Module 4

• How has your network changed the way you learn?
I like getting information from others and sharing with others. I always have tried to get answers for myself than asking others. I find now after doing this assignment that I have many networks that I learn from and didn’t realize I did. I have found out just how important it is to work together. Also, as I have aged I realize more than ever before how important all these networks are. I must say that I get more information from the internet and people from all over the states and the world to learn new things to adapt to the rapidly changing world we are in technologically.

• Which digital tools best facilitate learning for you?
The Walden University online courses have been an excellent learning opportunity for me. Being able to do things on my schedule and being able to deeply think about the assignments has been an enormous asset for me. Recently I have found wiki’s and blog’s to be very helpful in learning and sharing.

• How do you learn new knowledge when you have questions?

When I have questions I look it up on the computer or go to someone that I feel may know the answer. The internet is my main choice to answer questions I am not sure of. I need a lot of memory on my computer because I multi task a lot and have many windows open at the same time. I have never thought about how I learn new things until this class. I know that this will aid me in becoming a better teacher and challenging my students and prepare them for their future. I have learned that when I learn new things I combine it with my prior knowledge creating new knowledge.

Module 3

Do you believe that humans have a basic instinct to “interact and work as a group,” as Rheingold proposed in his discussion of the evolution of Wikipedia as a collectively developed encyclopedia?

I enjoyed watching Howard Rheingold's "Way-New Collaboration" it was wonderful. The concept of sharing is wonderful but, I believe that humans have a basic instinct to interact and work as a group. Ask your question does everyone want to build their own castle and live by themselves. I think not. Wikipedia is a great example of how people around the world are working together to create the best information source on the internet. I have worked with some teachers that have found things to raise scores in the classroom and don’t want to share with others. However, with all my years as an accountant in the manufacturing industry we were all about working together so that time wasn’t wasted on two people doing the same work. I work in an environment where teachers are very competitive and protect what works for them and doesn’t share with others. This is very hard for me to accept. I try to teach my students how to work in groups. I believe that we can train others by showing them how great working in groups is. For the last five years I have fought a click in first grade. They are learning that a TEAM means “Together Everyone Achieves More” this is a work in progress but we are getting there.

While I believe that it is in our nature I believe that sometimes that human basic instinct is not nurtured and we get the “lone wolfs” as we have been hearing about in the news lately from the shooting in Arizona.
How can technology facilitate collaboration among learners based on constructivist principles?

Technology provides us with the tools to do just about anything we want to do and accomplish. These tools can help individuals to collaborate and work together sharing and discussing issues that they are interested in or researching. Being able to communicate with people in other countries is perhaps one of the greatest things available today through the use of technology and social networking across the globe.

Constructivist principles allow learner to create learning experiences that are authentic and real world learning. With this new technology driven world cooperative groups of learners that band together and join forces, can eventually solve world problems as well as medical issues. The amount of learning and social impact on the world is endless. Recently I read something that the Human Genome Project would not have been solved so quickly if it had not been for technology and a collaborative cooperative approach at solving the human genome.

Rheingold, H. (2005) Way-new collaboration” [video file]. Retrieved from
http://www.ted.com/index.php/talks/howard_rheingold_on_collaboration.html