Mapping My Learning Connections

The mind map I constructed this week opened up a wealth of information for me and got me thinking about all of the ways in which I network on a regular basis.  This topic is quite interesting to me because I use lots of resources on a regular basis to help me find the things that I want or need to find, whether it be personal, work-related, or educational based.

I am typically the person that all of my friends and coworkers come to when they need to figure something out, because I will go the extra mile and find the resources I need in order to get an answer.  I often refer to myself as a Private Investigator in another life.  J  With that said, networking and knowing where to go to find out whatever you need to find out is of utmost importance!  The internet is my primary resource for everything and has definitely been an “explosion in how we connect with people and data sources” (Siemens).

As far as learning goes, my network has helped me to expand my horizons as well as my mentality.  I am well aware of all of the resources that are available to me as far as learning goes and I am continuously grateful that I am living during a time when there is so much connectivism at my fingertips!  If I run into a problem or if I just want information in general about anything, the internet is my be all, know all source to solve it.  I am truly not sure how the world functioned efficiently before the internet was used so wide-spread.

There are so many tools to be used online, whether you need to research a topic, find a picture or diagram to support documentation, or just find the name of someone who has more information on a subject.  Google is typically my first stop when researching anything and from there I can go to so many places, depending on the topic.  I have to admit that I do not utilize the college library databases as much as I could, because I feel that they are not as user-friendly as the internet is, in general. I have become dependent on the internet quite frankly and I believe that it is the most powerful resource we have ever seen; we just have to make certain that we are obtaining accurate information when researching on the internet.  Scholarly journals or articles are typically the best route to go; however, unless you are using the library database, it is sometimes difficult to obtain these articles on the internet.

My learning has been expanded so much in the past ten years or so.  Besides the internet, I also have several contacts in different arenas that I can defer to if I cannot find the information I need on the internet.  My personal learning network is and has been a definite wealth of knowledge over the years and I believe I have constructed a very solid network to build upon.

References:

Siemens, G. (2010). Connectivism.  (Video Program.) Laureate Education, Inc.