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Here is an interesting online course for teaching staff. It starts
today and is free to anybody who has an interest in learning more about
Connectivism. Just the thing to brush up on your cognitive
neuroscience, conceptual learning, and social
networking. I was interested to spot that amongst other Web2.0 tools,
it makes good use the Moodle content management system.<br>
<br>
Enjoy<br>
<br>
Regards Roland<br>
<br>
<div dir="ltr">
<div class="gmail_quote">---------- Forwarded message ----------<br>
From: <b class="gmail_sendername">George Siemens</b> <span dir="ltr"><<a
moz-do-not-send="true" href="mailto:gsiemens@elearnspace.org">gsiemens@elearnspace.org</a>></span><br>
Date: 2008/9/6<br>
Subject: Connectivism:<br>
<big><big><b>
<center>Connectivism</center>
</b></big></big>
<p><b>
<center>Learning for today's learner</center>
</b></p>
September 5, 2008
<p>As mentioned in June, we are offering an <a moz-do-not-send="true"
href="http://ltc.umanitoba.ca/connectivism/" target="_blank"> open
online course on
Connectivism</a>. The course begins on Monday and is freely available
to
anyone with an interest in learning more about the topic. You can sign
up
<a moz-do-not-send="true"
href="http://ltc.umanitoba.ca/connectivism/?page_id=3" target="_blank">for
free
here</a>.
The <a moz-do-not-send="true"
href="http://ltc.umanitoba.ca/wiki/Connectivism" target="_blank">course
outline is
also available</a>. And, for a bit more information, I've put together
a
<a moz-do-not-send="true"
href="http://elearnspace.org/media/GettingStarted/player.html"
target="_blank">short
introductory presentation</a> on how the course operates.
<br>
For learners wishing formal credit through University of Manitoba, a <a
moz-do-not-send="true"
href="http://ltc.umanitoba.ca/connectivism/?p=67" target="_blank">paid
enrollment
option</a> is also available.
</p>
<p>As posted on my elearnspace site, I have an article available on <a
moz-do-not-send="true"
href="http://elearnspace.org/Articles/systemic_impact.htm"
target="_blank">New spaces and
structures of learning: the systemic impact of connective knowledge,
connectivism, and networked learning</a> (<a moz-do-not-send="true"
href="http://www.elearnspace.org/Articles/systemic_impact.doc"
target="_blank">MS Word
file</a>). The concepts explored in the article are reflective of a
previous discussion on this site about "a world without courses". How
long,
after all, can we flirt at the edges of change before we seek a full
embrace?
</p>
<p>I had a nice chat with Richard Schwier
on connectivism. He has posted the video on his site: <a
moz-do-not-send="true" href="http://omegageek.net/rickscafe/?p=1193"
target="_blank">Interview on
Connectivism</a>. As I mentioned during the discussion, at a recent
conference, Stephen Downes and I were chatting about research basis for
learning theories. The notion of connectivism - pick another term like
networked learning if that works better for you - is better supported
through research than existing theories of learning. The concepts from
AI,
connectionism, cognitive neuroscience, conceptual learning, and social
network analysis - all of which form key foundations of connectivism -
all
contribute to validating learning in networks.
</p>
<p>...and, I was recently also interview by Robin Good. We chatted
about <a moz-do-not-send="true" href="http://blip.tv/file/1196315"
target="_blank">learning, connectivism, and social
media</a>.
</p>
<p>Matthias Melcher (I think that's his name - had to dig around his <a
moz-do-not-send="true" href="http://x28newblog.blog.uni-heidelberg.de/"
target="_blank">x28 blog</a> for a bit)
provides an interesting commentary on why he feels connectivism should
not
be seen as a learning theory. I'll quote it at length:
</p>
<blockquote>IMO, a definition or description would be more appropriate
for simpler
things that do not suffer when they are isolated and formalized. I
think,
a
complex, emerging concept like connectivism is better understood by its
relationships. So, rather than "What is…", I would prefer something
like
"How is it related", or connected, to other ideas, or even, to the
world. <br>
Connectivism would, IMO, suffer from restricting definitions such as
being
a learning theory, which has to obey traditional criteria of an
empirically
provable but very narrow scope of application. Even though the theory
is
addressing extensive changes and emancipation, this will not increase
the
perceived scope of what the theory explains but, instead, the
prevailing
resistance against such changes will further diminish and restrict the
conceded scope. <br>
The whole new view, however, that is enabled by connectivism, extends
to
much more than learning and schools. Downes' and Siemens' discussions
shed
new light on fundamental concepts, such as rules versus patterns,
complicated vs. complex, equivalence vs. similarity, and coping with
ambiguity and uncertainty. And these consideration render many
entrenched
practices of the entire knowledge industry questionable.</blockquote>
Late last week, I threw out a <a moz-do-not-send="true"
href="http://twitter.com/gsiemens/statuses/875982639" target="_blank">question</a>
to <a moz-do-not-send="true" href="http://www.stager.org/"
target="_blank">Gary Stager</a> on Twitter: "when a
constructivist constructs knowledge, where does it reside
physically/biologically?". Gary replied with something along the lines
of
"we don't know and I don't care. I can teach well without knowing the
details of how the mind works". Fair enough. Different educators adopt
different approaches in order to makesense of the teaching and learning
process. I'm trying to define it from the perspective of how our mind
works. Gary is - in true constructionist form (and I don't mean that
negatively!) - is focused more on the practical results and activities.
<br>
Gary then asked a critical question: what is the unique idea in
connectivism? The response takes a bit longer than the 140 characters
allowed by Twitter, so I'll tackle it here. <a moz-do-not-send="true"
href="http://connectivism.ca/blog/2008/08/what_is_the_unique_idea_in_con.html"
target="_blank">Read
More</a>
<p><a moz-do-not-send="true"
href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Parmenides" target="_blank">Parmenides</a>
held to a
view that nothing changes. Everything is permanent and unchangeable.
While
we have only fragments of his writing, his ideas are prominent in
Plato,
which in turn gives Parmenides a weight in philosophy that is often not
explicitly acknowledged.
<a moz-do-not-send="true" href="http://www.iep.utm.edu/h/heraclit.htm"
target="_blank">Heraclitus</a>, on the
other hand, felt everything was in a state of flux and change. He is
credited with some variation of the common statement: you can't step
into
the same river twice (or, more precisely, you can't step into the same
water twice, even if the river itself remains largely unchanged).
While Parmenides thoughts found some resonance with <a
moz-do-not-send="true"
href="http://plato.stanford.edu/entries/atomism-ancient/"
target="_blank">ancient
atomists</a>, and occur in the ongoing quest of physics to find the one
base element of all things (currently this has been reduced to such a
level
that it has become nonsensical to most human beings - note string
theory),
most people today would likely find Heraclitus' view of change to be
more
reflective of reality. <a moz-do-not-send="true"
href="http://connectivism.ca/blog/2008/07/a_humble_call_for_a_new_discip.html"
target="_blank"><b>Read
more</b></a>
</p>
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<br>
-- <br>
Roland Gesthuizen - ICT Coordinator - Westall Secondary College<br>
<a moz-do-not-send="true" href="http://www.westallsc.vic.edu.au">http://www.westallsc.vic.edu.au</a><br>
<br>
"Never doubt that a small group of thoughtful, committed citizens can
change the world; indeed it is the only thing that ever has."
--Margaret Mead<br>
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<br>
<pre class="moz-signature" cols="72">--
Regards Roland
--
Roland Gesthuizen - ICT Manager - Westall Secondary College
<a class="moz-txt-link-freetext" href="http://www.westallsc.vic.edu.au">http://www.westallsc.vic.edu.au</a></pre>
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