How my network changed the way I learn: This is a rich social network with multiple avenues that are professionally and scholarly geared towards the needs on my studies. The network borders me with information in a variety of forms and specific features of information design to affect how I build my exploitable knowledge from the information I stumble upon. In addition, my network provides me with content-related procedures and learning-related strategies that are step-by-step and makes the learning easier. Many programs in my network use interactive prompts entrenched directly into the learning resources. They supply tools for communicating knowledge beyond written or spoken language, such as web-based multimedia, multimedia presentations, or gestural expressions, for example those that coerce interactions in gaming systems.
The digital tools that best facilitate my learning: Digital learning tools help integrate a variety of media for learning and education. Some of these include photos, text, diagrams, video, animations, graphics, and more. Presentation tools such as PowerPoint, inspiration, webspiration, and so forth are other additional digital tools that make my learning achievable. Interactive tools as well facilitate my learning through knowledge connections. They include interactive concept maps, data displays, and timelines that provide visual connections between existing knowledge and innovative ideas. They facilitate the way I access and share information, resources, and educational materials with other learners without restriction. These tools encourage and support the community of learners to explore and develop deeper understanding of new ideas, share resources, work together beyond the walls of a school or home. In addition, learners gain access to a much wider pool of expertise, guidance, and support (Ito, 2009)
How I gain new knowledge through questions: The imperative way that I gain knowledge is when a guided learner-generated question is being asked. An example is the discussion questions that we respond to every week. This strategy helps me to gain new knowledge when I elaboration on the new material and use the opportunity to read the diverse discussions of my colleagues. When everyone reveals his/her thought regarding the topic of the week it helps to broaden my understanding of the material. In addition, questioning facilitates learning by prompting students in generating specific challenging questions pertaining to the material to be discussed, and those questions in turn elicited relevant explanations. This strategy also helps learners to think critically about the material in question before giving their insights.
The ways that my PLN support or refute the central tenet of connectivism:
To begin with even though the constructivism states that learning and knowledge rest in diversity of opinion, yet my PLN has refute its idea in the sense that learning and diversity do not mainly rest in variety and opinion. The advancement of technology has changed the ways and pace that learning and knowledge is being acquire globally. Taking for instance, researching on a global financial market ten years ago will take years to be accomplished, but today this information can be acquire by millions of people globally in a twinkle of an eye through the power of technology.
My PLN supports this connectivism tenet, which states that learning is a process of connecting specialized nodes or information sources. When we learn we use different resources to research and discover new and scholarly information that help us to become more knowledge and experience. We discover these learning through social networks, virtual networks, blogs, etc. Prior knowledge and personal experiences facilitate the learning process.
My PLN supports the connectivism tenet, which states that learning may reside in non-human appliances. When we talk about non-human appliances, we mean that learning does not occur in man-made appliances but rather from other individuals, nature, environment, prior knowledge and experiences.
My PLN supports and at the same time refute the connectivism tenet, which states that capacity to know more is more critical than what is currently known. What is already known about a particular scenario could be better than what could be currently known which might not be relevant to the existing topic. However, it is also crucial to have the capability in knowing more than you already know especially in this technology era, tech gigs are researching day and night to be abreast with time.
My PLN supports the connectivism tenet, which states that nurturing and maintaining connections is needed to facilitate continual learning. The reason is that, as learners develop more ideas and keep up with their networks, they are able to obtain current ideas and knowledge that facilitates constant learning. Example the best way for a farmer to have a good productivity is to take care of the crops and find better ways to maintain the soil fertility.
My PLN supports the connectivism tenet, which states that ability to see connections between fields, ideas, and concepts is a core skill. In order for me to be successful using my leaning networks I must be ready to keep up with my connections. This tenet is fundamental to triumphant use of my PLN because connection is the cornerstone of this principle. I do not think any learner will be able to gain more be knowledgeable and experiences alone because we are in a diverse world, so as we connect we are able to collaborate, share, socialize, and synthesize our information.
My PLN supports the connectivism tenet, which states that currency is the intent of all connectivist learning activities. As the author states, “Decision-making itself is a learning process. Choosing what to learn and the meaning of incoming information is seen through the lens of a shifting reality. While there is a right answer now, it may be wrong tomorrow due to alterations in the information climate affecting the decision” (Siemens, 2005, para. 24).
