Erin,+Kellie,+Kim

Connectivism: A Learning Theory? We think not!

According to Wikipedia**:** **Connectivism,** is "a learning theory for the digital age," it has been developed by George Siemens and Stephen Downes based on their analysis of the limitations of behaviourism, cognitivism and constructivism to explain the effect technology has had on how we live, how we communicate, and how we learn.

According to Wikipedia: A **Learning theory** is an attempt to describe how people and animals learn, thereby helping us understand the inherently complex process of learning. **Learning theories** have two chief values according to Hill (2002). One is in providing us with vocabulary and a conceptual framework for interpreting the examples of learning that we observe. The other is in suggesting where to look for solutions to practical problems. The theories do not give us solutions, but they do direct our attention to those variables that are crucial in finding solution

Introduction

“Siemens denounces the limitations of behaviourism, cognitivism, and constructivism and introduces connectivism as a learning theory for the digital era.” 

===="Everybody's talkin' about Bagism, [|Shagism], [|dragism] , Madism, Ragism, Tagism, This-ism, That-ism, ism, ism, ism."- John Lennon: Give Peace a Chance ====

Supporting Facts / Information Siemen's first problem occurs when he says that the individual is fundamental to the theory of connectivism, but surely the diffuse nature of the knowledge as it exists in a network seems to relegate the individual to a kind of micro network within the whole and so is not a focus of the theory. Its such a fuzzy viewpoint with all those connections that the focus naturally shifts to the gestalt.

However without a doubt Verhagen has articulated the primary argument against positing Connectivism as a learning theory. In the article //__Connectivism: a new learning theory? __// ( [] ) he seems to argue that the theory is fundamentally concerned with what is learned and why. Thus, it is more of a pedagogy than a theory of learning. 

Kerr (2006) also argues against Connectivism as a learning theory, acknowledging that while networks are important, they cannot replace the established theories.

For me, it seems that the foundation or substrate that knowledge stands upon in the digital age is constantly shifting and renewing itself. Thus the creation of knowledge in this web of connections is also dynamic and a network theory of knowledge creation seems to be a useful tool to examine this new paradigm. It seems obvious that “how” to learn has taken on greater and greater significance with advances in communicative technologies, which are often no further away than the smart phone in one’s pocket or purse.

However…… Despite the exponentially increasing access to information provided by digital technologies; the manifestation of learning communities conjured out of the ether (a good thing I think);  in the end the external phenomena of the world as well as the internal landscape of our minds will be ultimately moderated and decided on by the “onboard” computer of the human brain. So while Sieman's ideas about knowledge existing in connections and non-human appliances seem to have taken the temperature of the times and are very current, I think in the end the connections do not constitute learning - that is accomplished in the creation of a tenable internal model of the external world by our own minds.


 * ==== Some interesting and confusing Information about connectivism. ====

The Relevance of Connectivism
 I think few would argue the usefulness and need for connectivism in the classroom. The argument is over it being a theory, not its effectiveness. On any given day, students and teachers are involved in a flutter of networks, connected to one another in a myriad of ways. Teachers connect with colleagues, associating with students, who then collaborate with peers and other teachers. Just within the school building itself, connections are constantly in progress, building and branching daily. As we retire at the day's end, returning to our homes, friends, or other places of work, the connections continue. Add the online networking branch, and we are all suddenly connected to the rest of the world.

<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman',Times,serif; font-size: 12pt;"><span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman',Times,serif; font-size: 12pt;"> Teachers and students collaborate. It seems to be a part of our construction to share, discuss, and study together. By nature, connectivism is relevant to us as humans. Each time one of us posts a thought, photo, or quote of another individual online (in a blog, or on any given social network) we are sharing what we know or have learned. It isn't however, how we learn. It is the people and places from which our learning takes place. Antonio Calvani, of the University of Florence, suggests the following, "A wild transfer of connectivism to school would lead to think that putting students on the net is enough to produce knowledge, thus consolidating that widespread harmful cliché according to which the more technologies we use, anyway we do it, the better it is for learning." (2008) It is not merely directing student to Web 2.0, or even their (and our) vigilant use of it. It is what we take from the experiences within the networks, utilizing and processing the information in our own ways and minds, that the learning takes place. Connecvism is a concept, not a theory.

Resources
Calvani, Anthony (2008). Connectivism: new paradigm or fascinating pot-pourri?. Journal of e-learning and Knowledge Society, 4(1), 247-252.

Kerr, B. (2006, December 26). A challenge to connectivism. Retrieved February 18, 2008, from: []

Seimens, George (2004, December 12). Connectivism: a learning theory for the digital age. Retrieved February 19, 2008, from: [|http://www.elearnspace.org/Articles/connectivism.htm.]

**Extra Sources**

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[|http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Connectivism_(learning_theory)#Criticisms_of_connectivism] []__ h[|tp://learnadoodledastic.blogspot.com/2007/07/connectivism-legitimate-learning-theory.html] __ __ [] __ [|http://projects.coe.uga.edu/epltt/i]