INTRODUCTION:
Learning community is practiced all over the world. Many authors have made a lot of definitions about what learning community means and what it involves. This paper contains my personal views, perspectives and experiences in regards to learning community. A lot of topics may be discussed and revealed including the technological tools in making a learning community more efficient and productive. Learning is the most important objective why learning community was created. It is more focused on how each member of the community learns on whatever discussions were made. This is how why members on a certain learning community speaks out and express their thoughts and ideas to have a collaborative way of learning. In this way, I can impart whatever ideas in my mind and also, to make my readers know how amusing to be a part of such learning community.
What is learning community?
(Wikipedia foundation,Inc.,2010) defines learning community as a "group of people who share common values and beliefs, that are actively engaged in learning together from each other". It only shows that people are grouped together possessing the same purpose and objectives, making connections, learning interactively with each other, respecting diversities, imparting knowledge and learning unendingly. As on my own perspective, Learning community is just simply learning inside a community of people addressing the purpose to learn. It may sound simple but when you look deeper, it means everything to those who eagerly desires to augment their knowledge to much broader views. Learning is like a cycle where in learners perform the give and take process of learning. In an educational setting, the teacher imparts his knowledge to his students while students acquires the information given by the teacher. In feedback, students add additional thoughts and ideas and without knowing, they already had expanded the information into a much wider angle. By engaging one's self in a learning community situation means to be a part of the learning process that does not merely acquires information but also, to contribute and produce information. Collaborative or cooperative way of learning is also practiced on a learning community. Gregorio (1974) point out that "cooperation is the life of the school"(p.120). It means that students learns best when they are working together cooperatively. Sharing of thoughts and ideas were made, truly informative discussions and full of sense conversations are present in the whole thing. To make it broad, people in the learning community exert the utmost effort to do things together to achieve one primary goal and that is to obtain and acquire new phases of ideas and make each minds fill with overwhelming knowledge.
Learning with technology
(Dror,2008) says that "Learning’ is not new; it has existed for millions of years. In fact, it is a cornerstone characteristic of intelligence and of being human. In contrast, technology, and its application to learning, is a very new endeavor". For the past several years since men existed, I undeniably agree that learning has already been present. It is actually an innate characteristic of a man that cannot be easily taken away by someone. However, In the modern times, learning with the use of technology is a new attempt for everyone. Technology brings a lot of benefits to a learning community nowadays. Through the use of computers as the most common technological advances to aid learning, research findings and information gathering has been made so easy. It is much faster and it replaces the usual work done manually. With technology around, it seems that learning can be more automatic. Nowadays, we can't deny the fact that technological advances has been persistently progressing. With this progression, people's thinking is also turning to a much higher level that's why people's curiosity won't end up and by discovering new things, people tend to invent something very useful to the benefit of many people. In an educational setting, students use technology to make their tasks done precisely. Technology makes the students explore the world of learning. They are actually learning by themselves. They search things by their own, they make criticisms after reading an article and it makes the students think analytically and become more open to new ideas and insights. In a different angle, self-activity is present. According to (Merriam Webster Dictionary,2010), self-activity is an "independent and especially self-determined activity" which means that students learn by doing things independently and they tend to be more progressive in their way of learning. In general, technology helps people to improve their learning.
My views and experiences as a part of a learning community
(Victor,2010) points out that "The most basic level human beings learn is through experience" which is very authentic. I do believe that learning by experiencing is the best way to learn. It is like applying all the theories and lectures in an actual situation. As I became a part of a learning community, the activities that I experienced were extra ordinary. To take note, it is not just a simple learning community that I'm a part of but this community uses technological advances to aid learning and this is what we call the online community or the e-learning community. Through the use of Internet, which is the most prominent tool of technology, has made online access easy. A lot of things to explore and lots of curious minds can be answered with just a click of a mouse, every information you're looking at has made to be instant already. On our learning community, we became a member of a Ning site. It made me explore things and ideas not only coming from me but from the other members of the community as well. It made me think critically because when we are asked to read an article, we have to understand fully the exact details of the article and make criticisms after. Perhaps, it is indeed a great exercise for the mind and I became open to new ideas that may come. Sharing of thoughts and ideas is also present. I receive ideas from others and at the same time, I produce ideas as well by imparting it to other people in the community. Online interaction is present and having an online class session is very new to me but it gave me the impression that learning can be everywhere even it is not done in the classroom setting. I also experienced how to make my own blog site. I can really say that it was fun. I made my own designs and I've been creative in organizing everything in my posts. On my blog, I post whatever ideas that will come out in my mind and I want to impart it to other people. I can freely express myself through blogging and when people have something in mind, they may add up their insights on my post through posting a comment right below my blog. Blogging is like having my own journal of learning since it is where I put all the things that I have in mind. As a total experience, I'd learned a lot of things especially those things that I didn't knew before and I'm enjoying at the same time as well. It definitely motivates me to desire for more things to learn and in that, I will never stop learning.
CONCLUSION:
Learning community means learning interactively. It is to learn with other people around the community and it involves the give and take process of learning. Giving out of ideas and information is exercised and with the use of technology, interactive learning has been made so easy even without seeing the other people in the learning community personally. Learning is everywhere and even where you go, everyday, you may learn a lot of things by just experiencing and it is very important that you are enjoying while you are learning.
REFERENCES:
Wikipedia Foundation Inc., (2010). Learning community. Retrieved from http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/learning_community
Gregorio, H. (1974). Theories of learning and their implications. R.P. Garcia Pub. Co.
Dror(2008). Technology enhanced learning: The good, the bad, and the ugly(Master's thesis, University of Southhampton, England, United Kingdom). Retrieved from http://users.ecs.soton.ac.uk/id/
Victor(2010). Learn through experience. Retrieved from http://EzineArticles.com/expert=Ron Victor
Merriam-Webster Online Dictionary, (2010). Self-activity. Retrieved from http://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/self-activity
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