01.+Connectivism

=What is Connectivism?= -integration of chaos, network, complexity and self-organization theories -learning can reside outside of self

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Learning is connected. To learn you must connect to other people and ideas, to a network. New format of delivery included weekly reading list, for coherence learners were supposed to converse with other learners, deciding what is important what is not, what is relevant. Problem is that training does not consider what learners already know. To contextualize content, students were expected to bring in their own content and interact around the subject. They promoted openness, no fee, anybody can enroll. Weekly discussions. Use of courser tags on Delicios, blogs so that they can use RSS to collect feeds and then distribute the daily with input from facilitators, important concepts and students ideas. Learning happens when you connect. Network mediators to foster connections. Students are in control of the information they access, over content and conversation.

media type="youtube" key="rpbkdeyFxZw?version=3" height="315" width="420" Network is the learning. The way we are connected to others determines our ability to stay current. We can connect with others in many ways, email, phone. When I connect a new node, the entire network is amplified. The process of learning is the creation of networks. It is important to increase/decrease links. What we know today is not as important as our ability to stay current.

A quick introduction to Connectivism (s. Downes) media type="custom" key="12172700" knowledge is distributed across connections knowledge is not something to acquire, it is the growth and development of these connection, it is a set of connections learning is the capacity to construct the connections, and traverse information across these connections

knowledge is not propositional, not composed of sentences, it is composed of connections knowledge requires a perceiver, has to be recognized (Nixon picture on a tV screen: pixels do not contain the picture, rather the pixels arranged in a certain way, our eyes perceive it as Nixon) something is known only if it is recognized knowledge formation is the creation of these connections media type="custom" key="12177446" media type="custom" key="12177450"

Notes: I do not have a set goal of learning outcome. I follow my curiosity. I never know what I will learn at the end. Learning is a journey. Ties: a one hour instruction might not be enough. A weak tie. I follow up, connect via email, offer help, answer question, send a survey, etc. Strengthening ties.