Week 7 of Learning Theories and Instruction

Being a school teacher for ten years, I had determined my own learning style a long time ago. The ideas I had about how I learn have been reinforced through this course. The past seven weeks has been very enlightening. I enjoyed gaining a much deeper understanding of my learning preferences and an even greater understanding of how to instruct others.

So many of the strategies we use in public education today are key components of Constructivism. The school district has done a poor job developing a good understanding of constructivism and reasons why teachers have to implement its strategies in class. As the Instructional Facilitator for my campus, I have been able to better communicate the constructivist theory and why we use certain strategies in the classroom. My entrance into the Instructional Design field is great blend of my education and design backgrounds and a bit of perfect timing also. Many of the Connectivist strategies are still being introduced in public education. The concepts I learned about over the past 7 weeks have helped organize my ideas about instructional strategies on my campus. I look forward to implementing these ideas over the coming months.

Technology is such an important tool in education today. I spend more and more time using technology to learn and improve my own abilities. The web is my primary resource for new information. I use it constantly to develop better understanding of new concepts. Ten years ago the information I found on the internet made its way to worksheets and Power Points. Today the information builds my personal web pages and sparks conversation on campus blogs. Teachers now receive information through RSS feeds and text messages more often than memos or meetings. With new technologies on the horizon, I possibilities are limitless. I am very excited about the future of instruction in public schools and corporate settings. I hope to continue this blog as a record of my progress in both my education and career.