1. What skills are needed to learn in a digital environment (online environment).
Explain your three characteristics that help you to succeed in a digital learning
environment.
Digital technology has transformed the way students, including myself, learn today. In this paper,
I will reflect on my own learning experience in an online environment by discussing skills
needed to learn in a digital environment, learning theory that supports my approach, my
preferred teaching style and my ideal learning environment. Through this reflection, I hope to
deepen my understanding of digital technology in learning.
One skill that helps me succeed in online learning is creating a distraction-free environment. I do
this by putting away electronic devices and setting a checklist of goals I must complete before
ending each study session. This helps me because I am easily distracted, and as a goal-oriented
person, having clear targets keeps me accountable and focused until the work is done
(Zimmerman, 2002). If I don’t have a distraction-free environment (e.g. when my phone is
around), I tend to focus on things around me, such as scrolling Instagram reels, looking through
X, just doing the most random things ever because I just can’t focus on the lesson. Because of
that, online classes usually do not end up successful, and I have to rewatch the recording when
exams come.
Another skill I have is self-discipline with technology. I do this by setting time limits on my
phone, and once the limit is reached, I can no longer access certain apps. This helps me because I
watch reels on Instagram all the time, and by doing this, I can transition into studying more
easily (Junco & Cotten, 2012). At first, it was hard for me to limit my phone because I kept
wanting to use it, but I realized if I kept being like that, it’s going to be bad for me because my
attention span is shorter and will have a bad impact on me later on. Because of that, I tell myself
, I’m doing this for my future self, therefore I can get used to it and now I’m good and disciplined
with the time limit on my phone.
A third skill that supports my online learning is time management. I divide larger tasks into
smaller, more manageable steps and allocate specific time to each task. This helps me because
sometimes I tend to procrastinate on one task when the task feels overwhelming. By dividing
into smaller tasks, it’s easier to keep track as well as to finish them (Macan, 1994). As an
example, to do this task, I break down the big assignment into 4 questions given, and for each
question, I list all the ideas that I have in mind first, then glance through again the module
reading to find any ideas that I could add more. I also check the rubric whenever I finish one
question to meet all the criteria given by our professor.
2. Choose the learning theory that you think most supports your approach to learning
in this online course and provide a rationale for your choice. How does social media
affects or supports your preferred learning theory?
The learning theory I feel most aligned with is behaviorism, as I tend to learn best through
repetition and feedback. When I do not understand something in a lecture, I rewatch it multiple
times until the content becomes clear. I also use past exam questions to practice and reinforce my
knowledge, as repeated exposure to similar questions helps me retain information more
effectively. Additionally, I value receiving feedback from instructors because it helps me identify
what I did right and wrong, so I can improve in future assessments. While behaviorism works
well for me in most situations, I believe it has its own limitations. Repeating and rewatching
content does not always guarantee deep understanding. Last semester, I watched a lecture
multiple times and still felt like I did not understand this at all. In these moments, simply
repeating the same action does not help, and I need to seek a different explanation or approach
Explain your three characteristics that help you to succeed in a digital learning
environment.
Digital technology has transformed the way students, including myself, learn today. In this paper,
I will reflect on my own learning experience in an online environment by discussing skills
needed to learn in a digital environment, learning theory that supports my approach, my
preferred teaching style and my ideal learning environment. Through this reflection, I hope to
deepen my understanding of digital technology in learning.
One skill that helps me succeed in online learning is creating a distraction-free environment. I do
this by putting away electronic devices and setting a checklist of goals I must complete before
ending each study session. This helps me because I am easily distracted, and as a goal-oriented
person, having clear targets keeps me accountable and focused until the work is done
(Zimmerman, 2002). If I don’t have a distraction-free environment (e.g. when my phone is
around), I tend to focus on things around me, such as scrolling Instagram reels, looking through
X, just doing the most random things ever because I just can’t focus on the lesson. Because of
that, online classes usually do not end up successful, and I have to rewatch the recording when
exams come.
Another skill I have is self-discipline with technology. I do this by setting time limits on my
phone, and once the limit is reached, I can no longer access certain apps. This helps me because I
watch reels on Instagram all the time, and by doing this, I can transition into studying more
easily (Junco & Cotten, 2012). At first, it was hard for me to limit my phone because I kept
wanting to use it, but I realized if I kept being like that, it’s going to be bad for me because my
attention span is shorter and will have a bad impact on me later on. Because of that, I tell myself
, I’m doing this for my future self, therefore I can get used to it and now I’m good and disciplined
with the time limit on my phone.
A third skill that supports my online learning is time management. I divide larger tasks into
smaller, more manageable steps and allocate specific time to each task. This helps me because
sometimes I tend to procrastinate on one task when the task feels overwhelming. By dividing
into smaller tasks, it’s easier to keep track as well as to finish them (Macan, 1994). As an
example, to do this task, I break down the big assignment into 4 questions given, and for each
question, I list all the ideas that I have in mind first, then glance through again the module
reading to find any ideas that I could add more. I also check the rubric whenever I finish one
question to meet all the criteria given by our professor.
2. Choose the learning theory that you think most supports your approach to learning
in this online course and provide a rationale for your choice. How does social media
affects or supports your preferred learning theory?
The learning theory I feel most aligned with is behaviorism, as I tend to learn best through
repetition and feedback. When I do not understand something in a lecture, I rewatch it multiple
times until the content becomes clear. I also use past exam questions to practice and reinforce my
knowledge, as repeated exposure to similar questions helps me retain information more
effectively. Additionally, I value receiving feedback from instructors because it helps me identify
what I did right and wrong, so I can improve in future assessments. While behaviorism works
well for me in most situations, I believe it has its own limitations. Repeating and rewatching
content does not always guarantee deep understanding. Last semester, I watched a lecture
multiple times and still felt like I did not understand this at all. In these moments, simply
repeating the same action does not help, and I need to seek a different explanation or approach
