Twenty years ago the average person was limited in their acquisition of knowledge. As a child, I remember thinking that my ancient set of encyclopedias held all of the world’s information. One of my first research papers I remember writing was on starfish. I found the book labeled “S”, and since it was the biggest book, I expected to find tons of information about starfish. I was disappointed to find only two or three paragraphs on the sea creature and none of the specifics I was looking for. My next step was the library where I had to sort through the card catalog to find books I needed. I jotted down the numbers, and went in search of the perfect book only to discover it had been loaned to another library. Since I couldn’t find the information I needed, I had to switch topics to complete the paper.
The internet has changed the way individuals learn new things. No longer is information limited to experts in the field or hidden in the words of an unobtainable book. Today if I wanted to research starfish, a few clicks would take me to endless information and pictures. I could access videos of experts discussing all of the neat and interesting things I wanted to know. The internet has greatly influenced learning by providing networks for virtually unlimited access to all forms of knowledge.
Not only does technology provide us with information, but it gives us digital tools to help individuals deepen their learning. When learning new things, I prefer visual aids along with graphic organizers to help me organize my thoughts. Streaming video along with a good mind mapping software to help make connections are some of my favorites for personal learning. Despite your learning preferences, there are digital tools available to help deepen your learning.
Today, if I had to write a research paper on starfish, I would begin with the internet. Wikipedia provides a plethora of information on nearly any topic imaginable. From there, I would identify experts that can be contacted through e-mail, blogs, or websites. I could ask social networking contacts for information and even follow experts on Twitter. If I needed to find out about the latest research conducted on these interesting animals, I could search online databases to find current studies conducted. The options are limitless. The information I am looking for about starfish is probably identical to what I would have found twenty years ago. However, now I can efficiently access the information.
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2 comments :
What a neatly organized mindmap!! I drew so many lines and connections on mine that it was a bit confusing. I find interesting that your map only lists online tools. Do you feel that connections happen more online than face-to-face?
Joseline,
I feel connections and networks can occur face-to-face as well as online. I believe my list of non-digital networks would be overwhelming: church, school, work, neighbors, I could go on. I tried to keep my focus on my digital connections for this map. I would say for learning, most of my connections occur online. A majority of my communication occurs through some sort of technology.
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