Connectivism
I have learned over the years as I
had prepared to transition into a new career into Adult Teaching and
Self-employment that I needed to devise appropriate networking connections. For
many years from having worked in various job development positions and
searching for various employment for my own benefit, often employment interviews
were the result of who I knew working in human resources, my personal
references, or referrals from friends or family members.
Several months ago I decided to
transition from full-time employment working in non-profit to teaching a full
course load schedule for this year a and pursing consulting contract jobs while
re-building my real estate contacts as a licensed real estate agent. I desired
to be self-employed and do what I love to do without going into someone else’s
office. Preparing for this transition required me to develop not only a
business action plan, but to also develop a networking action plan.
My networking plan was a another form
of mapping out my connections. Ormrod (2008)
defines mapping as a learning technique in which one identifies important ideas
and they relate. My research showed me various networking connections such as
LinkedIn and Twitter that I use to connect with individuals who exhibits
similar career, education and personal interests that I too exhibit. I have also
learned a great deal about blogging as a result of various networking
connections on LinkedIn and Twitter. Each networking site allows me to search
for new ideas and keep abreast of various industry trends that relate to my
areas of specialty which includes higher education, real estate market, and
career interests.
What has helped me using these sites
includes learning about small business entrepreneurship, adult educators
sharing their experiences teaching adults, and how to develop a marketing plan
for attracting buyers to buy real estate properties. The networking connections
I believe provide an excellent interactive learning venue that does not deter
individuals asking options of others they do not know. Because many of the networking
contacts have personal websites or blogs, they welcome anyone to contact them
for additional questions.
A digital tool I see that is popular
quick and easy accessible reading is E-books. I prefer E-books as a reader
because they are easily downloadable to my Nook and my laptop computer. A great
deal of information I search for are in E-book format only. E-books are often
less costly (some free) to purchase compared to purchasing a traditional book. I
actually look at many of my network connections that provide a personal website
and offer free downloadable E-books of free information. I have gathered enough
of the free downloads that combined would have probable cost me over $100.00
dollars to purchase from one author.
Another digital I favor are free or
low cost webinars. I have connected with many career coaches and real estate
agents who produce information webinars on the latest products and trends. Often
I find this more appealing and less costly.
Overall, my preferred connections
facilitate effective learning connections through the convenience of technology.
I would find it very hard to isolate this vast amount of information due to
lack of time and the exhausting efforts it would take to seek out local
connections and be challenged with the daunting task of personally trying to
attend an abundance of networking groups or spending large amounts of money on
books that I would get bored reading.
Reference
Ormrod,
J.E. (2008). Learning theories and instruction. Upper Saddle River, NJ: Laureate
Education, Inc.
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