[embeddoc url=”https://blogs.uoregon.edu/caramico/files/2016/11/Personal-Learning-Environment-1-2gwjkcj.pdf” download=”all” viewer=”google”]

My personal learning environment emphasizes people. I learn through connecting with people either at home, work, or school. I enjoy lectures, radio programs, books on tape. Storytelling is one of my favorite mediums. Outside of oration I enjoy reading. I love the printed word, the combination of lecture and reading works very well for me. Finally I enjoy video which I consider to be another form of person to person connection (TedTalks, etc.). I enjoy work environments that have energy but allow for focused effort.  If I can have my way I would learn in the company animals on all occasions 🙂 I enjoy being outside and need to connect with nature regularly to offset the amount of time I spend in front of a computer. I also enjoy meditation and find that I can learn more effectively if I meditate regularly. Although I can multitask, I prefer to have enough time to focus on one project at a time, for a period of an hour or so, then be able to take a break and move on to a different type of project. My learning is fueled by coffee and black tea.

While I prefer tactile, hands-on learning, I’m also a tech junkie. I enjoy photography and use Instagram for storytelling, both in the images I post, and in the images I like. I also enjoy twitter to share news articles I find interesting or socially important. It’s also interesting to be able to have conversations with people you might not otherwise be able to. I’m not a fan of Facebook but for some people, you have to use it :”/ I use Blogger, WordPress, and other media sites (occasionally I use the Tumblr and G+ sites). Snapchat is being overtaken by Facebook/Instagram so while it’s fun, I don’t see a need for it. I also have limited space on my phone which is where I access most of these apps (with the exception of blogging which I do from my laptop or another computer).

In terms of learning styles I prefer to dig deep into a subject and understand all of the intersecting components. For instance I’m not only interested in the biological component of water quality, but also the social, political, and cultural aspects of water quality. I prefer to ask a lot of questions to better understand a subject. I take copious notes since I need them to keep track of my commitments. I also enjoy going back to my notes from previous years and seeing how I felt about things. I also firmly support the theory of spiral based learning. I am still learning about things that I was introduced to over 30 years ago, but I am learning from a different perspective. I also am waiting for the robot takeover when humanity will become irrelevant. It’s coming. (I’m only sort of joking.)