Learning through Connections

The fast pace of technological advances and our move into the digital age has truly changed the way people learn. We are ever more dependent on technology and the connections they provide. Social media, blogs, online video and countless computer and smart device apps help us connect with others and information. The internet provides us with the ability to easily share and retrieve knowledge from experts, peers and many other sources. These things are having a tremendous influence in the way people learn. Consequently, traditional learning theories that provide strategies for Educators and Instructional Designers are lacking when considering knowledge transfers that happen in these casual interactions of a technology-driven society.

Connectivism, a learning theory introduced by George Siemens, tries to overcome these shortfalls of traditional learning theories. Connectivism has the individual at center where personal knowledge is at the same time assimilated and distributed thorough a complex network comprised of the individual’s connections acquired throughout their lives. Siemens states, “This cycle of knowledge development (personal to network to organization) allows learners to remain current in their field through the connections they have formed.”

I can certainly attest to the fact that my ability to learn and provide knowledge to others has changed through the advent of the internet. Connecting to peers via social networking sites, being able to ask questions in online forums, and participating in discussions through blogs are just a few ways in which my approach to leaning has changed.

Although Connectivism has several underlying principles, its most central tenants propose that learning and knowledge rests in diversity of opinions, learning is a process of connecting specialized nodes or information sources, and maintaining and nurturing connections is needed to facilitate continual learning. My personal learning network supports these affirmations of Connectivism. I have found that active and continuous participation in several professional networks through the internet provides me with a tremendous amount of information, expert knowledge and creative ideas I would not have access to before the advent of the digital-age. Consequently, I am able to learn more in less time and concentrate my learning activities on what is important at any particular time in my life. Moreover, I can just as easily share knowledge and ideas with others.

It is true that Connectivism, like other learning theories, does not have a full explanation about how we learn. However, it has come a long way into trying to explain the changes in learning experiences due to the digital age and guided the discussion into a much-needed change of direction.