Personal Blogs

Connectivism

I found a good starting point to understand what is meant by Connectivism from the perspective of the learner on this video:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XwM4ieFOotA

Additionally, after reading the article Connectivism – A Learning Theory for the Digital Age (George Siemens – 2004), I summarise the key points of this learning theory:

Drivers:

• ‘learning must be a way of being’
• In history information development was slow – not now in the technological world we now live in
• Shrinking half-life of knowledge (half of what is known today we did not know 10 years ago).  Research from ASTD (American Society of Training and Development) is doubling now every 18 months.  Due to this reduced ‘life’ of relevant and current knowledge there has to be a new way to share and inform
• Learners require information that can be applied to more than one field, (the era of the ‘job for life’ is no more and it is likely that individuals will work in numerous fields across the duration of their working life)
• Informal learning has now become an integral part of the life-long learning process
• Technology itself is changing the way we see the world and interact within it
• ‘Know-how and ‘know what’ (the traditional methods) are now being applied with ‘know-where’ and how and where to find valid and current information/knowledge.

Key Features of Connectivism

• Learners can build their own learning network with RSS feeds. 
• Information can be accessed easily and quickly with up to date news/posts directly sent to learner to inform them of updates.  
• It requires an ability of the learner to build their communication network initially and then identify how best to use these connections to share information and ideas.  It is also a need to support the learner in maintaining positive connections.
• It also requires the learner to develop  skills in being able to analyse information from a selection of sources (some of which may be less reliable than others or be based more on opinion than fact), and then summarise their own views from this breadth of information
• From the teacher perspective they require motivational skills to encourage learners to develop productive networks and show enthusiasm for new developments and information/ideas identified by the learner.  They may require to challenge unreliable sources of information
• Importance in ‘developing the capacity to learn more rather than what is currently known’ or as put in another way ‘the pipe is more important than the content within the pipe’

References:

Wendy Drexler. (2008). Networked Student. Available: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XwM4ieFOo tA. Last accessed 21st Feb 2014.

George Siemens. (2004). Connectivism: A Learning Theory for the Digital Age. Available: http://www.elearnspace.org/Articles/connectivism.htm. Last accessed 21st Feb 2014.