The document discusses using social learning tools like microblogs and social networking to appeal to different learning preferences. It proposes using mini-lectures, PowerPoints, and level 2 activities to develop understanding, as well as forums for peer interaction and question answering. Learning pathways involve starting as a learning sage to gain background knowledge and then becoming a learning guide by showing others and sharing expertise. Quests incorporate social networking, MMOGs, and microblogs to make learning languages and concepts more appealing through real-time participation and feedback. Overall, the document advocates social learning tools as a global and relevant way to build relationships while gaining a bigger picture understanding.
2. Introduction
Active
Global
Verbal
Value of Learning Preferences
Jonathan LaBeaud
3. Pathways
Learning Sage
Gain valuable background information
Learning Guide
Showing others
Gaining Confidence
Sharing Knowledge
Jonathan LaBeaud
4. Developing Understanding
Mini-Lectures & PowerPoint
Social Networking
“Bigger Picture”
Level 2 activities
Foreign Languages
Forum
Peer interaction
Answering & Asking Questions
Safe
Jonathan LaBeaud
5. Quests
Social Networking
Appeal to Learning Preferences
Discussion time
Real time
Participate
MMOG’s
Learning Languages
Distraction
Appealing
Jonathan LaBeaud
6. Quests Continued
Micro Blogs
Real time
Small adages
Participation
Member feedback
Jonathan LaBeaud
7. Micro Blogs & Social
Networking
Learning tool
Relevant
Global Learning
Making “leaps”
The big picture
Building relationships
Professional
Social
Educational
Jonathan LaBeaud
8. Continuance
Micro Blogs
Relatable
Healthy medium for communication
Usage
Professional
Platform
Jonathan LaBeaud
Editor's Notes
At the beginning of the class, I was an active learner, a global learner and a verbal learner. My scores for the other learning preferences all floated around zero and these three were the most definitive, with scores that were from seven to eleven. Since taking this course and seeing my learning preferences within the course, I really can see the value of their importance within my learning. I think that they each play a role in the type of learning that I benefit from, and change my thoughts of what learning works best for me. I think that learning preferences are a vital part of how people, including myself, gain from educational modalities. By knowing what learning preferences I have, I can guide my learning to sources that are in line with my preferences.
At the beginning of class, I chose to be a learning Sage. I wanted to really obtain a broader knowledge of social technologies and their relevance to my education and the educational process as a whole. Since I knew very little, besides a few things here or there about social technologies I had thought that this would be the best way for me to gain more knowledge. However, as I came to learn more and more about these social technologies, I feel as if I shifted into more of a learning guide, showing my peers more about the technologies that we learned about. As I became more comfortable, it felt natural to show others and share with others my new skills that may help them as well.
I would say that some specific activities that helped me obtain a broader understanding of social technology would be the mini-lecture on social networking. The slides were really organized to give the reader a good bit of background information on the subject of social networking. After, to obtain a deeper understanding, I would say that the foreign languages activity (level 2) helped me to see how social networking is already being used today to teach others all about different languages in a social internet setting. When thinking about learning with others, I benefited from the forum, where I could ask others questions and help others by potentially answering their inquiry.
To explore within my own learning, one of the social technologies that I used was the Social networking quest. I participated in the all three levels of the quest, and found it interesting how social media could appeal to my different learning preferences. For one, using social technologies appeals to my active learning preference. Using different sites gives the user the ability to have ample discussion time with peers and work things out in real time. All participants can take turns, adding to a real sustainable group dynamic, which is great since as an active learner, I prefer to work in groups to hear and participate in the outcome. Another social technology quest that I participated in was the MMOG quest. Some of the content on the Level two areas showed how MMOG’s could be used to learn Spanish or other different languages. While the information relayed was interesting I really do not see this as anything that would play into my learning preferences, from the standpoint of actually learning. In my opinion, I feel as if a lot of the resonant information would be lost in the game. In essence I think that the game would become more important than the actual learning, and while I think that it would appeal to my active and global preferences, I would not develop in the context of education from MMOG’s.
Some of the social technologies that were presented to me that I explored in my own learning was the usage of micro blogs. Micro blogs really are a good way for people to meet up in the context of the internet and contribute minute adages of information. They let people know in very simple terms what a question is, how individuals are feeling about a certain topic, or even relates groups of people together. I think that micro blogs help relate to my active learning preference because it gave me the opportunity to work with others in a very stimulating and interactive platform. I was able to use microblogs with members of a group project in order to reach out and branch out to others and develop feedback and develop ideas to brainstorm all together by following one another. The feedback that occurs with micro blogs helps appeal to this learning preference because it is so instantaneous and collaborative.
I think that I am interested in using micro blogs as a learning tool. I think that they are really useful and relevant to younger people being able to collaborate and relate on a very easy to use platform. Its simplicity is its beauty. I think that something that surprised me to be seen as a learning tool would have to be using social networking sites to be used a learning tools. I had always really just seen a social networking site to be useful for tracking down friends or planning social events. I never knew that you could learn a new language via social networking. I don’t think that MMOG’s are a very useful means of learning, and are not necessarily useful for me in education. I think that it could be a fun way to learn, but would be far too distracting for me. I would like to explore social networking sites further to engage my learning. I think that they could be a very useful tool for motivation and collaboration.I think that micro blogs did a very good job of appealing to my learning preferences. As an active learner, so this was a very good way of being able to do group work, and it was a really good way of being able to get work done without necessarily sitting through a lecture. It is a means that can allow me to participate at my own pace with a large group of peers. I think that also, since I am a global learner, micro blogs are a way for me to constantly be thinking about the big picture, whatever that may be. Since information in micro blogs is constantly coming in droves, I was also able to take “large jumps” when thinking about ideas.
A social strategy that I will use after this course would be to think about using social networking as a means to connect to others in a vast varieties of ways. Due to their popularity, I have now learned that there are social networking sites out there for many, many different subjects out there. It is an opportunity to connect to others. I can connect to others within the same profession to learn more about them or to network with others about job openings or to relate businesses together. I think that I will still continue to use micro blogs after completing this course. I think that they are a very useful tool for conveying short bits of information to others within a group. The platform is easy to use, and it is fun to be involved with. I will continue to use them to connect to peers in my classes and to make group work a lot more accessible and fun. In the future, within my job I can use a micro blog to connect to collegues and to relay bits of useful information. I think that for non learning preferences I would use MMOG’s just for fun, since they are more geared for entertainment in my eyes. I think that I am willing to try different social technologies in this course.
