My understanding of how people learn has been greatly expanded in theories and styles but I find that I do not agree with one theory exclusively. So, though the concepts help to define a learner they do not explain them to me.
Learners will take all experiences they have and overlay them on what they are learning. Learners will desire different ways of gaining information depending on the topic being discussed, the reason for the learning, and the external influences impacting that learning. Learners desire to know when and why the learning will be used and the value it will hold for them.
For myself, as a learner, I want to place my personal experience on the topics I am learning about and I desire to understand other people’s life experiences as they apply to the topic. I value this information as much as the “textbook” information and in some cases, even more. For this reason I would, in general, assign myself to the Adult Learning theory and the Social Learning theories. I greatly valued the discussion portion of this class and found it was an equal learning tool. I like to learn through visual mediums like video but desire a physical print out of the transcripts to read at the same time. I do not like reading material on an electronic format, I need the paper. I want what I learn to apply to what I am doing in my life or career. Without that link I become disinterested. So, again, I think I am a fairly typical learner.
Technology for me is everywhere, so much so that at times it is so integrated I do not think of some items as technology. I am still a ‘digital immigrant’ and question the long-term value of such technologies as blogs and social networks. I am not under the impression they are going away. But I am not of the opinion they actually have been refined enough to add a layer of value add to the world of education. With the heralding of Semantic-aware applications, maybe my opinion on this will eventually change. I will leave that door open.
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