Something on connectivism

CCK08. We live in a complex and changing world. A world in which knowledge is rapidly growing with multiple tools augments our ability to interact with each other. The learning process is changing and we need new models and metaphors to explain how knowledge is acquired. Nowadays digital technology is an important part of everyday life for almost all students and some teachers. As Prensky says, “our students are all «native speakers» of the digital language of computers, videogames and the Internet” (Prensky, 2001). Does this affect the way in what students learn?
According to Prensky a typical high school student in USA have watched 20,000 hours of television; have spent 10,000 hours playing videogames and have been reading only 5,000 hours. The new generation is digital native and it means there are a new attitude to technology and some new process that affects learning. Some of them are:

• Friends distributed across multiple networks as instant messengers, social networks (MySpace, Facebook, etc.), email addresses and cell phone contacts.
• Online reading and writing. The screen is a natural place to access and show information that could be text, pictures, videos, chat session, forum discussions or a Wikipedia article. As opposed to previous generation with strong text-based learning, digital natives make an intensive media mix.
• Emphasis on practice. Digital natives usually don’t read manuals or instructions and trust that devices can teach how to manipulate them itself. Trial and error is often a quickly way to get what you want quickly.

Connectivism is a learning theory that fits perfectly to this context and explains how learning happens in a rapid changing core of global knowledge. Connectivism can be defined as “the application of network principles to define both knowledge and the process of learning. Knowledge is defined as a particular pattern of relationships and learning is defined as the creation of new connections and patterns as well as the ability to maneuver around existing networks/patterns” (Siemens, 2008).
To understand the network metaphor we need to know a bit about networks theory. For Wellman a network consist of one or more nodes connected by on or more ties. Nodes are a unit that possibility is connected (for example, individuals, households, workgroups, organizations, states, etc) and ties are one or more specific type of connection. Networks form distinct and analyzable patterns with emergent properties. Following this concepts it is possibly to represent a college student learning network in a graphic like this:

We can explain how learning occurs following nodes and ties and understanding that the key of learn is the process of make connections. The more nodes an ties, the more strong is the knowledge. This is a good way to represent how we learn across diverse sources recognizing and interpreting patterns within a network that is changing continuously. However, there are some questions to connectivism that I have no answer for the moment.

• Connectivism is clearly related to network theory that is relevant to see connections and relationship between components of a process. Nevertheless, is knowledge only the sum of nodes and ties? If the answer must yes… are these entities relevant to explain by itself the whole learning process.
• Think in this example: All computer programs are at least a vast group of zeros and ones. It’s a fact. But can not understand and explain how it works analyzing only these numbers. The binary code represents process, relationship and interaction. In other words, software is more than the binary code.
• What is the role of external factors? Culture, environment and context influence the learning process and favor some relationship instead of others. Networks don’t exist in an empty space and there are some other elements that determine and model knowledge acquisition.

Nonetheless, these questions to come from an initial impressions after introducing in connectivism theory. Perhaps, I loosing some vital node or ties to understand it in a more deeply way.
References

• Prensky (2001) Digital Natives, Digital Inmigrants. Retrieved September 28, 2008 from Prensky Web Site: http://www.marcprensky.com/writing/Prensky%20-%20Digital%20Natives,%20Digital%20Immigrants%20-%20Part1.pdf
• Wellman, B. (n/d) Networks for Newbies. A Non-Technical Introduction to Social Network Analysis. Retrieved September 28, 2008 from Wellman’s Page at University of Toronto Web Site: http://www.chass.utoronto.ca/~wellman/publications/networksfornewbies/networks4newbies.ppt
• Siemens, G. (2008) What is the unique idea in Connectivism? Retrieved September 28, 2008 from Connectivism Blog Web Site: http://connectivism.ca/blog/2008/08/what_is_the_unique_idea_in_con.html

From: http://www.conectivismo.com/en/2008/10/primer-paper-del-curso-de-conectivismo-cck08/
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