Connectivism

To be honest, I had not really thought too deeply about how much technology, specifically the internet, has positively affected my life. I still have traditional networks for information, but computers have enabled me to learn about any topic that captures my attention. The way I used to learn before the internet was mainly through books and public television. Now, I use my critical thinking skills that I have developed throughout my life and various sources of credible information to construct knowledge. When I think about how my type of learning relates to connectivism I cannot help but draw a comparison to schema theory; in that I always accommodate new knowledge with something I have learned or makes sense to me. For instance, the other day I was reading about new research on the effects of observation and quantum behavior of particles and I had to use an analogy because the concept was new and complex. The conjecture was that a particle will behave differently if it is observed in the future—or the future influences the past. Aside from all of the jargon and mathematics, I read from a few more sources and likened this new information to having somebody from the future tell you that you are going to do something specific. Once you know your “destiny,” Your behavior changes. The very act of the new information (which rests on particles being able to travel in bidirectional timespace) changes one’s behavior: fascinating. Of course, this has only been observed on an atomic scale….but I digress.

The tool I most rely on is the internet, but I do not approach any information as fact unless it can be verified. I think this is an important consideration with connectivism, that teachers must monitor the sources of information to which their students have access until the students are able to discriminate between what is valid and what is purely conjecture. In addition to the internet, I tend to use books and journals for access to reliable information. No matter how geeky I get, it seems that the written word in a book or journal is nice to have as a reference just as much as having access to it on the net.

The Motivation to Collaborate

Do people want to interact as part of a group? On a fundamental level (at least in a historical sense) people have learned that cooperation is sometimes necessary in order to achieve certain goals. Once you define said goals I believe it is necessary to understand a person's motivations for helping a collective group; e.g. is there coercion? what is the value of the individual in the sociocultural view? does the individual have a choice?

Rheingold suggests that there are certain reasons why someone would help or share with others that generally involve some reward or benefit for the individual; I agree with this statement. Whether it be survival or the chance to accumulate more wealth, individuals will work together not through a biological drive, but as a measure to receive reward,achieve recognition, or to avoid punishment. I think that this is especially prevalent in the shrinking world that has been created by the internet--the individual is being lost in the collective that is the World Wide Web. I would argue that collaboration in the sense of Wikipedia is an attempt for some to share their knowledge, but for others it is an attempt to be heard or recognized. Collaboration does not always produce positive results and it is imperative that interactions within the educational setting are appropriately monitored to ensure that positive and productive progress is being made towards predefined goals.

Tools for collaboration can be used effectively to support Constructivist learning and situated cognition provided that the interactions between members are facilitated by a knowledgeable person to model behaviors for students. Wikispaces, Glogster, and Google Docs are widely available and free tools that encourage active learning through collaboration. Members of a class or team can use the medium to create and share knowledge to solve problems while also providing feedback to each other, which is especially useful for building a sense of community that is not limited by time or location. An important aspect of online collaboration is that all of the material is dynamic and users can share videos or digital recordings and see a record of their progress. The instructor in this environment challenges students by asking questions, encouraging peer interaction, and providing appropriate tools for students to incorporate into their projects. Tools are important, but no matter how intuitive the technology a model needs to be in place for students to observe and reflect upon to build meaningful connections to the information that has been presented.