Learning in a Digital World
The congruent development of physical, intellectual, social, emotional, and spiritual faculties necessary to master life’s circumstances coupled with eclectic learning theories informs my philosophy of learning. I seek to prepare learners to achieve their fundamental skills, which are essential to manage their life with success. As a math instructor, I subscribe to adaptive learning technology that cuts across numerous fields of study such as computer science, education, and psychology (Shih, Kuo, & Liu, 2012), and enables transformative and reflective learning. Adaptive learning is prescriptive, systematic, wholostic, and humane (Driscoll, 2005, p. 139). In an asynchronous learning environment, it is imperative to establish learning objectives, expectations, and policies, ascertain communication and decision-making rules with implicit feedback. Instructional designers should decide on the use of appropriate technology for the course and learning management system with collaborative tools, analyzing its strengths, weaknesses, opportunities, and threats. The 21st century technology provides means to design dynamic content to reach more students, access electronic (digital) book, and present differentiated instruction to fit all learning styles (Garner, 2003). Adaptive learning supports information (Layde et al., 2012), constructivism and connective (Downes, 2012; Siemens, 2008) learning theory and the way individuals learn
I had numerous educational experiences, both in an online and a face-to-face learning environment. The end of my second degree (MBA) in 1999 marked the end of my participation in a face-to-face learning environment. The traditional learning setting provided limited interactions with classmates, restricted access of information, fixated and hard information with books, library, and instructors as knowledge owners. In an online learning, information is volatile as the currency of information spurs new knowledge. The discussion forum with peers offers multifaceted information for knowledge creation, where instructors serve as facilitators. The advanced technology and Internet support current learning theories and deliver an auspicious milieu for blogs, wiki, and collaborative tools for an active and a dynamic learning experience in the digital world.
References
Driscoll, M. (2005). Psychology of Learning for Instruction. New York, NY: Allen & Bacon.
Layde, P. M., Christiansen, A. L., Peterson, D. J., Guse, C. E., Maurana, C. A., & Brandenburg, T. (2012). A model to translate evidence-based interventions into community practice. American Journal of Public Health, 102(4), 617-624. doi: 10.2105/AJPH.2011.300468.Shih, S.-C., Kuo, B.-C., & Liu, Y.-L. (2012).
Adaptively ubiquitous learning in campus math path. Educational Technology & Society, 15 (2), 298–308. Retrieved from http://content.ebscohost.com.ezp.waldenulibrary.org.