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Connectivism

Page history last edited by blalockj3405 13 years, 2 months ago Saved with comment

If you had to work on this project individually, you would already have started working. You don't have to wait for your team to get started. Look at the kinds of information you need to research and then do a Google Search. Try combinations of the following keywords: connectivism, learning, theories, education, classroom, definition, advantages, disadvantages,

 

Check out these links to get you started:

Connectivism: A learning theory for the digital age

Connectivism (learning theory) - Wikipedia,  (make sure to check the references for additional sources)

Connectivism

Connectivism

Videos for connectivism

Connectivism--Wikiversity article 

Connectivism resources provided by Tom Welch 

 


Definition: Connectivism is a learning theory that is based on the idea that knowledge esists in the world rather than simply in someone's brain.

 

The central metaphor of connectivism is that of a network where knowledge is formed by creating connections between various "nodes" in the network. It emphasizes the idea that knowing where to find knowledge is as important as the knowledge itself as knowledge is always evolving with concepts being born or becoming obsolete.

 

 

Davis, Edmunds, and Kelly-Bateman (2010) write, "At its core, George Siemens’ theory of connectivism is the combined effect of three different components: chaos theory, importance of networks, and the interplay of complexity and self-organization." Siemens offered connectivism as an alternative to behaviorism, cognitivism, and constructivism.

 

 

 


Primary Theorists:

George Siemens and Stephen Downes 

 


Principles/Underlying Concepts:

 

Individual Principles:

 

Knowledge exists in the world - Knowledge is not isolated or learned for its own sake. All knowledge is connected to each other and has (or needs to have) real world applications. Knowledge that does not affect the world would be said to be obsolete.

 

Making connections - The ability to make connections between old knowledge, new knowledge, similar knowledge, and opposing knowledge is a key skill essential to connectivism.

 

Knowledge is fluid - What is true today may be false later due to new discoveries.

 

The Power of Discernment - since knowledge is fluid and can be made obsolete, and there needs to be judgements made on the  relatability of connections between knowledge, the ability to discern what information is relevant and how it relates to other concepts is a key skill.

 

Collective Principles:

Sharing - All knowledge is learned on a social basis which makes knowledge vulnerable to cultural bias, personal experiences, and prior knowledge. It is the responsiblity of individuals to share their knowledge, cultural biases, and personal experiences so that others may incorporate those opinions and stories into their learning and memory, which aids in retention and discernment.

 

Truth has to be agreed upon - Knowledge can only be true if it is agreed upon. Groups will not act upon knowledge they believe to be untrue.


Classroom Implications:

 

Connectivism as a theory would be best applied in the classroom through group work and class discussion. The teacher would need to act more as a facilitator than an instructor as students would be acquiring knowledge and determing between facts and ficition through their interactions with one another as opposed to knowledge being dictated to them. 

 

 

 


Implications related to technology use:

 

 Since connectivism relies on sharing, any form of technology that allows for sharing could be utilized to make connections between people and ideas. Cellphones, e-mail, Twitter, Facebook, and wikis could all be used to convey knowledge. 

 


Additional Reading:

What connectivism is http://halfanhour.blogspot.com/2007/02/what-connectivism-is.html

Connectivism: Learning theory or pastime of the self-amused? http://www.elearnspace.org/Articles/Connectivism_response.doc

A challenge to connectivism http://billkerr2.blogspot.com/2006/12/challenge-to-connectivism.html

 

Siemens, G. (2005, January). Connectivism: A learning theory for the digital age. International Journal of Instructional Technology & Distance Learning, Retrieved November 03, 2008, from http://www.itdl.org/Journal/Jan_05/article01.htm

 

Verhagen, P. (2006, November). Connectivism: a new learning theory?. elearning, Retrieved November 4, 2008, from http://www.surfspace.nl/nl/Redactieomgeving/Publicaties/Documents/Connectivism%20 a%20new%20theory.pdf

 

 


References:

Davis, C, Edmunds, E, & Kelly-Bateman, V. (2008). Connectivism. In M. Orey (Ed.), Emerging perspectives on learning, teaching, and technology. Retrieved from http://projects.coe.uga.edu/epltt/index.php?title=Connectivism

Comments (2)

Gayla S. Keesee said

at 7:39 pm on Feb 6, 2011

Jacob:
Thanks for letting me know that you had starting working on this project. I noticed that you only reference one article. You need to have a balanced approach; therefore, you need to include additional sources. Five is generally accepted for college-level research. See the links that I provided. You also need to include in-text citations to the information presented. Make sure that all the information is in your own words--summarized, paraphrased. If not, make sure you put the information in quotation marks. No more than 10% of your article should be direct quotes. For information on in-text citations, please see the following websites:
http://library.duke.edu/research/citing/within/mla.html
http://owl.english.purdue.edu/owl/resource/747/2/

Make sure that your reference information follows MLA formatting for electronic sources.Your reference is in APA format. I provided a link to Valencia College's resources in an earlier E-mail/Announcement. You can get the link from the Blackboard Announcement.

Your links to additional resources should hyperlink the titles rather than including the URL as a hyperlink. Also make sure they are written in MLA format if you are providing an article.

Also, I included the TLR Wiki Evaluation rubric in this week's module. You can get additional information for my expectations. One thing I noticed was that you didn't include any multimedia such as YouTube videos that would help your reader understand this topic.


Gayla S. Keesee said

at 1:34 pm on Feb 7, 2011

Since I feel that the process is most important at this point, I am willing to allow this group to continue working on adding and revising the information on this page--unless you feel this is the best you can do. I will give you one more week to complete the project. Let me know today if you accept the assignment and how you suggest that this group could accomplish its goals more effectively.

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