CCK08 Week 1 Paper - Version 2.0 (Final Draft)
Connectivism - More Than a Pipe
If Connectivism is a learning theory, then by no means is it a traditional one, such as Behaviorism, Cognitivism, or even Constructivism. It has been proposed that Connectivism is "a learning theory for the digital age." An age that is seeing the half-life of knowledge continually decrease to the point that a single expert is unable to be fully cognizant of all the innovations occurring within their niche of study. In order to deal with this sudden deluge of data in both our online and offline environments, one will need to start relying on solutions outside of the traditional avenues of exploration. New techniques and strategies will have to be utilized to find answers to our present and future learning needs. I believe that Connectivism is one of these solutions.
Throughout history many of our major cultural facets (religion, movies, music) have splintered to meet our ever changing societies diverging needs and wants. Even though these offshoots have close ties with their originators they skillfully connect new trains of thought with creative flair to produce amazing results. Why then should learning and subsequently education be any different from our other cultural artifacts? Therefore the question on the originality of Connectivism has already been answered, George Siemens himself feels that "learning theories are somewhat interdependent, much like a quilt." If Connectivism is not an entirely new theory of learning, then is it asking us to look at the acquisition and formation of knowledge in new ways? Yes. Connectivism states that knowledge is "formed from our actions and experiences" "distributed across our networks" by "linking people, places and information" while filtering these through our own context to form patterns. This means that
"knowledge is now stored in our friends", both online and offline, including nonliving devices; as seen in our unique shopping experiences. This new aspect of knowledge will not eliminate its current definition, but increase its meaning to include the ever expanding nature of our experiences in a growing online environment.
Even with this new opportunity to fully engage in learning, Connectivism, like its predecessors, has weaknesses; not in concept but in application. To some, a learning network can be overly distracting. These distractions can occur externally with "participants who are not in attendance to learn, but rather to influence", or internally when "learners lose focus because of the chatter". These issues are unfortunate and seem to take away from the learning experience, until one realizes that this is learning according to Connectivism. When one learns to navigate "the confusion and chaos" and concentrate on the task at hand, the strength of Connectivism becomes apparent, especially when "our little boxes transform into highly permeable, linked, multiple networks" capable of "dealing with the fluidity of knowledge." This has become increasingly important in the field of education where the task of the teacher has shifted from knowledge expert to knowledge facilitator. Personally, Connectivism is used on a regular basis in my offline (within my school) and online (Twitter, Facebook) Personal Learning Networks, but how can I use this learning theory in my classroom? How do we guide students "to construct and traverse networks" and "form connections" for learning. The current system is horribly outdated, students are being prepared for their future using antiquated methods, and a complete overhaul of the system would be disastrous. For educational success new techniques will have to be added piece by piece to slowly change the methods of instruction and assessment. At K-12, more guidance would be required, introductory online collaborative projects between classmates, classrooms, and schools could be initiated to provide students the building blocks of proper network development. As the students continue with their education, and receive more challenging subject material, more network based learning could be introduced to prepare them for the future that lies ahead.
Even though the box has been opened, there still remains many unanswered questions regarding the overall theory of Connectivism and its potential applications within society. The foundation of Connectivism relies on the social network between human beings, people that are "known to have mob/group mentality", personal bias' (which will filter and modify the data in unexpected ways), as well as constantly adjusting emotions. With this understanding of human nature, one must ask, "How much influence do these basic human traits have on a learning network?", as well as "How can we judge our knowledge gained through these networks as valid?", as recently as October 3rd these very concerns were exploited and discussed. This then leads to other fundamental questions regarding networks, such as "How does one know their networks are effective?", "Is there a critical mass needed to make a network valid and/or effective?", and "How does one ensure the diversity of their network, hoping to avoid the silo affect?." Answers to these questions are not apparent at this time, however as the course proceeds and networks continually expand, knowledge may be uprooted within the various nodes to deal with these concerns.
Posted by Tom Whyte
