Connectivism Connectivism is a hypothesis of learning which emphasizes the role of social and cultural context. Connectivism is often associated with and proposes a perspective similar to Vygotsky's 'zone of proximal development' (ZPD), an idea later transposed into Engeström's (2001) Activity theory.[1] The relationship between work experience, learning, and knowledge, as expressed in the concept of ‘connectivity, is central to connectivism, motivating the theory's name.[2] It is somewhat similar to Bandura's Social Learning Theory that proposes that people learn through contact. The phrase "a learning theory for the digital age"[3] indicates the emphasis that connectivism gives to technology's effect on how people live, communicate and learn. Nodes and links[edit] The central aspect of connectivism is the metaphor of a network with nodes and connections.[4] In this metaphor, a node is anything that can be connected to another node such as an organization, information, data, feelings, and images.
Noble In recent years changes in universities, especially in North America, show that we have entered a new era in higher education, one which is rapidly drawing the halls of academe into the age of automation. Automation — the distribution of digitized course material online, without the participation of professors who develop such material — is often justified as an inevitable part of the new “knowledge–based” society. It is assumed to improve learning and increase wider access. In practice, however, such automation is often coercive in nature — being forced upon professors as well as students — with commercial interests in mind. Once faculty and courses go online, administrators gain much greater direct control over faculty performance and course content than ever before and the potential for administrative scrutiny, supervision, regimentation, discipline and even censorship increase dramatically.
Cybergogue: A Critique of Connectivism as a Learning Theory Background Having explored a “learning theory” that George Siemens (2005; 2006a) and Stephen Downes (2005; 2007) developed for a networked and digital world called connectivism. Fascinating and extensive conversations in the blogosphere and in educational journals debate whether connectivism is a new learning theory or whether it is merely a digital extension of constructivism. Siemens and Downes initially received increasing attention in the blogosphere in 2005 when they discussed their ideas concerning distributed knowledge. An extended discourse ensued in and around the status of connectivism as a learning theory for the digital age. This led to a number of questions in relation to existing learning theories. Introduction A lamentable disadvantage of theories is also a satisfactory advantage of theories—that is, they are wont to change over time. What is Connectivism? At the dawn of the 21st Century, a new educational framework was developed called connectivism. 1. 1. Table References
Technology is the Answer: What was the Question? -: UNESCO Education Education is one of UNESCO’s principal fields of activities. Since its creation in 1945, the Organization has worked to improve education worldwide believing it to be key to social and economic development. The Organization aims to help build a sustainable world with just societies that value knowledge, promote peace, celebrate diversity and defend human rights, achieved by providing Education for All (EFA). Its close links with education ministries and other partners in 193 countries place UNESCO in a key position to press for action and change. The Education Sector comprises some 400 staff members worldwide. The sector is under the authority of the Assistant Director-General for Education. Headquarters in ParisSome 150 staff members work in the Education Sector in Paris.
Massive open online course Education service on the web Poster, entitled "MOOC, every letter is negotiable", exploring the meaning of the words "massive open online course" A massive open online course (MOOC ) or an open online course is an online course aimed at unlimited participation and open access via the Web.[1] In addition to traditional course materials, such as filmed lectures, readings, and problem sets, many MOOCs provide interactive courses with user forums or social media discussions to support community interactions among students, professors, and teaching assistants (TAs), as well as immediate feedback to quick quizzes and assignments. Early MOOCs (cMOOCs: Connectivist MOOCs) often emphasized open-access features, such as open licensing of content, structure and learning goals, to promote the reuse and remixing of resources. History[edit] What is a MOOC? Precursors[edit] Early approaches[edit] cMOOCs and xMOOCs[edit] MOOCs and open-education timeline (updated 2015 version)[13][30] Notable providers[edit]
Modeling Social Media in Groups, Communities, and Networks Vance Stevens Petroleum Institute, Abu Dhabi, UAE Abstract This article views social networking as practiced distinctly in groups, communities, and networks. Drawing from experience coordinating a teachers’ community of practice for the past decade, the evolution of what was initially a group into a community of practice is illustrated, as well as how social media enables one CoP to interact with others to become part of a distributed learning network. Living with paradigm shift As I was conceiving this article, I received an invitation to contribute an article on Tim Johns for a forthcoming encyclopedia on applied linguistics . Another incident illustrates this shift. A third token of paradigm shift is my new Kindle, which I both love and hate. Modeling, Demonstrating, Practicing, Reflecting Figure 1. No one is a teacher without being a learner, so most of us do these four things instinctively. So where do we get our models day to day? Early Pouncers Transforming from Group to Community
The MOOCs fad and bubble: please tell us another story! | GlobalHigherEd In the context of two recent GlobalHigherEd entries about the global geopolitics and geoeconomics of MOOCs (see ‘Are MOOCs becoming mechanisms for international competition in global higher ed?’ and ‘On the territorial dimensions of MOOCs’) we are pleased to post this guest entry by Dominique Boullier, Professor in Sociology, Sciences Po Paris. Professor Boullier has served as scientific coordinator of the médialab (with Bruno Latour) since 2009, and serves as executive director of the educational innovation program FORCCAST. The MOOCs fad and bubble: please tell us another story! by Dominique Boullier How can we escape this new buzz about MOOCs, since the launch of Coursera? 1/ Brands. 2/ Scale and standards. 3/ Free. 4/ Platforms. 5/ Cheap resources. When described in these terms, any other sector of our financialized capitalism would almost fit the model. 1/ These announcements are not unusual in various sector of digital innovation. Where is the Dewey of the MOOCs systems?
Why Things Matter Essay critiques the ideas of Clay Shirky and others advocating higher ed disruption Clay Shirky is a big thinker, and I read him because he’s consistently worth reading. But he’s not always right – and his thinking (and the flaws in it) is typical of the unquestioning enthusiasm of many thinkers today about technology and higher education. In his recent piece on "Napster, Udacity, and the Academy," for example, Shirky is not only guardedly optimistic about the ways that MOOCs and online education will transform higher education, but he takes for granted that they will, that there is no alternative. Just as inevitably as digital sharing turned the music industry on its head, he pronounces, so it is and will be with digital teaching. And as predictably as rain, he anticipates that "we" in academe will stick our heads in the sand, will deny the inevitable -- as the music industry did with Napster -- and will "screw this up as badly as the music people did." His views are shared by many in the "disruption" school of thought about higher education.
Designing a New Learning Environment 2012 | Designing a New Learning Environment Sign up What constitutes learning in the 21st century? Should reading, watching, memorizing facts, and then taking exams be the only way to learn? Or could technology (used effectively) make learning more interactive, collaborative, and constructive? We construct, access, visualize, and share information and knowledge in very different ways than we did decades ago. The ultimate goal of this project-based course is to promote systematic design thinking that will cause a paradigm shift in the learning environments of today and tomorrow. Course Instructor: Dr Paul Kim Paul Kim is Chief Technology Officer and Assistant Dean for Stanford University School of Education. In the higher education space, he advises investment bankers and technology ventures focused on e-learning, knowledge management, and mobile communication solutions. Teaching Assistants: Pamela Levine Shawn Kim Shwetika Baijal Leigh Anne Miller Gilbert About this site Just signed up?