1. Connectivism Learning Theory
George Siemens (2005) and Stephen Downes (2005)
A.Austen, P.C.Chen, V. Darlington, D.Daylamani-Zad, S.De’Cage, C.Farrant
2. The flow of information: Create,
Preserve & Utilise
With the arrival of the digital age, learning styles have naturally adapted, and with it comes a learning theory that provides a contemporary and collaborative fusion between technology, people, and individuals. Called Connectivism.
Connectivist Learning Theory addresses this new era and how it enhances social and cultural learning by highlighting 8 key principles. These include diversity, connection of sources, cognition, quantity of information, nurture & preservation, networked ideas and concepts, the individual at the source and finally the currency of the information.
Historically, there have been acknowledged experts in different fields, the increased complexity of working in our generation means that no one person can be completely knowledgeable within a field. The proliferation of information and opinion makes it easier for us to challenge the status quo and make informed choices.
An individual’s knowledge base can now include conflicting, contradictory, and unique perspectives.
However, whether we choose to access, and how we choose to action the diversity and breadth of opinion is up to the individual.
The focus of learning is not on acquiring more knowledge from sources of information, but on connecting these sources, maintaining them and expanding upon the complexity of these connections – in other words, making networks. Connection is a powerful force that helps establish links between the learner and a world of knowledge.
The components of the networks are known as nodes. A node can be represented by almost anything: an image, a feeling, an organisation, data and information, an opinion. Nodes can be static, dynamic, or self-updating. What’s important is how an individual interacts with the nodes within the network.
A further principle is that knowledge and learning is not just based in humans. Connectivism believes learning may reside in non-human appliances. Learning (in the sense that something is known, but not necessarily actuated) can rest in a community, a network, or a database.
.
We now have technology which has vast reservoirs of knowledge that is constantly being updated and added to. The information storage and retrieval can be handled much more efficiently by this technology. This generation learns, works, entertains and expresses itself through open collaborative tools.
Connectivism stresses two important skills that contribute to learning are the ability to seek out current information, and filter secondary and extraneous information. These abilities to make decisions on the basis of information that has been acquired is considered integral to the learning process.
The implications for educationalists is that its not sufficient to test what is known but to equip learners with the tools and techniques for reflection and continuous development. According to Siemens (2008) Learning is considered a “knowledge creation process, not only knowledge consumption”
Learners now need to be able to develop the ability to seek out and build collaborations with others that help to pool and share knowledge. The ability to continually make these connections and use those connections to access knowledge and thus learn from the process, is something that we need to facilitate our students to do.
This ability to build and maintain connections with others and with sources of information is what is thought to lead to continuous learning. Without this core skill students will find it difficult to access the knowledge required to solve current and future problems.
Being able to connect the dots between the different sources of information is also a core skill. Building on the diversity of opinions, managing ambiguity, making connections to arrive at a new knowledge, which is shaped by your own perspective and inference, constitutes learning.
.
The interaction between the individual and the network requires mutual trust to nurture and maintain information flow. It’s this process of feeding into a network and then collecting back information that has been added to and developed, that helps an individual to remain current in their knowledge.
Currency, meaning accurate and up-to-date knowledge, is the intent of learning activities.
New knowledge and information is available everyday and some of this knowledge will contradict previous notions and ideas.
New knowledge is produced with considerable speed.
And information is growing and changing exponentially.
The intent of learning is no longer acquiring information, it is acquiring accurate and up-to-date knowledge.
Decision-making is itself a learning process. Choosing what to learn and the meaning of incoming information is seen through the lens of a shifting reality.
The ability to draw distinctions between important and unimportant information is vital.
Connectivism is therefore driven by the understanding that decisions are based on rapidly altering foundations.
New information is continually being acquired.
The ability to recognize when new information alters the landscape based on decisions made yesterday is also critical.
Connectivism is a learning theory for the digital age. Learning has changed over the last several decades. The theories of behaviourism, cognitivism, and constructivism provide an effect view of learning in many environments. They fall short, however, when learning moves into the informal, networked, technology-enabled arena.
In short, Connectivism states that learning in this age is based on making connections, knowing where to find knowledge (even in non-human sources), filtering the vast amount of available information and learning the important, accurate and up-to-date information. Learning is a knowledge creation process, not only knowledge consumption.
