Reflection 1 –
Throughout my education, the instructor was the center focus of the learning process. 
I did not mind this, rather, as I much preferred having direction and to know what is expected from me. I have found with previous experiences of taking online courses, I was often lost on where to start and how to proceed. For example, I took an online course in high school and I found it difficult to know what the teacher expected with regards to assignments or where to start. In a classroom setting, the first class is often left to explain expectations for the course and how we were to be graded. I often find that for the most part synchronous issues can be solved a lot faster than asynchronous issues. An email interaction could take up a lot more time than a face-to-face conversation which would be more direct and effective. Therefore, a class discussion could be very minuscule and seem unimportant but could create the platform for the duration of the course; I found that aspect was sometimes lacking in online courses.
There are three possibilities for the power dynamic, instructive, constructivism, and connectivism. Connectivism is related to networking with connections to gain knowledge or skills. Personally, I find a certain experience that an individual has, is the best way to remember something and learn from it. For example, I remember my first day of university so clearly. The feeling I had during that day helped me remember that experience – “Experience is the best knowledge” (Siemens, 2005). The network that connects entities allows for more learner experiences. Relying on other individuals, technology and power to help one gain knowledge is better than relying just on yourself. Connectivism allows us to learn more than our current state. Using the resource helps divide up the workload one carries. The chaos of breaking down predictability can be helped with one’s experience that has occurred with another situation that may be similar. Knowledge cannot be isolated, there are many aspects that occur when learning and utilizing tools can help the knowledge one gains. “Half of what we know today was not known 10 years ago” (Siemens, 2005). Our knowledge doubles, as there are more resources out there, people are using them to their advantage (Siemens, 2005). I believe a large contributing factor to that state is how far technology has developed. There is much more information presented and obtained nowadays. We are more connected than ever before. People can network more easily and can obtain information more frequently.
Benham, B., Dellinger, J., Semingson, P., Spann, C., Usman, B., Watkins, H., & Crosslin, M. (2018, June 22). Chapter 2: Basic Philosophies. Retrieved from https://uta.pressbooks.pub/onlinelearning/chapter/chapter-2-basic-philosophies/
Connectivism: A Learning Theory for the Digital Age. Siemens, G. (2005). International Journal of Instructional Technology and Distance Learning, 2(1). Retrieved from https://edtechuvic.ca/edci339/wpcontent/uploads/sites/5/2020/01/Connectivism-A-Learning-Theoryfor-the-Digital-Age.pdf