Reflective Post--What I have learned

Self-Directed Learning:

Over the past four months, I think I have learned more about self-directed learning that will be useful for "continued" learning throughout my life and that is saying something because I grew up in a home where we were home schooled. I started this journey, of self-directed learning at a very young age. Steps and years at a time. I learned I had to put the time in in order to get anything out. I had the resources but I had to make the effort and teach myself.

by Phaitoon

Although I started at a young age, as I went to college I was prepared for intense studying on my own but what I seemed to have left behind was a sense of learning on my own. Not a teacher, book or the TA should be the only source of information and learning but to teach yourself and learn from the abundance of information we have. To really go out and understand the subject.

This class helped me realize and fully understand what self-directed learning truly is. It helped me realize that I don't just have to study and research what's demanded of me, but to dive into other things. Things that interest me, things that pertain to the subject etc. Furthermore, I learned to use all the information through this digitally advanced world we live in. To get social proof, to ask the experts. I seriously never thought of actually approaching them and asking their advice. BRILLIANCE! This world has so much to offer and now with the many available technological advances, I have the world at my fingertips.

I never want to loose this insight I have gained. I want to be a "continuous learner" --for the rest of my life. I don't want to be ignorant, or not have enough time to learn. I want to be "FOREVER YOUNG" :)

Although self-directed learning was one of the main and core things I took away from this class, there are several other gems such as learning history via a different and unusual route. From the Renaissance to present. In addition, how to consume, create and connect digitally everything I am learning. 

Historical Content:
1. Would We Choose a Fat President?
2. Have Families Gotten Smaller Because of Feminism?
3. Evolution of Modern Medicine and the Decline on Patient Care 
4. What do we want our future to look like?
5. Finnish Education--Leading in the World
6. Media--"Seeing, Not Reading Became the Basis for Believing"

There is so much we can learn from history that I never realized before. In the past, I've been interested about history, but never really "learned and applied" historical concepts, people, events etc. Throughout history, you can see patterns, movements, involvement, what worked, what didn't. You can recognize what made famous and significant people great and how they influenced thousands or millions.

One huge concept I learned from studying and learning these historical periods is how each one relates to our society and world today. Even from the books I read, one being Rousseau , and how what he wrote and did had a huge impact on how our society is today. It was people like him, that throughout history, that went out of the norm, out of their bubble and said, I want to make a difference.

In addition, one main concept I focused on during this class is education.There is so many correlations and significant events throughout history that developed and changed the way the education systems are today. Some of it good, and some of it bad. We can learn from the past and use what we have for the future and the generations to come.

Digital Concepts: 

1. Blogging: A Participation Act  
2. Autistic Children and Virtual Reality 
3. Intelligence Smelligence...Who is Smarter?  
4. Is Social Media Changing Our Identity?  
 

Not only the historical time periods relate to our day but also the digital concepts are intertwined into each era as well as to us, today. Some are more prominent then others but these digital concepts have carried on throughout the ages.

by Bernie Condon

Some examples are as followed. Control: from WW1 and the Nazi's trying to dominate all forces of control-- to the government trying to control the internet today with SOPA. Participation: from the American revolution and constitution-- to how we today can participate via blogging, social networks, video channels etc. Information: from the start of collaborating to create encyclopedias and gathering research and written word, to now a widespread of information available at our fingertips. More research, more knowledge from more available information.

How great it was to study them all together, to be able to see and relate. I think that is one of the best ways to learn. Is to make a connection to yourself, to your life, to whatever subject you are trying to learn. It sticks better and can then be applied. 

by renjith krishnan

Everyday, we consume information, but what do we do with it? That's the problem we have in our education systems. I mentioned it in a few of my educational posts. We don't take the time to do anything more prestigious with the information we obtain. We all know we write a million papers in school but don't get adequate feedback.  Opening up your papers to the public where feedback is limitless can enhance the learning and create a further desire.  I created in me a desire to want to write and see what others would say. It helped me want to research and learn more.

The point is, is that with all the digital technologies we have today, the learning styles are endless, whether its virtual reality or blogging and connecting with outside world, there should be more of this use in our education systems. 

This way of learning not only made me want to consume more information but create, create! The last digital aspect is to connect. As I mentioned earlier, it is amazing what things you can do and what networks and connections you can make by simply talking to a few people and asking them about their work. In class I was able to connect with my peers and teachers through blogging, google + etc. Furthermore the advertisements I was able to create for the event was able to go widespread over blogs, facebook, twitter etc... advertising has a much larger impact when you can connect to a larger variety of people through the internet and the technologies we have today.

I can't wait to start using this "connection method" within my nutritional blogging and businesses. It just makes sense and helps you spread the word about your business. If you ask someone about themselves, of course they are going to be more willing to check out your work and spread the word about you and your business. Make the connection and get the advice.

Finally, the project I must admit was HUGE, so many variables and things we, as a class, were working on. I was part of the graphics team and was able to have my hands in all parts of the project. I helped put together advertisements, info-graphics, the comic etc. It has been exciting to see our hard work be put into something that can actually be used and read by the public.

Overall, I am super glad I took this class. It seemed like it would be way too much work at first, but I came to find out that this type of work sometimes, didn't even seem like work. It created in me a desire to keep learning.

A true learner never stops learning....but continues FOREVER!