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= Home > Group B Workspace > Learning Activity 6-A-1​= Need more background knowledge? Click on the picture to link to Wikipedia's definition of Connectivism.

=Connectivism: A learning theory or not?= = = media type="youtube" key="rpbkdeyFxZw" height="390" width="480" toc

Is connectivism a learning theory?
No. **Connectivism** is a theory of learning based on the premise that knowledge exists in the world rather than in the head of an individual which does not take into account the origin of an idea. While we can share new ideas with others, without new ideas from individuals there would be nothing to share.

Is connectivism relevant to teaching practices?
Yes. It is a pedagogical view. It is useful in teaching a student how to ferret out information. It is the principle of teaching oneself. It does not rule the importance of having a teacher. It assumes that the student has a foundation understanding and has developed a need to learn about something new. Essentially it is a tool for continued learning and keeping current with the new ideas created by an individual. media type="youtube" key="XwM4ieFOotA" height="390" width="480"

Does connectivism support your teaching?
Yes. The students do need to make connections between knowledge. Students can be encouraged to use resources, and people beyond the classroom in a positive way to understand more about a topic. It is a great way to connect with each other and others outside the classroom. They are able to bounce ideas and grow with each other. Learning is more effect when they are able to use something they understand and can grow with. Below is a link to a youtube video on using connectivism in your classroom: []

What parts of the theory are compelling?
The idea that talks about knowledge being connections. Also that you learn from others, making connections along the way to form ideas. Knowledge is something that emerges when two learning entities are connected. The theory states that knowledge is not based on something that students build on their own, it is based on building from one entity and sending it to another, so the learning happens during the connection.

What parts of the theory are confusing?
The idea that talks about knowledge being connections. How is this theory really separate from learning within you head? How can you learn something only by forming connections to another idea? Where do the ideas originate? What about disagreement on ideas? George Siemens states in his [|blog] that the pipes are more important than the content, and learning can reside in non-human appliances. Is this really learning or is this just the storage of information?

Connectivism places great importance on knowing where to find information. If a student is teaching himself, how can we be sure that he is not teaching himself the 'wrong' things? How will children filter good sources of information from bad information during this age of information overload? How does this pedagogical perspective offer support to unmotivated learners, young learners, children with small points of reference, limited technology, or poor parental involvement? How do advocates of connectivism propose that students who lack a foundation gain one?

Lastly, how can the network be the learning? The learning is the learning! Certainly there is an important role for connecting one's knowledge and understanding with others; however, this alone is not learning. If the "pipe" is more important than the contents, why would we need a pipe at all? Connectivism is a conversation about how people are sharing knowledge, not a true learning theory.

Are there any other aspects of the theory that are weak?
YES!

Of course learning the process of researching information is an important skill to learn, but there are some things that any educated person should know without having to look it up. There are certain basic anchors of information that everybody needs in order to function in today's world. While one might argue that we don't need to know the multiplication tables, for instance, when going to a restaurant and dividing the bill with another person or tipping the wait staff, it is unrealistic to think that the best means of doing that is to pull out your phone or calculator. Think of the time wasted, when if a person knows math facts, he or she can quickly do these calculations in their heads. If every time a person needs to write a note to their child's teacher, a thank you note to their aunt, or a note of instructions to the deliveryman, he or she has to whip out the spell checker, again, time and train of thought are lost.

=References= [|Pipe more important than contents] [|The Network is not God] [|connectivism theory] http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Connectivism [] [] [|Connectivism and Technology]