Notebook: katefreedman's notebookCreated: 19/01/2011 12:20 PM Updated: 25/01/2011 9:40 AMURL: https://mail.google.com/mail/?ui=2&view=bsp&ver=ohhl4rw8mbn4

CCK2011 Week 1 Notes

Readings

George Siemens, Connectivism: A Learning Theory for the Digital Age

Learning needs and theories should be reflective of underlying social environments.

Half-life of knowledge shrinking. 40 years ago life of knowledge measured in decades. Today it is measured inmonths or years.

Trends that influence this: 1. People do not stay in one area of learning. 2. Formal learning no longer comprises majority of learning. Informal learning is a significant aspect. 3. Learning is continual. 4. Technology is changing how we think and do things. Many learning theory processes now supported or done by technology. 5. Know-how and Know-what is being supplemented by Know-where (understanding of where to find knowledgeneeded)

Most learning theories have central tenent that learning occours inside a person. They do not address learning thatoccours outside of people (ie manipulated and stored by technology) or in organisations.They are concerned with what is being learned not with it's value. Today, the need to synthesise and recognise patterns is a valuable skill.

Including technology and connection making as learning activities. We can no longer personally experience andacquire learning that we need to act. We derive our competence from forming connections.Experience is the best teacher. Since cannot experience everything, other people's experiences and hence other peoplebecome the surrogate for knowledge. "I store my knowledge in my friends".Chaos is the new reality for knowledge workers.

Definition: Network- Connections between entities.Different entities can be connected to create an integrated whole. Alterations within the network have a ripple effect onthe whole.Nodes compete for connections as links represent survival. A greater profile means more success at acquiringconnections.

Weak ties are links or bridges that allow short connections between information. Our small world networks aregenerally populated with people whose interests and knowledge are similar to ours.

Connectivism is the integration of principles explored by chaos, network, complexity and self-organisation theories.\Learning is not entirely under the control of the individual. It can reside outside of ourselves, (within and organisationor database)Definition: Learning- actionable knowledge.Connectivism is driven by the understanding that decisions are based on rapidly altering foundations. New informationis continually being acquired. Vital ability is to draw distinctions between important and unimportant information. Also ability to recognize when new information alters the landscape based on decisions made yesterday.

Principles of ConnectivismLearning and knowledge rest in a diversity of opinions.Learning is a process of connecting specialised nodes or information sources.Learning may reside in non-human appliances.The capacity to know more is more critical than what is currently known.Nurturing and maintaining connections is needed to facilitate continual learning.The ability to see connections between fields, ideas, and concepts is a core skill.Currency (accurate, up-to-date knowledge) is the intent of all connectivist learning activities.Decision-making is itself a learning process.

Social Network Analysis is an additional element in understanding learning models in a digital era.Within social networks, hubs are well connected people who are able to foster and maintain knowledge flow.

The starting point of connectivism is the individual.Personal knowledge is comprised of a network --> which feeds into organisations and institutions --> which in turnfeeds back into the network --> then continues to provide learning to the individual.

This cycle allows learners to stay current in their field through he connections they have formed.John Seely Brown- Notion that the internet leverages the small efforts of many with the large efforts of few.

Summary: The pipe is more important than the content within the pipe.Our ability to learn what we need for tomorrow is more important than what we know today.

Stephen Downes, What connectivism is, and What Connectivism Is Not

Connectivism is the theses that knowledge is distributed across a network of connections, and therefore that learningconsists of the ability to construct and traverse those networks. Knowledge is not acquired as if it was a thing. It is not propositional. Phrase like construction meaning makes nosense.Knowledge is Literally the set of connections formed by actions and experience.

Connectivism is not:Learning it is not structured, controlled or processed.Learners are not managed through some sort of motivating process, amount of learning not influenced bymotivating behavioursLearners do not form memories through the storage of 'facts' and learning is not the mechanisms of storing thesefactsthe do not 'acquire' or 'receive' knowledge; it is not a process of transfer

George Siemens, What is the Unique Idea in Connectivism?

Background; Tools augment our ability to interact with each other and to act, Social Learning Theory, Network Theory,Concept of Mind.

Unique Ideas: Connectivism is the application of network principles to define both knowledge and the process of learning.

Definition: Knowledge- Particular pattern of relationshipsDefinition: Learning- Creation of new connections and patterns as well as the ability to maneuver aroundexisting networks/patterns.

Focuses on inclusion of technology, our knowledge resides in the connections we form whether it be people ortechnology.Context- connectivism recognises the fluid nature of knowledge and connections based on context; it brings asmuch to a space of knowledge connection/exchange as do the parties involved in the exchange.Elements of critical importance cause of rapid flow and abundance of information: Understanding, Coherence,Sensemaking, Meaning. The climate of continual and ongoing change raises the importance of being continuallycurrent.

George Siemens, video recap of Connectivism and Connective Knowledge 2008 -no notes

Rick Schwier interview of George Siemens on connectivism. -no notes

George Siemens presentation on Defining Connectivism and Comparing connectivism with other learningtheories

The table below indicates how prominent learning theories differ from connectivism:

Property Behaviourism Cognitivism Constructivism Connectivism

How learningoccurs

Black box—observablebehaviour mainfocus

Structured,computational

Social, meaningcreated by eachlearner(personal)

Distributed within a network,social, technologicallyenhanced, recognizing andinterpreting patterns

Influencingfactors

Nature ofreward,punishment,stimuli

Existing schema,previousexperiences

Engagement,participation,social, cultural

Diversity of network,strength of ties, context ofoccurrence

Role ofmemory

Memory is thehardwiring ofrepeatedexperiences—where rewardand punishmentare mostinfluential

Encoding,storage, retrieval

Prior knowledgeremixed tocurrent context

Adaptive patterns,representative of currentstate, existing in networks

How transferoccurs

Stimulus,response

Duplicatingknowledge

Socialization Connecting to (adding)nodes and growing the

constructs of“knower”

network(social/conceptual/biological)

Types oflearning bestexplained

Task-basedlearning

Reasoning, clearobjectives,problem solving

Social, vague (“ill defined”)

Complex learning, rapidchanging core, diverseknowledge sources

Stephen Downes presentation: A quick introduction to connectivism (ustream) (Spanish, German)

Connectivism challenges perceptions of folk psychology.Knowledge is literally distributed across connections.Learning is capacity to construct and traverse these connectionsKnowledge is growth and development of these connectionsKnowledge is grown. Is a skill rather than a construct.]It doesn't make meaning. Is not an object or a thing that can be transferred, therefore not a theory on knowledgetransfer.Is a theory of growth.Connectivism does 2 main things

shows how networks are grown and developdescribes successful networks.

Elluminate Session One- How does this Course WorkSee the daily newsletter as scaffolding.How to make sense of the course - see below (not moodle)confusion is a good thinglearn to skim and dive- don't try and read anythingIgnore topics that dont make sense or interest you.

Aggregation- remix, repurpose, feedforward.experts can recognise what is noise and what is not noiseknowledge is the having of a thought that you can't not know, that you can't unthink.

Elluminate Session 2: Facilitator's DiscussionReadings tied to what knowledge is and what learning isabundance, quality and complexity of knowledge- need to interact with the knowledge is connections based, rather than howdid before.connectivism - knowledge is fluid. focus on the connection not the output. don't have to change modes of knowledge

Image from someones blog- mindmap overview