Reflection

Reflection
Learning can be accomplished in many ways. However, what I found interesting or striking about how people learn is the fact that motivation plays an important role in the way people learn. Including in this knowledge is the fact that intrinsic motivation plays a very important part where learners are inspired more to learn than in extrinsic motivation. However, in other factors, extrinsic situations play a great part.
This course has deepened my understanding of my personal learning process by allowing me to see the need of how I learn more. For example, if I am given motivating facts from my instructors and other helpful facts, I would better be able to be competent in my knowledge of my course. When I am given a choice to choose between two options it will give me self-determination or autonomy. In the case of relatedness where I can participate in discussion groups, I can also think of how instructors use different learning styles like using audios and visual imaging and so on so that will enhance my personal learning process and though these things my understanding has been deepened (Kruse, Kevin )
I can also envisage using the various theories like the Behaviorists, cognivitist and connectivist to maximize how I learn as learning is both a process and a product. (Smith 1999) I especially like that I learn by connecting the various theories together. I see how an important part the web has played in my learning.
I have learned regarding the connection between the learning theories, learning styles, educational technology and motivation is that they are all connected. For example if there were no learning theories, we would not have had learning styles to show how learning styles enhance learning and that persons should not be thought to learn in only one way. Also for educational technology, teachers and instructional technologist cannot only use or show the various theories to teach but they can also show connections between the various theories. For example they can show how motivation especially intrinsic motivation is important to learning.
My learning in this course has already helped me and will help me as I further my career in the field of instructional design to bring all my learning together especially using the theory of connectivism and through the web like the sematic web which is listed as an emergent technology in the Horizon Report (Johnson, Levine, & Smith 2009). It is also the most current theory that would incorporate the attributes of a 21st century learning environment with its network ability and as Vail puts it “that must be a way of being.” (Davis, Edmunds, & Kelly-Bateman 2008). I can put my thoughts together in one place and make a better decision to make my knowledge more effective in a technology based world.
References
Davis, C., Edmunds, E., & Kelly-Bateman, V. (2008). Connectivism. In M, Orey (ed.).Web Article:Kruse, Kevin. Articles. Beginner Basics. The Magic of Learner Motivation: The ARCS Model.
Report: Johnson, L., Levine, A., & smith, R. (2009). The Horizon Report (2009 ed.).
Austin, TX: The New Media Consortium. Retrieved from
http://wp.nmc.org/horizon2009/
Smith, M. (1999). Learning theory. The encyclopedia of informal education. Retrieved from http://www.infed.org/biblio/b-learn.htm.