Connectivism

Reflection

How has your network changed the way you learn?
George Siemens’ states in his theory, that Connectivism is the combined effect of three different components: chaos theory, importance of networks, and the interplay of complexity and self-organization (Davis, Edmunds & Kelly-Bateman, 2008). The “importance of network” component has me glued to my laptop and to my android phone, I never leave them behind anymore, and consequently information is never further away than the login to my laptop. The ability to connect on demand to my network has transformed me into a truly directed learner, responsible for what I wish to learn and when. I am able to connect to the WaldenU’s Blackboard and become involved in formal education as often as I wish. I am constantly learning from the three blogs to which I subscribe and I also garner information from the frequent webinars hosted by Edline and Schoology. These webinars keep me up-to-date with information I need on the job. My colleagues benefit from this connectivity because I am able to provide instant solution to any issues they may have concerning technology.

Which digital tools best facilitate learning for you?
Google Reader. The RSS feeds in Google Reader are invaluable. Google Reader captures all the latest posts and announcements in one place allowing me to keep up to date.

How do you gain knowledge when you have questions?
 The Google search engine is another very valuable tool that I constantly interact with. I can get any question answered from a Google search. When I first became involve with information technology I was burdened with the manuals for all the hardware and software under my care. Now whenever I encounter a problem I can “Google it”. Resolutions to errors messages are easily found, instructions for hardware installation, are readily available, in fact there is a solution on Google for any question that I need answered.

In what ways does your personal learning network support or refute the central tenets of Connectivism?
According to Siemens, “connectivism is driven by the understanding that decisions are based on rapidly altering foundations. New information is continually being acquired and the ability to draw distinctions between important and unimportant information is vital. Also critical is the ability to recognize when new information alters the landscape based on decisions made yesterday” (Siemens, 2005). Connectivism explains the way my personal learning network supports the way I learn and the way in which I obtain the information that I need to learn.

Reference:
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