elearnspace. Connectivism: A Learning Theory for the Digital Age - 17 views
www.elearnspace.org/...connectivism.htm
connectivism education learning technology web2.0 collaboration community
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Courtney Blackhurst on 26 Jun 13All of these push knowledge construction by the student through experiences.
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Even social constructivist views, which hold that learning is a socially enacted process, promotes the principality of the individual (and her/his physical presence – i.e. brain-based) in learning.
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Objectivism (similar to behaviorism) states that reality is external and is objective, and knowledge is gained through experiences. Pragmatism (similar to cognitivism) states that reality is interpreted, and knowledge is negotiated through experience and thinking. Interpretivism (similar to constructivism) states that reality is internal, and knowledge is constructed.
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Our ability to learn what we need for tomorrow is more important than what we know today.
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If we teach our students the "tools" to be able to learn outside of class, we are giving them the tools to become a "learner". Learning is not simply listening to information that is being given, but going out and finding that information and why it is important.
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I completely agree with Shelby that we need to teach information literacy skills. However, are these skills being taught to all? Are poorer school districts suffering because their students are not immersed in a life of smartphones and iPads?
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For me, the question becomes how to we do this if we are immersed in an enviornment that is consumed with standardized testing?
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I once had an administrator excitedly tell me about the new computerized test prep subscription website that they planned to use with the students. She was talking all this stuff about how much better it was to use technology this way, and I'm looking at her and trying not to be all "lady, it's still just test prep..." There was nothing creative about it. There are much better ways to use technology for learning.
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As a classroom teacher who does not always subscribe to the typical stuff my school tries to throw at us, "test scores, standards, common core..." I love this quote. I ultimately feel that grades, test scores, and the like are not what we are striving for. There will always be kids who can succeed on any test or fail any test. To me, the real measure is that we have given kids the tools to think, the ability to learn, the ability to question, and the ability to be analytical and critical.
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The need to evaluate the worthiness of learning something is a meta-skill that is applied before learning itself begins. When knowledge is subject to paucity, the process of assessing worthiness is assumed to be intrinsic to learning. When knowledge is abundant, the rapid evaluation of knowledge is important.
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I find it tricky when learners start to question why they are expected to learn certain information. In some fields, there have been decades of development for certain curricula, so shouldn't the learner value that the experts in that field find that information important? As an educator, I hear from students all the time that they don't know why they have to learn a certain chunk of material because they feel it doesn't relate to what they are doing. But in the future, they may finally make the connection and realize that it is important.
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In regarding Melissa's comment above (I see it was made last year), I still to this day question some of the material that I was being taught in middle school and high school. There are just some subjects and lessons that I feel we would have been better off without.
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I do believe that the skills of learning is the more important in school than that which a student actually learns. Gonzalez in 2004 speaks about the "half-life of knowledge" with this in mind, our student have to be prepare to learn, what is current and appropriate, and learn it very quickly. If I'm going to teach a girl to make a skirt, in order to access if learning have taken place, I could have her build a model or an actual skirt. It really only matter to me or the girl. what matter is if she can build a skirt.
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I agree that the evaluation of knowledge is tricky and a little subject-dependent. Evaluating someone's theory or argument can help a learner understand whether or not the theory is appropriate for supporting their own argument. The source theory could be apocryphal and, thus, unsuited for a highly structured academic piece. This would be a liberal arts/social science skill. But evaluating mathematical proofs seems like a higher-order ability that is for advanced learning, rather than middle-school-level learning.
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While learning theories may not focus on the value of knowledge, I feel that there needs to be a certain external criteria for this worthiness, especially when considering the implementation of learning systems that connect the digital and physical realm. This behaviorist approach seems to be the starting point, but certainly not the end.
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Knowledge flow can be likened to a river that meanders through the ecology of an organization. In certain areas, the river pools and in other areas it ebbs. The health of the learning ecology of the organization depends on effective nurturing of information flow.
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This description really emphasizes the importance of committee meetings, professional development workshops, and the like. We must have networks within our organizations so that knowledge can be shared. I have been fascinated at committee meetings how a representative from one area can drastically improve the understanding of the rest of the committee of some aspect of the problem. Committee work can be time-consuming, however, so moving it to a online environment can be more efficient.
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Know-how and know-what is being supplemented with know-where (the understanding of where to find knowledge needed).
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This is a testament to the need for informational literacy to be taught across the spectrum of education.
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Yes, it's so important for students to know how to find the information they need without getting frustrated by bad searches or misled by bad sources. It's frustrating because it's so often overlooked.
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The "know-where" mentioned here reminds me of the John Seely Brown article where he mentions how to "be your own private, personal reference librarian, one that knows how to navigate through the incredible, confusing, complex information spaces"...or a professional Googler.
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True! and 50-90% of the information on the web will never be accessed by a search engine; the 'deep web' contains some of the most valuable information sources
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I really like this quote because it sums up the idea that students are individually making connections with the world to gain knowledge. They tend to follow and explore information that is related to their interests.
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I like the quote for that reason, and I also like it because of the emphasis on the concept of performance and performance potential; thus, the idea of applying learning is incorporated into the very definition of learning!
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I love the way experience is an important part of the definition of learning. Experience and performance are great teachers, far better than any textbook ever will be and yet many institutions seem to insist that this is the way to learn.
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Learning is a continual process, lasting for a lifetime.
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It's so trendy now to talk about "lifelong learning", but there is definite truth to the idea that we never really stop learning just because we have finished our formal education. I'd bet most people don't even realize that they are learning even just by catching the news.
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Or from reading their social media feeds! I read so many articles from what my friends share!
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I used to think of Facebook as "recreation" but now I get alot of information/stay up to date through my "likes" and what friends post (so many Facebook pages available). I guess this is an example of how both are coming together.
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Behaviorism, cognitivism, and constructivism are the three broad learning theories most often utilized in the creation of instructional environments. These theories, however, were developed in a time when learning was not impacted through technology.
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These theories have been around a very long time regarding education. I wonder what "new" theories will be in place years from now with reference to technology? Will future students be looking back at the new theories and deciding how they impact education?
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I find this rather interesting. I've heard mentioned a few times over the past year or two that our education and school system was developed to answer the Industrail Revoultion, or factories. This can be seen with the the early and late bells in the morning of grade schools. Perhaps these learning theories also came out of the Industrial Revolution or a similar period. It will be really interesting to see what kinds of learning theories will be around in 30 years.
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I also wonder how quickly the "new" theories will change again with rapid/constant development. @Zach, that's an interesting thought!
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Learners as little as forty years ago would complete the required schooling and enter a career that would often last a lifetime.
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This is very true. I graduated in 1981. Most of my peers left high school and went straight into the work force. Many of them are still in those same careers.
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I have encountered many listings on job search engines in which positions are listed as entry level, yet require Master's and/or Doctorate degrees... and paradoxically, previous work experience! It seems like those without formal graduate education are not even considered candidates for many positions that used to only require a high school education or a 2-year college degree.
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Many learners will move into a variety of different, possibly unrelated fields over the course of their lifetime
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Is this a good thing? Can this be a detriment to the person if they find a job they love and for unforeseen circumstances they can no work? Will their portfolios give the indication that they cannot focus?
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This could be a good thing, and a bad thing. It all depends on the person I feel. If the person is just looking for a job, then it would be a bad thing. But if a person is pursuing a career, or even better, a calling, then it is a great thing. I just read an article the other day on LinkedIn (I can't find the exact article now) that talked about the difference between a job, a career, and a calling. I found it rather intriguing.
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It might be unrealistic of employers to expect that they can regularly find workers who love their jobs, if persons in the work force cannot pursue their passions from entry level to retirement. Yet, the expectation might actually be realistic, given the demands for more formal education from applicants than in previous years; perhaps that increased formal education and a general fostering for the desire to learn could encourage applicants to enjoy a variety of career paths. (I can say in my personal life that I did not enjoy being a retail manager with my B.A. in Psychology, however.)
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I feel like this is so common within the teaching feild (especially in the Pittsburgh area). I have so many friends who graduated college with and before myself who are having the hardest time finding a teaching job in the area. I also have friends who have given up completely and have either returned back to school for a completely different field or are doing something completely unrelated. I think the worst part is the time, money, and effort put into get a degree that isn't even being used to its full potential. However, if the person loves what they're doing, then it can be a good thing for them that they found something they are passionate about.
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Agreed on the cultivation of a new passion, though it doesn't always work out. Providing an obstacle between a person and their desired field, makes one question their original intent, and can often result in something previously unknown, yet equally satisfying.
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People will hold an average of 11 jobs over their lifetime. As a librarian I am in a different field from my undergraduate degree. Society needs change and workers need to change with it.
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It is an ever changing world with regards to technology. Staying current can be as easy as downloading a daily news feed.
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I feel the need to raise my hand to this question and answer "Web 2.0! Blogs! Wikis! News feeds from experts! Social networking; communicating with peers!".
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I like this question. How current is current do we want to monitor all the changes as they occur knowing that in a few months this knowledge will be obsolete whether we use it or not. Or do we stay current by taking a snapshot of what is current when we are required to be current
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As CJ noted, there are a variety of ways to stay current! It's even as easy as searching google to find the most recent information that comes up!
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Half of what is known today was not known 10 years ago. The amount of knowledge in the world has doubled in the past 10 years and is doubling every 18 months according to the American Society of Training and Documentation (ASTD).
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This is a mind-numbing statistic. It's almost impossible for me to wrap my head around this number. That is a lot of knowledge that my parents and my past and current teachers did not know when going through school.
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I agree that this statistic is amazing. I also wonder what the "half-life" rate since this stat was published. There is certainly a fair amount of information I will learn (and have learn) that will be obsolete.
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Imagine having an individual resource for each question you have. When I was young we had a set of encyclopedias but there were alot of questions I left go because I didn't have them by my side constantly.
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Agreed, this surely must have changed since 2004. Also, this is documented knowledge, and that which can be accounted for. This kind of makes me want to get a clearer depiction of what knowledge is given weight in such a claim.
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I too was curious about an updated statistic but was unable to find anything concrete with google. I did find an interesting artcle and corresponding TEDx talk. http://www.insidehighered.com/blogs/stratedgy/what%E2%80%99s-%E2%80%9Chalf-life-knowledge#sthash.Wsl4FJs4.dpbs
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Technology is altering (rewiring) our brains. The tools we use define and shape our thinking.
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This is a neat, yet scary idea. I immediately took it in the literal sense, that technology is literally rewiring us (or brainwashing/controlling us). I know this is not the case, but our society and technology is not far away from people being able to "hijack" another person and control them via nanotechnoloy or tiny, microscopic swalloable bluetooth pills. But anyways, back to the article - this is very true. It is allowing us to become highly efficient multi-taskers that are able to complete more work in a shorter amount of time.
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I notice younger students multi-tasking using various media devices. They are able to do this because their brains have been 'wired' and 're-wired' to do so.
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that is, we need to act by drawing information outside of our primary knowledge.
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I think the internet has made this extremely easy today, especially Google. I recently just watched the Apple keynote streamed live from the WWDC 2014 conference on Monday (June 2nd). Their new opearting system is expaning on their search functionality. Now on a Mac computer a user will be able to simply click the maginifying glass on the desktop and type in what you want to fine. This will then search the computer for stored files or software AND it will also now search the inernet via Bing and provide "smart" search options.
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“Experience has long been considered the best teacher of knowledge. Since we cannot experience everything, other people’s experiences, and hence other people, become the surrogate for knowledge.
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This is an interesting idea and it reminds me of the Reddit (www.reddit.com) community. I am actively engaged in many subreddits and there is a subreddit for just about everything you could possibly want. And being able to freely navigate and comment on any subreddit allows you to tap into other people's experiences and knowledge in fields in which you may not know anything about.
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I always wanted to explore Reddit, but just never took the time to sit down and try it out (you may have inspired me). I like how this emphasizes the unique importance of others, and implies a sort of short-cut with the corresponding quote. By calling upon the experience of others in a time of need, you can leverage experience as living database. Each person representing specific sections of a cloud server which can be accessed on demand - thus saving time, and viewing perspectives of those who are embedded within communities of practice.
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“be informationally open, that is, for it to be able to classify its own interaction with an environment, it must be able to change its structure…”
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serendipity
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I love serendipity so much that it may be my favorite word. And from reading that word, it made a "weak tie" in my brain to an article I read a while back on LinkedIn. Here it is if anyone is intereted in the "notion that you could intentionally design your life to encounter surprises." https://www.linkedin.com/today/post/article/20140430125746-10842349-why-you-should-plan-for-serendipity?midToken=AQFCebI-qgsCUg&fromEmail=fromEmail&trk=eml-ced-b-art-M-3-7959820741678275557&ut=3eQ04cw4gPNmc1
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New information is continually being acquired. The ability to draw distinctions between important and unimportant information is vital.
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This is extremely important in today's culture, especially for the young person. I am 23, and I occasionally find myself with information overload from my facebook and twitter timeline. It is insane how much information is continually being pushed out from people on an hourly basis.
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Totally agree on the information overload aspect of today's culture, but even more important in my opinion is the ability to quickly determine important/valid versus unimportant/unreliable information this quickly changing world.
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The pipe is more important than the content within the pipe.
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I love this sentence. It really puts into perspective education and learning. Yes, the content (oil) is important, but without the ability to learn (the pipe), we will never get the oil. This reminds me of a quote I read the other day from Bob Goff. He said, "Spend a lot more time picking hte track you'll take than the train you'll ride to get there."
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#Limitless I feel this also applies to the possibilities that technology provides. Great quote by the way!
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Every time I have interviewed for a job in software engineering, I have been asked questions about how I keep up with changing software development approaches and continue to learn new programming languages, databasing concepts/techniques, and other relevant skills. Copious amounts of informal learning truly is a must, in the world of software programming!
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Driscoll (2000) defines learning as “a persisting change in human performance or performance potential…[which] must come about as a result of the learner’s experience and interaction with the world” (p.11).
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Content of knowledge – Is knowledge actually knowable? Is it directly knowable through human experience?
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Observable behaviour is more important than understanding internal activities Behaviour should be focused on simple elements: specific stimuli and responses Learning is about behaviour change
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Cindy Buell details this process: “In cognitive theories, knowledge is viewed as symbolic mental constructs in the learner's mind, and the learning process is the means by which these symbolic representations are committed to memory.”
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chaos states that the meaning exists – the learner's challenge is to recognize the patterns which appear to be hidden
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Luis Mateus Rocha (1998) defines self-organization as the “spontaneous formation of well organized structures, patterns, or behaviors, from random initial conditions.” (p.3).
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Albert-László Barabási states that “nodes always compete for connections because links represent survival in an interconnected world” (2002, p.106). This competition is largely dulled within a personal learning network, but the placing of value on certain nodes over others is a reality.
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Connectivism is the integration of principles explored by chaos, network, and complexity and self-organization theories.
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Landauer and Dumais (1997) explore the phenomenon that “people have much more knowledge than appears to be present in the information to which they have been exposed”.
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This amplification of learning, knowledge and understanding through the extension of a personal network is the epitome of connectivism.
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Mainstream media organizations are being challenged by the open, real-time, two-way information flow of blogging.
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And hopefully, we are not sacrificing too many truths in the name of appeasement.
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Paid subscriptions will eventually go the way of the dinosaur. In hindsight, the thought of objectivity from a few providers is scary. The open source nature of media put the power in the hands of the people, and their interaction allows consumers a method of control over media hubs that may not be honest about allegiance to specific policies and special interest groups.
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For as much as news networks have turned into a 24/7 reality -- it is even more clear that anyone with access to technology can report on current events as they happen. There is no waiting for the 5 o'clock news anymore to tell you what occured on the other side of the world. Users on twitter are tweeting or journalists are streaming from the location as the events unfold.
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If the underlying conditions used to make decisions change, the decision itself is no longer as correct as it was at the time it was made. The ability to recognize and adjust to pattern shifts is a key learning task
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Classrooms which emulate the “fuzziness” of this learning will be more effective in preparing learners for life-long learning.
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The ability to recognize when new information alters the landscape based on decisions made yesterday is also critical.
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The management and marshalling of resources to achieve desired outcomes is a significant challenge. Realizing that complete knowledge cannot exist in the mind of one person requires a different approach to creating an overview of the situation.
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This seems to be a significant aspect of the Connectivist learning theory. And it feels like an evolution of the social-constructive model: instead of social influences, Connectivism emphasizes organizational influences, like businesses and schools.
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Agreed. They seem to "steer the ship", relying on smaller units to function independently as a whole. These smaller entities are then responsible for identifying issues, and suggesting new methods that increase and improve efficiency - creating an interdependent relationship between both parties.
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Within social networks, hubs are well-connected people who are able to foster and maintain knowledge flow.
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What adjustments need to made with learning theories when technology performs many of the cognitive operations previously performed by learners (information storage and retrieval).
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o combat the shrinking half-life of knowledge, organizations have been forced to develop new methods of deploying instruction.”
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The organization and the individual are both learning organisms. Increased attention to knowledge management highlights the need for a theory that attempts to explain the link between individual and organizational learning.
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The organization and the individual are both learning organisms. Increased attention to knowledge management highlights the need for a theory that attempts to explain the link between individual and organizational learning.
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he organization and the individual are both learning organisms. Increased attention to knowledge management highlights the need for a theory that attempts to explain the link between individual and organizational learning.
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The organization and the individual are both learning organisms. Increased attention to knowledge management highlights the need for a theory that attempts to explain the link between individual and organizational learning.
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Chaos is the breakdown of predictability, evidenced in complicated arrangements that initially defy order.
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instead of thousands of ants crossing each other’s pheromone trails and changing their behavior accordingly, thousands of humans pass each other on the sidewalk and change their behavior accordingly.”
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The capacity to form connections between sources of information, and thereby create useful information patterns, is required to learn in our knowledge economy.
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Our small world networks are generally populated with people whose interests and knowledge are similar to ours
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Vaill emphasizes that “learning must be a way of being – an ongoing set of attitudes and actions by individuals and groups that they employ to try to keep abreast o the surprising, novel, messy, obtrusive, recurring events…” (1996, p.42).
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At some point, however, the underlying conditions have altered so significantly, that further modification is no longer sensible. An entirely new approach is needed.
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How are learning theories impacted when knowledge is no longer acquired in the linear manner?
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The consistency of classroom-based learning provided a traditional sender/receiver model, for theories to thrive, based on observed behavior among student populations. Now, there is a move toward the individual, and their impact on the world around them, as the boundaries are blurred. This forces theorists to adapt to the non-linear approach by establishing multiple approaches that converge to suit an individual - as opposed to a larger population.
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Chaos is the breakdown of predictability, evidenced in complicated arrangements that initially defy order.
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Jurassic Park fans anybody? This reminds me of Dr. Ian Malcolm, and his description of chaos theory https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5cVLUPwrSmU.
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Connections between disparate ideas and fields can create new innovations.
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Learning may reside in non-human appliances.
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This gives non-human subjects the ability to derive meaning through actor network theory (ANT): http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Actor%E2%80%93network_theory
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Currency (accurate, up-to-date knowledge) is the intent of all connectivist learning activities.
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Knowledge that resides in a database needs to be connected with the right people in the right context in order to be classified as learning.
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John Seely Brown presents an interesting notion that the internet leverages the small efforts of many with the large efforts of few.
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The “half-life of knowledge” is the time span from when knowledge is gained to when it becomes obsolete
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I was able to put this into the context of personal entertainment devices. VCRs are a thing of the past, walkmans, boomboxes, and cd-players too. Show a child a floppy disk and they won't know what it is or how to use it. All of these items have no value in our society.
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Very true! However, when I threw away the VHS tape collection of videos from my library, many people were upset! When I asked if they would like to take them home, the answer was "what am I doing to do with them?" haha
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(the “black box theory”).
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I like the imagery that is created from 'the black box theory.' People are essentially a black box of knowledge, until the box is opened and that knowledge is transferred to another. Media often reports on the FCC needing to locate the black box in order to find out cause of airplane accidents from the data that was collected.
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Learning theories are concerned with the actual process of learning, not with the value of what is being learned.
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I have always been intrigued with the process of learning for myself and others. Why are some people able to instantly grasp concepts and others have to struggle with the material. A person with dyslexia will need to be taught how to learn in a manner different than a person without reading disorders. The brain is magical thing isn't it?
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Learners as little as forty years ago would complete the required schooling and enter a career that would often last a lifetime.
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learners create knowledge as they attempt to understand their experiences
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Personal knowledge is comprised of a network, which feeds into organizations and institutions, which in turn feed back into the network, and then continue to provide learning to individual. This cycle of knowledge development (personal to network to organization) allows learners to remain current in their field through the connections they have formed.
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As knowledge continues to grow and evolve, access to what is needed is more important than what the learner currently possesses.