Connectivism

George Siemens has raised some interesting ideas around how people learn - connected rather than disconnected - networked not independently. His article Connectivism: Learning as Network-creation (10 August 2005) has stimulated a lot of discussion, and is particularly topical for e-learning as it seeks to define itself in the 21st century. He states that the networked age has changed the way we learn, "Behaviorism, cognitivism, and constructivism are the three broad learning theories most often utilized in the creation of instructional environments. These theories, however, were developed in a time when learning was not impacted through technology. Over the last twenty years, technology has reorganized how we live, how we communicate, and how we learn. Learning needs and theories that describe learning principles and processes, should be reflective of underlying social environments." (Siemens January 2005)

Learning and learners are changing partly due to the influence of technology and the access to knowledge. Learners are now becoming more expert at finding knowledge as well as having knowledge. Learning is taking place all the time, and should be 'life-long' as well as integrated with life and work. The separation of learning from other aspects of life has broken down - learning can really take place continuously. Mobile devices make this achievable, and the abundance of available digital knowledge makes it a continuous part of our experience.

enough for now...