my personal learning history

this is such a big chunk. where to start, what to include.

I have always liked school and studying, but have had some trouble with cramming. I am nowadays a self-motivated learner, with the motto to learn something and not just get the credit. It has taken many study modules, working-life and family-life to get there but i know more or less what is needed in order to learn.

In 8th grade, I informed my parents that I am going to the States on exchange in high school. This was the peak times for high school exchange programs and Beverly hills 90210 was popular on television. I am not sure what drove me the most, but I really wanted to go. So I did on my second year of High school. It wasn't so awesome as I had hoped, it was rather difficult. But I did get the confidence with English, and the assurance that I can live anywhere in the world and manage. I was also bitten by the travel mosquito..

I have a Masters degree in Political Science with Law, Latin american studies and Spanish as minors. The whole Latin American shabäng  is a result of my Erasmus exchange in Holland 1999. We had a happy erasmus community there, and I realized that the Italians and Spaniards could talk to each other in their own languages and understand each other. 1+1 = I better learn Spanish!

Through this discovery, I started to learn Spanish. I did two working experiences in South America, travelled and found a drive. These small adventures made me realize that I am the motor, I have to keep it rolling and drive towards interesting opportunities.

My problem as a learner has been to stay focused and do the work in advance - not the night before. Now, when I put my energy into something that interests me, I have less problems with staying focused. I have also become much better with deadlines. That's the result of working life.

I have studied 25 ECTS of educational science virtually last year. That was done through asynchronous courses, essays and exams. That was the first time when I saw the improvements in my studying technique. That was great, and I realized that I am the lifelong learning kind of gal. There is always some course I would like to take.'

My learning styles

According to Neil Flemming's VARK methodology I have a multimodal learning preference. Meaning that my preferred learning styles include visual, auditory, read & write and kinetic learning styles. I agree with the result - I can learn in many different ways and I do not need teaching to match my style completely in order to learn. I can enjoy the whole buffet!

I have made the test many times and in our first virtual session, we presented learning styles with our team. I have noted that it can change only in a couple of months. In august my learning preference was more visual. My home-made analysis is that during this fall and these studies, I have developed my kinetic leaning style which is used much with e.g. computers.

Jiihaa! but there is a long way to go.. there are so many applications I want (and need) to learn. Like; I just listened to sth from spotify for the first time. Can somebody please tell me what took me so long?     

Digital portfolio

Slowly but surely the work becomes clearer. I had managed not to find this list below before, but am now wiser. I can't wait to dig into these topics - as they are crucial parts of my identity and the way I see teaching and myself as a teacher.

• The  individuality of learning
• My personal learning history
• My learning style(s) and virtual studies
• Everyday things that make a teacher
• My view of learning
• How the curriculum directs the development of studies?
• What methods of assessment/evaluation will I use?
• How do I use technology in my field of pedagogy?
• Analysis of my competectences in teaching.

tinkering

I've been tinkering all day. Google drive and edupreneur course material has been the place today. The old me would have been afraid of messing with settings - now I know that the computer will not break.

 I learnt this wonderful word, and all about and  around it some weeks ago through edutech bootcamp homework. My relationship with new apps and gadgets has not been of a tinkering kind... but now i have let loose. I even tinker when I park the car in places I didn't use to think the car fits.. I know it fits there, I can make it - I just have to play with it ;-)

I hope we have full coverage insurance!

Here are some reflections to John Seely Browns talk, touching upon tinkering, that we were introduced to through Edutech boot camp in Espoo in September.