Network connections really help when learning. While doing a mind map of my network connections, I began to think, maybe I need more? Network connections build a basis for your learning. The more connections you have, the more you information you will learn and retain. The best and most accessible network connection that we all have is the internet. Websites like Google have always been a great help to me.
Based on information on education and learning it is crucial to have more than one learning avenue. Google can be an educator’s best friend because it is a starting point to a wealth of knowledge that can help expand minds. My mind map could exist just for resources you can find for free on Google. The internet has hundreds and more, learning game websites, informative websites, scholarly websites, video websites, and examples and definitions of anything that you can think of. I think Google has to be everyone’s favorite digital tool, just because of the amount of information you can get from it without having to have much previous knowledge.
I gain new knowledge from internet websites like google, but I also draw a lot of my new knowledge from reading. I love to read about things that relate to me. So recently I have used social media to direct my reading, if it is not a reading assignment required by school. Social media sites like Facebook, track the information that you find the most interesting and they can suggest more information like it. I have lost track of how many articles I have stumbled upon through Facebook while just scrolling alone. Facebook likes to keep you updated with latest news so when I read information about education on the site, it is usually up to date and accurate and I like that.
Connectivism is based on the idea that learning has to be continuous and open. Connectivism connects learning with everything we do because it relates past and present information together to build foundations for future learning. Connectivism theories focus on the fact that learning can multi-dimensional. My personal learning network supports the idea that learning comes from all angles. I have so many networks that I learn from currently, and then along with that I have networks that I have learned from previously also. With personal network connections being my weakest area, I think it is time for me to open up my personal connections so that I can learn from them.
