu/epltt/
