MIND MAP of My Learning Journey

Assignment 2: Concept Map

When I think of how my learning was shaped over the last one and a half years it makes me realize how conscious I have been about this formative process. I have become more cognizant of the neural connections in my brain, how they have been actively triggering and transmitting knowledge.

It has been a highly reflective journey but never have I felt this enlightened or informed about my learning.

The concept map or mind map has evolved over a period of time. Personal and professional networks have enriched it. Again, this has been a comforting reminder for me that both formal and informal learning are equally imperative in the development of individuals.

It is a non-directional process. The elements as shown in Diagram 1.0 can occur concurrently and is not necessarily confined to a hierarchical or linear order. They are however elements of a process to me. It is my personal learning environment and how I manage my personal learning networks.

The searching and receiving of information have grown exponentially for me. The networks have developed further especially on the professional area as my industry is beginning to open up to the possibilities that technology brings. Blogging, government twitters, Facebook activities have increased in the last year and a half. This has been a major development in my learning.

Bookmarking, annotating and sharing of information using the same tool is another milestone in my learning journey. Diigo and Delicious are fairly new tools to me. I use them now regularly and mostly for bookmarking purposes.

Validating information is probably the trickiest element for me for several reasons but mainly because there is an abundance of information out there, appearing to be factual and authentic in matter. It becomes a trust issue for me quite often and so I am careful with the method of validating the information I have. I frequently rely on ‘trusted’ sources that I know such as my instructor and industry experts who might be able to provide me with non-partisan feedback.

The sharing of information is one element that I feel has been personally rewarding because I understand the elation of listening to my peers’ reflections, comments, feedback. Although time constraints continually pose as a huge challenge to me, I have a strong desire to ‘reach out’ to people and share my knowledge. I use Facebook regularly to share, as I am able to connect with friends simultaneously in a social manner as well when I share my thoughts.  Another tool that I have started to use recently is Dropbox. I find it very useful especially when I m working in groups as group members can edit the same document without having to e-mail each other back and forth. Elluminate and Adobe Connect are tools which I find very useful for sharing synchronous information. You get immediate feedback.

‘Reflections’ is one element that amalgamates, consolidates and synthesizes my learning. Every time I reflect I have an epiphany! It really helps to reflect because again in this information overload age, if one does not stop and reflect, you could easily drift away in the ‘information current’. It keeps my sanity intact when I pause and reflect. It makes my learning feel valuable.

Preparing for presentations is mainly a hands-on activity for me. I am very involved with the design and development of learning curriculum and artifacts and therefore presenting information is probably my core professional niche. It is still an area which I would like to pursue further by exploring more tools and learning to become more comfortable deploying.

Improving on my skills is an area, which I have been deliberately involved. It is not the case of jumping on every single tool because of its novelty. It is essentially to be in the know, to experiment to determine its usefulness to me and to use it appropriately and effectively if the tool meets the need of the deed. In my opinion this is the realm that digital age educators should be more receptive to.

I am on the whole pleased with my learning journey and because I am an avid advocate of ‘applied learning’, I have analyzed my progress at each element. The ones that are highlighted in green are elements that I desire to work on more. The blue elements are the ones, which I am proud of. The learning has been prodigious and invaluable. It is a cornerstone of my lifelong learning journey!