Thinking about my thinking

I would like to share challenges, quoting Tom Hanks in the movie Forest Gump " Life is like a box of chocolates" Working in Moodle to me has that same affect. As a boy there was a TV show I believe named Concentration http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0197146/ There were a bunch of squares with numbers that contestants would need to recall what was behind the square number to match images that would be part of a riddle or visual story.

I am finding working with Moodle is a lot like the TV game show and the box of chocolates. For me to  remember the rules, I need to take the information out of Moodle, and print it, then aggregate it, where I can access, maybe a binder or a folder. Moving away from digital and the internet is important, as I can easily be distracted by clicking on an email or a message. I can get off track quickly and for a long time!

I am learning that I have to parse the content, and identify words I don't understand, then write the meaning down. I learn by writing, physically moving the pen on paper, reading and saying what I am writing. This for me, seems to commit to memory.

What is becoming apparent is my limitations to retain reading, especially if the article has multiple topics and subtopics. I think I rely heavily on visual connections and patterns. Jane's graphic of binary code as a wave with a figure standing at the base are the type of imagery that helps me to learn.

I am involved with working with data, and am frustrated to see information represented in tables with rows and columns, as the words get lost without a visual hook. I love seeing data represented with graphs and charts, or visual representations created by many of clever tools now available. This type of learning, by looking at patterns is effective for me.

As a construction worker I was a foreman erecting skyscrapers. I could take a look at 5 trucks of steel, bundled flat, and then visualize where it would be going. Of course with the help of a few numbers marked on a piece of steel. I could know, thanks to the blueprint what division of the building it would go, and direct my crew quickly where to off load it to.

I learned these skills to recognize patterns by loading trucks with my father and helping organize supplies for staff for their work day as the "go for boy". My dad operated a food processing plant where I worked from age 13.

Today I work on the web and teach subjects in the same field I work in. I like working on the web as I get to learn new things and implement them. Building a website is similar to building a skyscraper. Teaching helps me to stay up to date. Books can not be printed and put on the market to keep up with the changes in technology. As Stevenson noted the 10/10 rule is now 1/1 rule. Teachers must be learners.

I calculated I have 58 hours per week to learn (Ironically my age too as of 9/30).  There are 34 hours dedicated to Marlboro College. I need to give time to my additional learning, the things I like to keep up with for me personally.

Digital media for me remains a priority. I have been using Lynda.com for a number of years to keep up to date. I also subscribe to an online service Treehouse that I use for programming skills, web development and digital media projects. http://teamtreehouse.com/ I really like their interface and way of enabling you to learn.

I also try to keep up with language skills to include Spanish, Serbo-Croatian and I am trying to learn French. Unfortunately German, Japanese and Portugese have not much use for me these days.

What I am learning is that I rely heavily on patterns. I also need to convert information into chunks, with visual representations that work for me, using associations. I plan to create some charts and timelines that can assist me to remember topics covered in class, to perhaps include new definitions, at least this is how I see my needs.

I wish I had access to a large wall to create a board with this new information. When I published my magazine I would create a timeline on a 4' by 8' sign board to plan out our work flow.

In today's digital work world I need to find ways to turn my analog learning methods and patterns into  digital versions that will slip into my DNA, or at least my long term memory, or a place I can access it, or maybe a friend, or group of friends that I can reach out too.

The process of me typing out my thoughts is helpful for my learning process, as is meeting with colleagues at work, who I can share my concerns. We in turn offer ideas to help each other by sharing experiences. Let's go for coffee, what do you think?