Rahim's Ramblings

My experience with Twitter has improved significantly over the past month, largely through the weekly #t509massive Tuesday night chats. As a result, I have been able to further refine the Twitter portion of my rubric, and will push myself to learn even more.

Blogs remain an area of discomfort (see my first blog post), and I’m not sure I see that changing in the next two months (perhaps after though). Thus, I would be more than happy to contribute to the online learning environments that others curate, and participate as a responder.

I will ask one question though… Does this count as a blog post?

Enjoy!

https://docs.google.com/document/d/1L27G54XVaWpG_MCG7–upUorx5syvZZhLrS_OPfg8NU/edit?usp=sharing

Constructionism, constructivism, and connectivism oh my! I’m sure others can empathize with me… This is my very crude (and simply worded) attempt to understand the basics. This is by no means meant to be comprehensive. Please feel free to comment on your interpretations/my errors, and how you feel these theories overlap.

Constructivism – Constructing new concepts based on the interaction between the environment and existing knowledge. These concepts are organized within a cognitive structure which is continually being reframed and added to as you learn.

Constructionism – Effective learning is the result of constructing tangible objects.

Connectivism – Knowledge exists across a network of connections. Learning is defined by the process of creating new connections and expanding the network.

Helpful website: http://www.instructionaldesign.org/theories

(Note: I will add to this as my understanding develops, either because I have made new networks, or because I will gain new knowledge to add to my schema)

In the last two weeks, HGSE has taught me the importance of reflection in achieving meaningful personal growth. Today, #t509massive has convinced me to take my reflections online.

Coming from a background deeply rooted in science, the act of writing without purpose has been challenging if not absolutely impossible. My classmates have seen me cringe, complain, and cry when the word reflection is even whispered by professors. However, this is the year of the yes! The number of uncomfortable situations I have embraced in the past 14 days likely rivals the uncomfortable experiences I stumbled across during medical school and residency. A large part of this is merely due to the imposter complex of being at Harvard and being in an education program as someone without specific education training. BUT, it’s only for one short year… I better get over it fast.

The feeling that comes with being outside of my comfort zone sucks, but it means that I’m in a situation that I can learn from. I’m here to learn from my colleagues, and as my mentor said, “build confidence from within.”

Hello Harvard. Thanks for having me!