Connectivism

By reading the article “Connectivism: A Learning Theory for the Digital Age” by George Siemens and watching the listed videos, I gain deeper understanding about learning, especially some new observations of learning in the digital age. With technologies nowadays, there is abundant information available in the internet, and a learner may search information and learn through Google, YouTube, or some social networks. I like the viewpoint in the article and the videos that learning is a process of connecting a learner with information sources. I feel that a learner is like a tree root system: a learner searches and acquires information through on-line digital world just likes tree roots growing and expanding deep in the soil to obtain water and nutrients. Finding useful information from the internet, one may have to search from website to website and eventually get the right information, so the connection between a leaner and the information source may not be direct and it can be zigzag. This is similar to that tree roots may expand in all directions and zigzag to reach water and nutrients.    

Dr. Siemens also explained how internet technologies have created new opportunities for people to learn and share information across the world. He pointed out that “New information is continually being acquired. The ability to draw distinctions between important and unimportant information is vital, and the ability to see connections between fields, ideas, and concepts is a core skill.” I agree that a key feature of connectivism is that much learning can happen across peer networks that take place online. In connectivist learning, a teacher can guide students to information and answer key questions as needed, in order to support students learning and sharing on their own. Students are also encouraged to seek out information on their own online and express what they find. Teachers should be facilitators to help guide students through the learning process. It would be great that students can make more connections and reflect on the process of learning. As emphasized by Dr. Siemens that learners successfully acquire greater profile will be more successful at acquiring additional connections.

I like the video “What is Connectivism” which uses simple language to explain the concept of connectivism in learning. Dr. Siemens explained that “knowledge is networked and distributed, the experience of learning is one of forming new neural, conceptual and external networks”. Learning and connecting learners with information sources are increasingly aided by new technologies especially on-line social networks. To better help students learning in the new digital age, we need to better understand the fundamental of learning, we need to better understanding how and why connections form between learners and information sources. With new and better understanding of learning, we are able to better design our classrooms, better create our curriculum, better teach subjects, and better connect students with knowledge.