Ignite Talk!

Slide 1:Introduction. In this semester we've spent a lot of time talking about different ways of learning. So I'm going to look at and discuss my opinions of learning in the world that we live in. Slide 2: In 2011, almost half of an average Americans day was spent watching televison. Following this at a close 30% was internet usage. But where is the learning happening on these platforms that are consuming the good majority of our time? Slide 3: Today, the most popular shows on tv are things like family guy, modern family, the walking dead, and the voice. In my opinion, the only thing that these shows do have in common is the lack of education. None of these shows will help me get through college or pass a test. Slide 4: Most, if not all, of my assigned work in school involves being online. Today people go online for everything. Some of the most visited sites are google, facebook, youtube, wikipedia, twitter, and yahoo. Slide 5: In Hanging Out, Messing Around, and Geeking Out we look at different ways of learning. One of the main topics was learning through social media. It is believed that kids gain most of their knowledge through informal instruction. Social Media is a platform that isn't centered around teachers or parents agendas. Slide 6:I mat be alone in this view, but I'm not really comfortable with learning from most people out there on social media. I think that it's important to learn from teachers and professors because they kind of know what they're doing. Slide 7: Going back to this guy, James Paul Gee from earlier this semester. Gee us a researcher with an integrated approach on learning and language. He believes in an active learning environment, and learning through experience. Slide 8: Gee believes that video games can encompass many of these ideas. He believes that games let students experiment with trial and error. Games provide challenges for players, which keeps them motivated, and it gives one ownership, which is a rarity in schooling. Slide 9: My go-to source for information is Google. Apparently, I'm not alone. Google gets on average, 7.2 billion page views a day. Seems like a lot. It probably will seem like more when I tell you that only one-third of the world population has internet access. Slide 10: In an instant, I can look up whatever I want. Literally, everything I want to know about the quantum theory to how Kim Kardashians' feet looked like after a long day. It's all there whenever I need it. Slide 11:When doing any online work like a research paper, I'm always overwhelmed with the amount of information available to me through the internet. In those moments, it is always clear to me that the internet is not designed for my style of learning. Slide 12: All of the information that the internet holds gets scattered around in my brain for a few hours, and then semi-organized on a paper, and then "dumped" out forever because I did nothing to learn it. Slide 13: When it comes to me on the internet trying to learn something, I have the strong tendency to end up slouched over looking like this.It's in no way the active learning that Gee talks about. The only thing active is my fingers as they type. Slide 14: Inside the classroom, I'm a verbal learner. For me, everything must be put into words. I take an absurd amount of notes. I can't stand the annoying usage of highlighters, but I will fill up the margins of every book with notes. Slide 15: I'm also, an active learner. I learn best when I engage in activities. I like being involved in things rather than just listening. I always do really well in labs for this reason. Slide 16:Over the tears, I've discovered that when I actively and verbally engage in a topic, I really learn it. The internet serves as a poor aid in this way of learning. I can't go anywhere near social media while trying to learn something or I'll be distracted for hours. Slide 17: Our school system is based on testing and exams. After we take the exams, we are given a graded value that compares us to everyone else. I've learned how to adapt to this system by discovering how I best learn. Slide 18: I wish I could agree with Suli Breaks in that we can't let exam grades decide our fate, but in my opinion right now that's the world that we live in. Like I said before, you have to find ways to adapt. Slide 19: According to learningstylesonline.com there are seven different learning styles: visual, aural, verbal, physical, logical, social, and solitary. Each will have a different advantage or disadvantage to each person but less than half are addressed inside of the classroom. Slide 20: We are all in the same system of learning, but it is important to find out what is best suited for you. Maybe social media and the internet are your best aids in learning a topic. There's plenty of on-line quizzes that you can take that will let you know what style of learning works best for you.