Group+C+6-A-1

=Home > Group C Workspace > Learning Activity 6-A-1=

= **CONNECTIVISM** = = = = = =Overview=

In simplest terms, a learning theory attempts to describe the process of how a person learns. Research has led to three major categories of learning theories: behaviorism, cognitivism, and constructivism. Behaviorism states that all behaviors are systematic, observable and result from interaction with the environment. Cognitivism focuses on the mental processes of learning, specifically how information is acquired, processed, and stored. Constructivism describes how learners construct knowledge based on their experiences by accommodation and assimilation. Recently, connectivism has challenged that behaviorism, cognitivism, and constructivism are limited in the sense that they do not take into consideration the impact that technology has on how people live, communicate, and learn.

Image Source: []

=Is connectivism a learning theory?=

Connectivism uses terminology that is “too generalized to guide new practice at the level of how learning actually happens” (Kerr, 2006). Accepted theories already exist concerning how people acquire knowledge and act upon it. Connectivism uses the concepts of those existing theories and provides a framework of what a person learns and how they use it. It has also been argued that empirical data has not been collected to affirm connectivism as a learning theory (Wiley, 2010).

Connectivism is not as concerned with the “how” of learning, but “what” the learner does with knowledge that is gained through the use of networks. The idea that learning is a social, collaborative activity has already been defined through the constructivist approach (Atherton, 2010). Connectivism simply provides an educator with information on how to facilitate students’ learning in an era where information is so readily available and changing (Tracey, 2009). It is a pedagogical view that correlates with a branch of constructivism called social constructivism.

Looking at these differing aspects of the three prominent learning theories in education, behaviorism, cognitivism, and construstivism, we compare connectivism to them to see if it fits as a learning theory as well.

[] " In [|psychology] and [|education], **learning** is commonly defined as a process that brings together cognitive, emotional, and environmental influences and experiences for acquiring, enhancing, or making changes in one's knowledge, skills, values, and world views (Illeris, 2000; Ormorod, 1995)" accessed from wikipedia. I think connectivism definitely describes a process rather than a methodology or pedagogy that facilitates another learning theory.
 * ** Property ** || ** Behaviourism ** || ** Cognitivism ** || ** Constructivism ** || ** Connectivism ** ||
 * How does learning occur? || Black box—observable behaviour main focus || Structured, computational || Social, meaning created by each learner (personal) || Distributed within a network, social, technologically enhanced, recognizing and interpreting patterns ||
 * Influencing factors || Nature of reward, punishment, stimuli || Existing schema, previous experiences || Engagement, participation, social, cultural || Diversity of network ||
 * What is the role of memory? || Memory is the hardwiring of repeated experiences—where reward and punishment are most influential || Encoding, storage, retrieval || Prior knowledge remixed to current context || Adaptive patterns, representative of current state, existing in networks ||
 * How does transfer occur? || Stimulus, response || Duplicating knowledge constructs of “knower” || Socialization || Connecting to (adding) nodes ||
 * Types of learning best explained || Task-based learning || Reasoning, clear objectives, problem solving || Social, vague (“ill defined”) || Complex learning, rapid changing core, diverse knowledge sources ||

Connectivism believes that knowledge is not static in position, yet a combination of information from a variety of sources all focused on the same topic, and who provide feedback to each other about the given topic. Absolute knowledge cannot be found from one source, but must be drawn from multiple and continuously updated as new information is obtained.

Many times we must take action, complete a task, without learning anything new. Instead we must have the ability to put together information from other sources. The ability to recognize patterns and the importance of information is an acquired and every changing skills that is essential to the learner in the technological age. This ability is a combination of behaviorism, cognitivism and constructivism which is what allows it to be a learning theory and applicable to our teaching practice and students.

=Is connectivism relevant to your teaching practice? If so, how?=

The fundamental purpose of teaching is to deconstruct information and present it to students in a way that they can understand so that they can construct new knowledge and make connections. Connectivism provides a methodology for constructing new knowledge through the building of networks.

Connectivism is very relevant in our classroom, this is the area of technology and connections. Connections to the world can improve student learning, exposure and interest. It does not matter how information is presented, as long as it is helping students develop an interest in the material. There is a great example shown through a slide show that shows how learning may occur through connectivism. A young man goes through a series of steps, each one //connecting// him to the next step, and as he goes through he is absorbing more knowledge about the topic. This could be seen as a separate learning theory, or a combination of all 3 main theories. He begins with cognitive learning, reading and visiting sites. Through this he also joins social network sites, sharing and learning from others, which is a form of constructivism. As he is creating a personal meaning of the information through social and cultural engagement. Then he applies the knowledge on the car and restores it, providing a reward and an observable improvement in the car; it is task - based learning and an example of behaviorism. If this is what is meant by connectivism, then the relevance is obvious; it addresses multiple learning styles in one lesson every time. Whether you agree with us that this is a learning theory or not, it is a great tool of instruction, or use of pedagogy. In fact as students progress in their learning it becomes more applicable in the classroom as students are already exposed to technology. You are able to spend more time creating connections than teaching the tools.

Students do need to feel comfortable making social connections, not only through technology but also face to face. These are important aspects of learning, but we cannot forgot the core of learning: content. Creating and understanding connections is a wonderful experience, and can help students learn to network, gaining them a foot up in the job market. However, at the end of the day, it is content knowledge, mastery of a topic, that is the most important.

Access to information has never been easier in known history. This is a great benefit to society as long as it can be navigated. Without proper tools or means to find useful information in a reasonable amount of time, massive amounts of stored information are useless. The connections to the massive amounts of modern storage are what makes it useful and helps advance the knowledge in society. As teachers, we need to not only teach our content but also teach students how to access information. Years ago, accessing information for research was one of the hardest parts of the process. Today, filtering out irrelevant returns is arguably the hardest part. This is where Connectivism can really shine. Due to the individual connections that establish a diverse network, it is very possible to quickly connect to relevant content. The use of Web 2.0 can assist in this filtering process. It is now possible for students to almost instantly make connections to thousands of of content resources that can return content filtered to the specifications of the requester. This is profoundly more connected, interactive, useful, and relevant than a simple Google search.

=WHERE DO YOU FIT IN WITH CONNECTIVISM?=

Once the relevance of Connectivism is understood or accepted, a natural question may be, "Great, but where do I fit in?" Where do identify your presence or contribution in the diagram below? If you can identify your relationship to this diagram, Connectivism may be more relevant to you. Perhaps you can be an expansion node in your environment and sphere of influence to help others become nodes and extend knowledge.

The relevance of all theories is subject to multiple interpretations within the affected field. Education does not occur in a bubble. Some of educators’ greatest teachers are their colleagues and students. The key components of Connectivism are enabled by the modern technologies that enable unique networks and communities. A common complaint by some educators, parents, and industry is the slow rate of change and adaptation of curricula in education. A very compelling portion of Connectivism that should be addressed by technology teachers is establishing new nodes of the connectivist network in our environments in order to enable new understanding and knowledge. Perhaps a more difficult question would be, "Where don't you fit in?" In education, we are always networking. Part of the networking process is creating new channels and connections if none exist to serve our needs or desires. Although the methods of Connectivism function most obviously via computerized technologies, they certainly are nor limited to tech savvy persons. The extensive use of technocentric tools may be limited to certain departments within schools based more on stereotype than reality. If this is occurring in your local network (colleagues), make a point to generate new connections and demonstrate relevance to all potential participants.

media type="custom" key="6527827" In education, we are often trying to assist our students to “take ownership” of the course content. Taking ownership of new content is only the beginning of the new knowledge process. New content becomes compounded knowledge when it is distributed through a network and each node can add, interpret, revise, reconnect, and share. For knowledge to be usable, it needs to be simplified, reorganized, and reconstructed in your own terms (Downes). The mere memorization of information does not construct new knowledge. Because of our access to and understanding of basic networking concepts, structures, and tools, the networking, revising, and sharing aspects of Connectivism become highly relevant to technology teachers by default. See this function in action in the video: The Networked Student. media type="youtube" key="XwM4ieFOotA" height="385" width="480" So, where do you fit in? Well, any where you wish. Once a topic of study or interest is established, one simply needs to start connecting their node with relevant others. Anyone that is participating in Web 2.0 tools is taking part in Connectivism. Interestingly, the individual efforts are what creates the emensely diverse nature of Connectivism. A disregard for formal, constricted, expert institutions allows the uninhibited mass of connections that creates a diverse aggregate of individuals that broadcast, obtain, edit, share, and form knowledge.

= = = = =Are there parts of the theory which you find confusing?= Siemens' states that the "pipes" are more important than the content. Is it not important to understand the content so that additional connections can be made? Why is the way a person learns the content more important than the content itself? How does the "pipe" (rather than the content) help the learner make connections?

Siemens talks about learning residing in nonhuman appliances. Does this not refer to information storage rather than learning?

Also, one of the main points about connectivism is that it applies to learners in the digital age through the use of technology to make connections in learning. How does this apply to the digital divide? There are still many learners living in rural areas and in desolate areas that do not have access to the technology that many of us enjoy. (This blog touches on this topic.)

Many take issue with Connectivism's dependence on technology. In order to place proper criticism on this point, one needs to understand the difference between technology and the artifacts of technology. Computers and Internet networks are the artifacts of our modern technologies. They enable not only new means of storing content, such as books did starting a few hundred years ago, but new means of sharing and creating knowledge. In this manner, technology throughout history not only becomes an enabler, but part of the actual knowledge network. Connectivism is a systems model. Individual parts of a system are not enablers to the rest of the system; they are core components that are necessary and create the whole which can function. In this manner, networks and technology are not just enablers of knowledge. The relationship of Connectivism with some aspects of Constructivism can be confusing.

=Conclusion= Regardless of whether connectivism is a theory or not, it does provide educators with a framework of how students in today’s digital age construct knowledge. It takes into consideration the social networks that are so readily accessible and intriguing to the majority of today’s learners and explains how the learner is using those social connections to educate themselves. The learner is building 21st century skills by constructing knowledge from the information received through these connections. The learner is still responsible for their own learning.

Learning through networks has always occurred. We passed along knowledge through song and story, carved it in stone, painted it on walls, created tools, and developed writing and books. All of those technologies had individuals connecting with other individuals to building a knowledge network. It was a very slow means of sharing and the outreach was not readily viewable. TEchnology grows exponentially, but it has to expand from something. Connectivism may be embofied by modern technology; however, the network of knowledge is not new. Rather, it now visible and highly useful at amazing speeds. The beauty and fragrance of a flower blossoms quickly compared to the establishment of its foundation of roots, stem, and leaves. Likewise, the modern day knowledge network should not be viewed without acknowledgement of the slow development that produced its exponential blossom in the twentieth century and beyond.

=Sources:= Atherton, J. S. (2010, February 10). Learning and teaching; constructivism in learning. Retrieved July 8, 2010, from http://www.learningandteaching.info/learning/constructivism.htm

Wiley, D. (2010, April 20). Thinking out loud about connectivism. Retrieved July 10, 2010, from http://opencontent.org/blog/archives/1408

"Connectivism." //Wikipedia//. [] Retrieved 07 July 2010

Davis, Clarissa; Edmunds, Earl; Kelly-Bateman, Vivian  sm**;** "Connectivism." [] Retrieved 09 July 2010

Downes, Stephen. "Connectivist Learning and Teaching." http://www.slideshare.net/Downes/connectivist-learning-and-teaching Retrieved 10 July 2010.

[|Downes, Stephen]. [|"What Connectivism Is"]. []. Retrieved 07 July 2010

Downes, Stephen. "Places to Go: Connectivism & Connective Knowledge." http://innovateonline.info/pdf/vol5_issue1/Places_to_Go-__Connectivism_&_Connective_Knowledge.pdf. Retrieved 10 July 2010.  Kerr, B. (2006, December 26). A challenge to connectivism. Retrieved July 8, 2010, from http://billkerr2.blogspot.com/2006/12/challenge-to-connectivism.html

Siemens, George. "Connectivism: A Learning Theory for the Digital Age." 12 December 2004. []Retreived 09 July 2010.

Tracey, R. (2009, March 17). Learning in the corporate sector. Retrieved July 8, 2010, from http://ryan2point0.wordpress.com/2009/03/17/instructivism-constructivism-or-connectivism/