I'm A Network, You're a Network, He's a Network Too... CCK08
I have finally wrapped my head around the concept of
connectivism and how I use it pretty much everyday in my professional
and private life to ensure that my knowledge continues to expand in the
areas I am interested in, while at the same time being exposed to new
ideas and disciplines.
Regardless of my new insight at heart I am a pessimist (about everything), and why would that change now. I know I have just admitted to thinking that this concept has value and I personally use it on a regular basis but still I have concerns, especially after this week reading and thinking about the concepts of knowledge.
To begin the discussion please watch the following video:
I am sure that just like when I showed a portion of Monty Python's Search for the Holy Grail to explain the Scientific Method to my Grade 7 class I am getting many confused looks, and a few knowing nods...
What have we learned so far in this class for Connectivism to function is:
Here in lies my concern of connectivism, now including knowledge. As I have mentioned elsewhere I am deeply concerned about any learning theory that relies heavily on a human factor to dispense pearls of wisdom as they see fit. To understand what I mean just quickly review world history, and if still unconvinced this courses own moodle to receive a quick sample of what I mean. So I must ask "Is humanity ready for open knowledge, for share and share alike, or are we still to competitive and trivial and have that small tendency to stomp when we see weakness?"
I know for most of you reading this blog you would say never, no not me. Well be honest with your self, you either have done it aggressively or passive-aggressively, or you aren't human. Now that we have discussed this let's go back to the start:
IMAGINE THE ABOVE VIDEO REPRESENTS YOUR NETWORK...
The intentional misrepresentation of knowledge at someone else's expense happens all the time... Remember it is a network mostly based on humans, with emotions, feelings, passions, you get the idea. These networks have throughout this course been compared to ecosystems and within my own mind a garden. Where entities grow, expand, change, add to the environment, and interact with other entities. But real ecosystems have rot, decay, death, predation, just like in any garden, but it seems these concepts have been glossed over or forgotten. So what can be done to minimize the harmful areas of this form of learning...
For example, on the moodle forum for CCK08 a thread has been started to discuss the creation of Laws of Knowledge. I feel this is an excellent opportunity to discuss knowledge in its many forms and what methods can be employed to ensure validity of knowledge. What is now needed is a similar approach for networks. A manual for the creation and maintenance of knowledge networks to ensure your network is running within optimal ranges, and if not how to cut away the dead wood.
Who's with me?
The video below is a throwback to yesteryear, and helps explain the title of this blog...
Regardless of my new insight at heart I am a pessimist (about everything), and why would that change now. I know I have just admitted to thinking that this concept has value and I personally use it on a regular basis but still I have concerns, especially after this week reading and thinking about the concepts of knowledge.
To begin the discussion please watch the following video:
I am sure that just like when I showed a portion of Monty Python's Search for the Holy Grail to explain the Scientific Method to my Grade 7 class I am getting many confused looks, and a few knowing nods...
What have we learned so far in this class for Connectivism to function is:
- Networks need to be
present, which are influenced by:
- Density
- Speed
- Flow
- Plasticity
- Degree of
Connectedness
- These networks are composed of individual entities (nodes)
- The nodes need to be diverse, have autonomy and some form of interactivity (signal) needs to be present
- The signal between the nodes is an exchange of (for lack of a better word) information/knowledge
Here in lies my concern of connectivism, now including knowledge. As I have mentioned elsewhere I am deeply concerned about any learning theory that relies heavily on a human factor to dispense pearls of wisdom as they see fit. To understand what I mean just quickly review world history, and if still unconvinced this courses own moodle to receive a quick sample of what I mean. So I must ask "Is humanity ready for open knowledge, for share and share alike, or are we still to competitive and trivial and have that small tendency to stomp when we see weakness?"
I know for most of you reading this blog you would say never, no not me. Well be honest with your self, you either have done it aggressively or passive-aggressively, or you aren't human. Now that we have discussed this let's go back to the start:
IMAGINE THE ABOVE VIDEO REPRESENTS YOUR NETWORK...
The intentional misrepresentation of knowledge at someone else's expense happens all the time... Remember it is a network mostly based on humans, with emotions, feelings, passions, you get the idea. These networks have throughout this course been compared to ecosystems and within my own mind a garden. Where entities grow, expand, change, add to the environment, and interact with other entities. But real ecosystems have rot, decay, death, predation, just like in any garden, but it seems these concepts have been glossed over or forgotten. So what can be done to minimize the harmful areas of this form of learning...
For example, on the moodle forum for CCK08 a thread has been started to discuss the creation of Laws of Knowledge. I feel this is an excellent opportunity to discuss knowledge in its many forms and what methods can be employed to ensure validity of knowledge. What is now needed is a similar approach for networks. A manual for the creation and maintenance of knowledge networks to ensure your network is running within optimal ranges, and if not how to cut away the dead wood.
Who's with me?
The video below is a throwback to yesteryear, and helps explain the title of this blog...