1. Cognition Culture and Learning Project:
Personal Learning Networks and
Connectivism
James K. Greer
EDUC 8401

2. Cognition, Culture and Learning Project:
Personal Learning Networks and Connectivism
Project Goal
Social
Media
Blogs
Data
Bases
Books &
Articles
Briefs &
Reports
Papers
Discourse
Observation
Games
Videos
On-line
Sites
RSS
Feeds
From institution-centric, one-size-fits-all constructivism to
Student-centric personal learning networks employing connectivism

3. Army units are faced with a myriad of complex problems:
Apply cognition and culture to improve learning and problem solving
For the benefit of society
Combatting
Terrorism
Humanitarian
Disasters
Challenging
Operational
Environments
Declining
Resources
Cognition, Culture and Learning Project:
Personal Learning Networks and Connectivism
Project Purpose

4. Identify the contributions of these four topics to learners
employing personal learning networks with a connectivist approach
Cognition, Culture and Learning Project:
21st Century Competencies – Thinking Skills
Thinking Skills
 Cognitive Science
 Educational Neuroscience
 Learning Theories
 Constructivism
 Connectivism
 Culture

5. Cognitive science emphasizes brain, mind and external connections
And both individual and collaborative learning
Cognition, Culture and Learning Project:
21st Century Competencies – Thinking Skills
Cognitive Science
 As cognitive load increases collaborative learning better than individual
 Groups as collaborative processing systems of individual memories
 Brain always searching for meaning through making connections
 Self-regulation and self-efficacy critical to learning
 Conceptual change theory – Learning changes perceptions

6. Educational Neuroscience presents both opportunities and challenges
To improving educational approaches
Cognition, Culture and Learning Project:
21st Century Competencies – Thinking Skills
Educational Neuroscience
 Learning styles affect the impact of hypermedia on learning
 Mirror neurons affect learning new tasks; expert-novice approach
 Simply applying biological neuroscience is not enough;
cultural learning and context must be accounted for
 potential for developing instructional theories based on neuroscience

7. Connectivism and constructionism enable student-centered
Learning employing personal learning networks and technologies
Cognition, Culture and Learning Project:
21st Century Competencies – Thinking Skills
Learning Theories
 Link social-constructivist, network and learning theories
 Metaliteracy and transliteracy inform connectivism
 Connectivism basis for learning in digital (virtual) spaces
 Student-centered interactivity; but still key role for instructor/facilitator
 Connectivism initially informal; gradually becoming formal

8. An effective collaborative learning culture can shape
And improve both individual and organizational learning
Cognition, Culture and Learning Project:
21st Century Competencies – Thinking Skills
Culture
 Education discipline must adapt to emerging virtual culture
 Virtual learning communities assist overcoming
Vygotsky’s Zone of Proximal Development
 Organic structures, communications and shared responsibility
promote organizational learning cultures
 Advantage of collaborative learning culture over transactional
education in universities

9. An effective collaborative learning culture can shape
And improve both individual and organizational learning
Cognition, Culture and Learning Project:
21st Century Competencies – Thinking Skills
Themes Recurring across All Four Topics
 Individual nature of learning; including self-regulation and
self-efficacy, both critical to personal learning networks
 Collaborative learning through connections to other learners is
a 21st Century competency and promotes connectivism
 In personal learning networks and connectivism there remains
a critical role for the teacher and expert in the discipline
 Understanding cognitive and educational neuroscience can improve
instructional design

10. Cognition, Culture and Learning Project:
21st Century Competencies – Thinking Skills
References – Cognitive Science
Kirschner, F., Paas, F. and Kirschner, P. (2009). A cognitive load approach to
collaborative learning: united brains for complex tasks. Educational
Psychology Review. 21, 31-42.
Kruse, G. (1998). Cognitive science and its implications for education. National
association of Secondary school Principals. NASSP Bulletin. 82, 73-79.
Schunk, D. (1998). An educational psychologist’s perspective on cognitive
neuroscience. Educational Psychology Review. 10(4), 411-417.
Zembylas, M. (2005). Three perspectives on linking the cognitive and the
emotional in science learning: Conceptual change, soci0-
constructivism and poststructuralism. Studies in Science Education.
41(1/2), 91-116.

11. Cognition, Culture and Learning Project:
21st Century Competencies – Thinking Skills
References – Educational Neuroscience
Chen, S. and Macredie, R. (2002). Cognitive styles and hypermedia navigation:
development of a learning model. Journal of the American Society for
Information Science and Technology. 53(1), 3-15.
Collins, J. (2007). The neuroscience of learning. Journal of Neuroscience
Nursing. 39(5), 305-310.
Schumacher, R. (2007). The brain is not enough: potentials and limits in
integrating neuroscience and pedagogy. Analyse and Kritik. 29(1), 38-
46.
Varma, S., McCandliss, B. and Schwartz, D. (2008). Scientific and pragmatic
challenges for bridging education and neuroscience. Educational
Researcher. 37(3), 140-152.

12. Cognition, Culture and Learning Project:
21st Century Competencies – Thinking Skills
References – Learning Theories
Couros, A (2006). Open, connected, social – implications for educational design.
Campus Wide Information Systems. 26(3), 232-239.
Dunaway, M. (2011). Connectivism: Learning theory and pedagogical practice for
networked information landscapes. Reference Services Review. 39(4),
675-685.
Hogg, N. and Lomicky, C. (2012). Connectivism in post secondary on line courses.
The Quarterly Review of Distance Education. 13(2), 95-114.
Sangra, A. and Wheeler, S. (2013). New informal ways of learning: Or are we
formalizing the informal? In: “Informalisation of Education” *online
dossier]. Universities and Knowledge Society Journal(RUSC). Vol. 10, No
1, pp. 286-293.

13. Cognition, Culture and Learning Project:
21st Century Competencies – Thinking Skills
References – Culture
Gueverra, J. (2007). Repositioning for a virtual culture. On the Horizon. 15(3),
139-144.
Lim, C., Hung, D., Wong, P. and Hu, c. (2004). The pedagogical design of ICT
integration in online learning: A case study. International Journal of
Instructional Media. 31(1), 37-47.
Rebelo, T. and Adelino, D (2010). Conditioning factors of an organizational
learning culture. Journal of Workplace Learning. 23(3), 173-194.
Jaccaci, a. (1989). The social architecture of a learning culture. Training and
Development Journal. 43(11).