Connectivism: Reflection

Connectivism: Get Connected!


Having the memory of an elephant is not one of my strong suits. That being said, in this ever changing technologically advanced society of ours, how could I possibly manage to retain much of anything I've learned and are continuing to learn? Connectivism is driven by the understanding that our decisions are based on rapidly changing underpinnings, so the decisions themselves are not stagnant either (2008). So keeping up with this new information becomes necessary in order to be able to apply pertinent information to the learning process rather than that which is no longer relevant. That's where the connections factor in. I'll return to that concept in a moment. 


According to Davis, Edmunds and Kelly-Bateman (2008), where prior knowledge, experience, perception, reality, comprehension, and flexibility come together; learning occurs. Thus, if one has the prior knowledge, experience, perception and flexibility, but lacks the reality and comprehension because that web-based application that they were familiar with as a learning tool now has new enhancements and the older version virtually obsolete, how does he/she learn? Returning to the prior discussion on connections may clarify these concepts: Connectivism explains how I, the memory-failure, and others may hope to reduce the amount of immaterial information we retain and gain that which keeps us up to date. A central concept of Connectivism is that people learn through the networks they construct to obtain knowledge. These networks are certainly how I am able to keep up with rapidly changing substance in order to facilitate learning.


I'd never joined a blogging network or posted one myself prior to taking this online course. I'd also had no clue how an RSS feed works or why it is important. I now utilize these tools both to post things that are new to me and my understanding of them, as well as, to read how others have interpreted similar information. I have found that through using blog sites and RSS feeds to keep up with related information, I am learning a lot more than I would have through my research alone or through simple lectures or reading assignments. The ability to gain access to other's thoughts and have them critique your own, fosters deeper understandings of referenced topics and aids me in the learning process. Networking tools such as Facebook and Linked in also keep me abreast of new and exciting information. There is so much going on daily, that I'd never be exposed to even a third of what I learn were it not for the information I gather through reading and sharing on these social networks. YouTube is another digital tool that has changed the way I seek and share information. I mean seriously, how would any of us have learned how to "jail break" iPhones, or take the case apart to reconnect the home key, were it not for YouTube? I seriously had no clue how to disassemble my phone to fix a simple problem until I saw the video online. That information saved me hundreds of dollars! Have questions? All I have to do is simply post them on the related site through sharing comments and people from all over have answers (some very right, and others way off the mark).



References


Davis, C., Edmunds, E., & Kelly-Bateman, V. (2008). Connectivism. In M. Orey (Ed.), Emerging perspectives on learning, teaching, and technology. Retrieved 7/26/11, from http://projects.coe.uga.edu/epltt/index.php?title=Connectivism