connectivism learning today. the network is the learning
TRANSCRIPT
Connectivism
Learning Today
The network is the learning
What’s Happening (the “why” of connectivism)?
• Rapid knowledge growth (duh? Really?)• Changing tools and needs=changing learners• Informal learning eclipsing formal learning• “know-how” and “know-what” replaced by “know-where”• Two-way flow - creator and consumer of content can interact • Questioning bias • End-user in control - Voices given to individuals • Decentralized - power pushed to the edges • Modularization • Pliable connections (or connected specialization) • History given to knowledge/learning that used to vaporize
What’s wrong with existing theories of learning?
• Processing/constructing is loaded onto the learner…an unsustainable model in rapid knowledge growth
Connectivism
Theory of organizing, learning, communicating and functioning in a digital, knowledge economy
Principle 1: Learning and knowledge rests in diversity of
opinions
• Effective learning occurs in an ecology of diverse opinions and views
• “I know” is moving to “we know as a team”
• Connected specialization
Principle 2: Learning is a process of connecting specialized nodes or
information sources. • Complexity of functioning in today’s
environment requires forming connections among specialized nodes
• The aggregation of differing knowledge fields and perspectives is the corner-stone of learning
Principle 3: Learning may reside in non-human appliances.
• Data• Information – data with intelligence applied• Knowledge – comprehension of
information• Meaning – implications of knowledge• Learning happens between knowledge
and meaning• These elements can reside in databases,
iPods, or be integrated into tools
Principle 4: Capacity to know more is more critical than what is
currently known
• Knowledge is the oil of the information/knowledge economy. Those who understand how it flows are the keepers of the new pipeline
Principle 5: Nurturing and maintaining connections is needed
to facilitate continual learning.
• Connections ensure continued access to changing dynamics – corporate, global, societal
Principle 6: Ability to see connections and patterns between
fields, ideas, and concepts is a core skill.
• Pattern recognition replaces mental processing functions in complex environments
Principle 7: Currency (accurate, up-to-date knowledge) is the most critical function in a knowledge
economy • Rapidly changes result in existing
elements becoming outdated
• Outdated/disconnected decision making is a key challenge for organizations
Principle 8: 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. While there is a right answer now, it may be wrong tomorrow due to alterations in the information climate affecting the decision.
LearningEcology
• Shift from designing learning to designing ecologies in which learning will occur
Types of tools?
• Functionality of ideal tools evidenced by:– Blogs, wikis, podcasts, vlogs, del.icio.us,
collaborative tools, groupware tools, VoIP, Furl, bloglines etc.
• Any tool which enables people to connect with each other or with content.
It’s all come undone: Centering Agents
• Newscast
• Newspaper
• Any single source of information which aggregates multiple sources
• Evisceration of centering agents
Challenge for knowledge workers today
• Rapid knowledge requires greater efforts on the part of the centering agents (i.e. everyone has a voice (podcast, blog, wiki)
• The elimination of centering agents generates stress – It’s too much!!!
• KM, elearning, epss, content management, knowledge discovery, network creation, CoPs, PKM – it’s all the same mess – Let’s strategically Connect
General assumptions
• Information pace too rapid for current model of learning
• Organizations need to rethink learning • Model selected must be dynamic (self-updating)
and fluid (not artificial construct of courses)• Different learning format requires different
responses• Pressures from other fields – music, video,
news – are being felt in education
Learning as Network Creation
• Nodes – people, data, programs, communities – anything which can be linked
• Connections – some meaningful form of interacting, RSS, Aggregators, epss
• Chaos is ok
What does this mean to corporate education?
• Learning conceptualized as continual process, not isolated, artificial constructs
• Currency in decision making• Education not used to support strategy –
learning used to inform strategy (and as a by-product of strategy implementation)
• Can we achieve strategy when we give up control? SOSS (shaped by structured ecology)
• Foster connections – relationships, dialogue
What does this mean to higher education?
• Centering agents – of information for your learners
• Non-courses (beyond basic level – i.e. bachelors)
• Accretion learning• Life-long – social, self-forming, dynamic (tether
learner to organization)• Subscription revenue• Form connections – people, content, ideas• Diversity of tools and concepts
Questions?
