Connections Drawn Between My Beliefs, Practices and My Uses of Technology

My beliefs around learning lean toward the constructivist paradigm. We need community and interactions to effectively learn by creating new links for the learners which are connected/built upon previously learned knowledge and skills. The community could be the environment, humans and/or nonhuman subjects, the issues that are present or created, the desire and motivation to learn, and the tools to work towards creating a different way of thinking or new way of addressing the issue(s). According to Vygotsky, "humans use tools that develop from a culture, such as speech and writing, to mediate their social environments. Initially children develop these tools to serve solely as social functions, ways to communicate needs. Vygotsky believed that the internalization of these tools led to higher thinking skills."

http://www.learning-theories.com/vygotskys-social-learning-theory.html#more-4

I have entered a whole new series of communities via the net while millions more await the click of a mouse. This knowledge scares me a bit but intrigues me at the same time because I am learning to use the tools of technology to enhance my own understandings of situations and the community I am in by finding solutions and other tools by interacting with people and ideas from elsewhere. I have since learned that theorists Jean Lave and Etienne Wenger refer to this as "Communities of Practice which can be defined, in part, as a process of social learning that occurs when people who have a common interest in a subject or area collaborate over an extended period of time, sharing ideas and strategies, determine solutions, and build innovations."http://www.learning-theories.com/communities-of-practice-lave-and-wenger.html#more-36

These new capabilities will help me in my role to facilitate learning and aid my students' social and intellectual development while creating new working relationships with the global community that hopefully add to our networks of co-learners ,ethically engaged practices, and new shared identities. Dr. John Abbott says simply that "a good teacher will expand upon and build upon what a student already has a connection to." YouTube Video

An added hurdle is that I have to negotiate a whole new series of steps, passwords and the like to become more familiar and adept at using the tools. I feel like I am swirling somewhere in the middle of the scale that sees technology as a 'catalyst for learning' and an invisible but looming 'obstacle' in the way of my learning. Actually, it is the frustation that I allow to grow when I can't immediately make an internet connection in a hotel or at a new location and I have to wake everyone up to help only to be told that I have unplugged the modem connection. In my frustation, I have to ask," Is it that black box with the flickering lights?"

At the same time , while I sit at my computer alone, I am surrounded by potentially billions of possible ideas and answers with only myself to really determine what is suitable for me to believe. My self confidence has been waxing and waning with each new lesson. The constructivist model defines this as "people actively constructing or creating their own subjective representations of objective reality."http://www.learning-theories.com/constructivism.html#more-23
There is a certain level of trust required for me to be truly comfortable and I find that I am constantly reminding myself that what I am reading is one person's opinion that may or may not be right for me or my students. I am worried about my students sense of judgement when it comes to people on the net or information as the power of authority usually resides with whomever has the most confidence in the situation. The varied interpretations and the processes used to determine the validity of the information is constantly being tested and tried.

Some principles of Siemen's theory of connectivism are present in my thoughts about how I see the net connecting others , information and the possibility for how to use technology as a regular tool in my teaching practice but I still don't 100% trust what I don't use very well or "see through the lens of shifting reality." http://www.itdl.org/Journal/Jan_05/article01.htm

The best way for me to learn is to practice using the tools that I need. Again, time is a factor. For my students it has been an issue of access to practice. My students and I have not yet had internet access at the school during school hours this year!
Questions generate more questions, discussions, problems and deciphering what or how or why is part of the learning processes which seem to be occurring with greater speed and higher frequencies. There is so much more material to sift through and so little real time that it seems too easy to be getting 'lost' in this whirlwind of activity. Thinking about the new material also requires alot of uninterrupted time. I find I often have to shut down my laptop to process what I have learned in order to rework my thoughts and thought processes. I am also dealing with the trappings of a person who thinks 'pre computer or old school' as some might say. Should I feel ready to proceed at 3:00 a.m., the bonus of a home p.c. is that any time is work time!

In a way, I am forced to talk more with others I don't really know at all and this is a huge leap for me but the anonymity that the computer screen brings to the equation is also part of the advantage. It seems like a double- edged sword! My students and I can write 'tons' because we don't have to immediately state our ideas to a 'critical crowd' or answer to the masses as we write. This comfort allows a more fluid and deeper aspect of our feelings and thoughts to be 'shared'. Being able to navigate the web has been both a blessing and a curse. Even knowing where to look or what to ask is potentially a loaded question.

Once the concerns have been addressed , I really enjoy learning how to use the tools such as power point, Elluminate, wikis, Skype, Twitter, Flickr, and even this blog. I value the immediacy and varied uses of these tools. As to when I will be ready to use these tools in my class depends on when we get computer time and the willingness of the students to use the tools and take ownership of a different way of learning.
For the students who are discovery based learners the net is full of possibilities just waiting for the "many advantages, which includes: active engagement, promotes motivation, autonomy, responsibility, independence, the development of creativity and problem solving skills,a tailored learning experience. Critics have sometimes cited disadvantages including: creation of cognitive overload , potential misconceptions, teachers possibly failing to detect problems and misconceptions. The theory is closely related to work by Jean Piaget and Seymour Papert."
http://www.learning-theories.com/discovery-learning-bruner.html#more-17