Connectivism: the network metaphor of learning - 2 views
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Siemens (2005a) suggests learning that can reside outside the individual learner, is focused on connecting specialised information sets and the connections that enable us to learn more than our current state of knowing. According to Siemens, the main intent of network creation is to enable learners to continue to stay current in the face of rapidly developing knowledge. Siemens (2005a, 2006a) points out that the half-life of knowledge is shrinking. The half-life of knowledge is the time span from when knowledge is gained to when it becomes obsolete (Gonzalez, 2004). Siemens (2006a) writes: “In today’s world, knowledge life is short; it survives only a short period of time before it is outdated”
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Connectivism is also the assertion that “the pipe is more important than the content within the pipe” (Siemens, 2005a). That is, the connections that enable us to learn more are more important than our current state of knowing. As Siemens (2006a) puts it: “Our ability to learn what we need for tomorrow is more important than what we know today.
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3 The LaaN perspective In this section, we will present our own conceptual viewpoint on connectivism by discussing the learning as a network(LaaN) perspective, which represents a knowledge ecological approach to learning. The LaaN view is built upon four premises: •knowledge and learning are two sides of the same coin •knowledge and learning are fundamentally personal and social in nature •knowledge is in the network, or even more knowledge is the network •learning is a matter of knowledge networking within knowledge ecologies.
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