The way in which my network has changed the way I learn is by providing me new resources, contacts, and better tools. This has assisted me in both my personal and professional career. The biggest influence has been working with others in the same field and getting their helpful hints, troubleshooting guides any standard operating procedures or step by step guidelines they have.

Throughout my career, the digital tools I have used the most have been the Microsoft Office related products, specifically Word and PowerPoint. After that Techsmith’s Camtasia and Snagit are the other two digital tools I have used the most. I use these digital tools to develop the education videos for online deployment. Another feature to Camtasia is that is has add-on software to PowerPoint that allows you to create and edit videos from your PowerPoint presentation.

If I have any questions regarding the use of new software, the development of new training aids or their introduction into a learning environment, the development of lesson plans I rely on my resource materials I have collected over the years. This includes both printed and audio-visual material, along with access to web based learning materials. In addition I will research the internet using my preferred search engines to find the information, or a partial solution to the problem.  If I have additional questions, I contact former co-workers and asked them if they have had any experience working in the area where I am having problems. If they are unable to help me I ask if they have contacts that I could go to for additional assistance. Since my wife is also in the education field I also rely on her contacts and expertise as well.

I feel that my personal learning network supports the central tenets of connectivism since without it I feel I was unable to achieve a certain amount of self-improvement.  “Just like anything else that involves human experience or interaction, the act of learning does not happen in a vacuum” (Davis, Edmunds, &Kelly-Batement, 2008, par. 1) so was the same with me. I learned a great deal from the interaction with my co-workers when trying to accomplish new task. If I was unsure the historical uses of a product or particular material and was unable to find any information about it usual web based resources, I went to present or past workers. Even in my own life experiences I have had new employees or soldiers come up to me and ask for assistance completing a task since they knew I have done it before and the written material doesn’t accurately reflect how to accomplish the task.

References:

Davis, C., Edmunds, E., & Kelly-Bateman, V. (2008). Connectivism. In M. Orey (Ed.), Emerging perspectives on learning, teaching, and technology. Retrieved from http://projects.coe.uga.edu/epltt/index.php?title=Connectivism