Networked Learning Post
As I am finishing up the spring semester and this class, we are asked to consider the following question: How have I contributed to the learning of others? This is a loaded question and I’m going to break it down into two smaller categories: In class and outside of class.
In class, I believe I contributed to the learning of others by attending class. I think this is a huge part of being an active learner and engaging other people in the learning process. If you are not in class you can do the online stuff but you don’t have that face-to-face interaction that we get from the Zoom classes. I found this semester I thrived in breakout rooms. Chatting about the topics we were asked to discuss, as well as discussing blog posts, learning projects, other classes, upcoming events, and really anything when time permits. I enjoy these conversations because I think we learn so much more through casual conversation than we give credit to. By discussing someone’s learning project I got to hear a casual explanation or update that I could then reflect upon when looking at their posts that week. I would ask questions in class, and answer questions in the chat and out loud when the opportunity presented itself. I sometimes struggle with large groups but I really made an effort to speak to the large group by answering or asking a question, or sharing information at least once per class all semester. I believe that this helps other people learn because we all have different experiences and by sharing they are hearing my experiences, thoughts and knowledge which may be different than their own, through what I am sharing with the class. By asking questions it may give others more answers, information that may not have come up without the question being asked, and as we always hear, someone probably has the same question as you. So it just gives them that information and insight into whatever the discussion was about.
Outside of class is a trickier area to be involved in. I struggle with online communication which seems suspicious seeing how much communication we do online or through social media these days. I think outside of class my biggest contribution to other people’s learning was through my blog comments. I would comment on people’s blog posts, or learning posts each week to see what everyone was achieving and thinking. I really enjoyed reading other people’s posts as well as comments on my blogs. In a couple of situations, I responded to comments on my own posts either because they asked questions or stated something that stood out to me and I agreed with. The way I kept track of all my comments was in a Google doc. This was a simple way I was able to track all the conversations I had with others.
The last way we were able to communicate outside of class was through Discord, and I have to admit that I am extremely disappointed in my contributions to Discord. I started off strong with my initial introduction post and responded to a couple of other introduction posts that I recognized. After that first week, I found myself forgetting to check the discord and then when I would go I would read through all the questions, resources, and conversations and often found I was too late and would not join in. I did however save many of the resources shared on the discord and strongly regret not sharing any of my own.
