Madeline Lawlor

1. Learning online – monitoring your learning of one week

Learning has largely transformed to an online medium. The inclusion of virtual learning
environments along with online resources for both formal and informal learning allows a wide access to
public information. I decided to keep track of my online learning this week. While doing this I tried to
keep in mind formal versus informal learning. Formal learning can be described as learning done in an
educational space, such as attending school, whereas informal learning refers to private inquiries. I
wanted to focus on my informal learning for the week.
I love history and art history. In the locations I have visited this past semester, I try to do some
background research on and specifically look at the history of the arts in that particular city. I think that
this could be defined as informal learning. My initial research in preparing to Vienna included scanning
websites such as Lonely Planet, which as online resources, make learning about a particular city
incredibly easy. However, I have found that my tried and true manual has to be the physical Michelin
Green Book for Austria. This past weekend I went to Saltzburg and paid attention to the modes of
learning that I utilized for my trip.
My first action was to google “best things to do in Salzburg”, to which Google presented me with
approximately 9 million results. I found the pages from Trip Advisor, Lonely Planet, and the Salzburg
tourist information page helpful in generally learning what to do with my time for the weekend. However, I
found myself going back to my hardcopy Michelin book. The Green guides seek to give
recommendations for restaurants, historical spots, and views, but my favorite part about them is they
provide historical context. I found that I could concisely understand why each recommended location
was recommended. I found it surprising that I would engage in informal learning through a book. I would
have assumed that learn primarily through technology-enhanced learning, however, I still found myself
multiple times turning to what I know best, which is the comfort and trust I have in the Michelin Books. In
cases of suggested routes and spots, I think it is nice to have one trusted source, rather than millions of
online results by varying authors.
However, this isn't to say that I do not heavily rely on online learning in my day-to-day life.
Throughout the week I find myself constantly asking Chat GBT to explain concepts to me. This week
alone I consciously recorded myself asking Chat GBT how the Austrian Government works, what
proportion of the Austrian population have conservative versus liberal views, and how the healthcare
system worked here. I would consider this informal learning as it is for personal curiosity. I found that I
could get a direct answer out of chat GBT for specific inquiries. The internet has such a vast amount of
information for specific questions, comparisons, and explanations, proving it key to my day-to-day
questions and general online learning.