Connectivism Mindmap: Module 4

How has your network changed the way you learn?

My learning has radically changed over the last few years due to my education through Walden.  I will honestly say I would have never known about wikis, blogs, podcasts, vodcasts, skype or anything else if it wasn't for this program.  Because of these tools, my learning comes quicker than it used to.  I no longer have to wait on a professor to teach me the information.  I can now learn it on my own through said programs. Also, I have the ability to skype with colleagues from around the world to discuss educational matters.  This has not only increased my learning, but also allowed me to collaborate with others who may think differently because of their environment.

Which digital tools best facilitate learning for you?

The tools that best facilitate learning for me would have to be skype, wikis, and discussion boards.  I learn more from communication with others, and these programs allow me to do so. I meet with different groups at least once a week to collaborate on projects or to discuss the "happenings" of class.  This not only helps me to learn, but also keeps me up to speed with what all is due that week.  Lastly, the discussion boards allow me to expand my thinking by comparing it to others' thoughts.  I really grow as a learner when I am able to see and ponder upon different ways of thinking.

How do you learn new knowledge when you have questions?

I learn new knowledge a variety of different ways.  One is by reading others' thoughts on the discussion boards.  This allows me to expand my own knowledge by seeing what others think.  Also, skyping is an essential tool for me.  It allows me to communicate with others anywhere/anytime I want.  I have really enjoyed having access to it, because it allows me accessibility to information when I need it.  Lastly, I use Youtube and collaboration with my best friend through texting in order to bring to fruition aspects I do not understand in class.  Youtube allows me to see demonstrations on how to work certain digital tools I may not understand and my best friend is an amazing “techie,” so I go to her like she is my teacher. 

Module 3 Responses

http://vaughnswalden.blogspot.com/2011/10/collaboration-blog-post-3.html?showComment=1318176556479#c2499369078580725395

http://jenniferbethrobinson.blogspot.com/2011/10/module-3.html?showComment=1318176838591#c7031259841808808766

Collaboration

•Do you believe that humans have a basic instinct to “interact and work as a group,” as Rheingold proposed in his discussion of the evolution of Wikipedia as a collectively developed encyclopedia?

As Rheingold stated in his video, I too believe humans have a basic instinct to “interact and work as a group” (2005).  In my opinion, over the ages we have grown to understand the importance of collaboration to the survival of mankind.  We depend on each other to get the “most for our money.”  I believe as we advance more in technology, we will begin to depend more and more on one another.  For example, look at the direction education has gone in the last 10 years.  We have gone from a factory to a communal commons of learning.  We understand that two heads are better than one.

•How can technology facilitate collaboration among learners based on constructivist principles?

In the reading, Driscoll wrote the following recommendations:  1) Embed learning in complex, realistic, and relevant environment; 2)Provide for social negotiation as an integral part of learning; 3) Support multiple perspectives and the use of multiple modes of representation; 4) Encourage ownership; 5) Nurture self-awareness of the knowledge construction process (2005).  Technology enables these recommendations to come to life and engage our students.  The best examples of the above question live in our classrooms today.  At my school, Coahulla Creek High School, students use their tablets to do group research, access Edmodo, or Skype with one another about problems or discussion questions that they have encountered in class.   Also, our school was built to encourage collaboration and the use of technology.  So, the entire school has Wi-Fi for the students to use their tablets, iPads, or laptops.  As one can see, technology is the best way to embed the constructivist principles into student learning. 

•Find a current research study that has been conducted in the last 5 years that supports collaboration as an effective tool for learning. Include the link and reference for this study in your blog.

http://tojde.anadolu.edu.tr/tojde32/pdf/notes_for_editor_1.pdf

References:

Driscoll, M. P. (2005). Psychology of learning for instruction (3rd ed.). Boston, MA: Pearson Education.

Rheingold, H. (2008, February). Howard Rheingold on collaboration [Video file]. Retrieved from 
http://www.ted.com/index.php/talks/howard_rheingold_on_collaboration.html

Module 2 Responses

I responded to the following blogs during Module 2: 

http://sarahdwaldenu.blogspot.com/2011/09/response-to-bill-kerrs-isms.html?showComment=1317427065902#c6653570905949388640

http://rachelbell33.blogspot.com/2011/09/module-2.html?showComment=1317427381347#c3102015531708913049

Learning Theories

After reading through the blog with Bill Kerr, Stephen Downs and Karl Kapp, I tend to agree with Kerr about all the –isms(learning theories). For the six years that I have been in education, there seems to be times when all the learning theories have their moment to shine.  As educators we know that there is not a “one size fits all” approach to teaching.  Our students are all unique and diverse learners in the classroom who see things from different perspectives and who process what they are seeing, hearing, or doing differently.  Just as learning styles vary, it is evident that theories should as well.   

As stated by Kerr (2007) in reference to –isms, “They evolve, they listen to criticism and move on.”  I could not have said this better myself.  I believe without a doubt in my mind that the “isms” should be used when best for students.  We should have access to them and use what we think is best for the learner based on his or her needs.  Sometimes that may be one set way sometimes that may be a mixture of several.  If we need it, we use it; if we don’t we leave it for someone who does.  As we evolve, so must the theories we use to discuss how people learn best.  The days of only one theory being the answer for all learners is over. 

http://billkerr2.blogspot.com/2007/01/isms-as-filter-not-blinker.html

http://karlkapp.blogspot.com/2007/01/out-and-about-discussion-on-educational.html

Module 1 Responses

http://www.educatenlearn.com/ (Helen Wood)

http://www.darlingtonsblog.blogspot.com/ (Amanda Darlington)

Her's would not post to her page, so see below:

Mandy,
Great job on your posting.  My favorite part of your post is when you said, "Of course when you think about the two and how different things were when I was growing up as far as the methods that were used to teach and the materials and resources we had access to use, it is easy to see why and how the methods that work best for me aren't necessarily the methods that work best for my students.   Regardless of age/resources, it is evident that no two people learn the exactly same way."  The reason I like these two statements so much is because I think exactly like you.  I believe we have to create a new type of learning experience for our children to learn by.  Also, I concur with you on the "one size fits all" type of learning.  We are in the 21st century and school should not be what it used to be.  Fantastic job!
ES

Learning and Knowing in Networks: Changing roles for Educators and Designers

George Siemens

In my personal opinion, Driscoll and Siemens’ article did a fantastic job illuminating the path we have been and will be on in education.  They re-addressed the learning theories and gave an excellent synopsis of where education has been and is now with the immersion of the digital age. 

Driscoll posits these learning theories are: Behaviourism, which asserts that learning is a “black box” activity, in that we do not know what occurs inside the learner, focuses its efforts on managing external, observable behaviours, and finds much of its existence in objectivism;  Cognitivism, which spans a continuum from learning as information processing (a computer model) at one end, to learning as reasoning and thinking on the other, finds much of its identity in pragmatism; Constructivism, which covers a broad spectrum of research overlapping with cognitivism, contends that learning involves each individual learner making sense and constructing knowledge within his or her own context; it finds its foundation in interpretivism (2005).  Also, they provided a chart in order to better understand the critical elements of these theories (Appendix A).

Another critical aspect of the article was the critique of the infrastructure of education.  Siemens postulated that, “a growing disconnect in the tools and methods of classroom activity and those of youth culture and larger society is evident” (2008, pg 7).  Also, Siemens hypothesized that even though we are ready for a new era, our schools and the schools infrastructure may not be.  It may have to evolve into another era.  I concur with this postulation because it is occurring at the school at which I am currently working.  Coahulla Creek is the new innovative high school in my county.  We were not allowed to bring anything with us.  If we did, the only thing we could bring was flash drives.  There are no filing cabinets, no text books, and no library books.  Everything is provided to welcome in the digital age.  However, we are struggling because it seems we cannot keep up with the innovations.  Siemens asserted this would occur by his research.  He states,

“The rapid growth of knowledge and information adds increasing complexity to the growth of technology in learning. A number of studies (Friedlander, 2003; Gantz et al., 2007; University of California at Berkeley, 2003) indicate information growth is exceeding the capacity of both people and organizations to manage and make sense of the abundance. Boyack (2004), for instance, states that increase information growth has led to dilution and set in motion the requirement for new ways of sifting an managing information (p. 5192). While reports vary dramatically about the pace global information growth, individuals and organizations alike are faced with the challenge of staying informed in climates of extreme change. The change pressures within society (millennial learners, information growth, advancing technologies) are increasingly being confronted within education, suggesting the need for research on tools and required educational approaches in order to meet learners’ needs” (2008).

As one can see, we are indeed in the digital age and need to accommodate our learners to it, but there is a lot of change that must take place.  Another article to support their concept is “MUVEs and Experiential Learning: Some Examples” by Baba Kofi Weusijana, Vanessa Svihla, Drue Gawel, and John Bransford.  This article deals with the same topics as Siemens. Its web address is http://www.innovateonline.info/pdf/vol5_issue5/MUVEs_and_Experiential_Learning-__Some_Examples.pdf

These articles not only aided in my understanding of the learning theories, but also enabled me to see where we are in education.

References:

Driscoll, M. (2005). Psychology of learning for instruction (Third ed.). Boston, MA: Allyn and Bacon.

Siemens, G. (2008, January 27). Learning and knowing in networks: Changing roles for educators and designers/. Retrieved 09/08/2011, from http://it.coe.uga.edu/itforum/paper105/siemens.pdf

    Appendix A

 Table 1: Learning Theories

Property	Behaviourism	Cognitivism	Constructivism	Connectivism
How learning occurs	Black box— observable behaviour main focus	Structured, computational	Social, meaning created by each learner (personal)	Distributed within a network, social, technologically enhanced, recognizing and interpreting patterns
Influencing factors	Nature of reward, punishment, stimuli	Existing schema, previous experiences	Engagement, participation, social, cultural	Diversity of network, strength of ties
Role of memory	Memory is the hardwiring of repeated experiences— where reward and punishment are most influential	Encoding, storage, retrieval	Prior knowledge remixed to current context	Adaptive patterns, representative of current state, existing in networks
How transfer occurs	Stimulus, response	Duplicating knowledge constructs of “knower”	Socialization	Connecting to (adding) nodes
Types of learning best explained	Task‐based learning	Reasoning, clear objectives, problem solving	Social, vague (“ill defined”)	Complex learning, rapid changing core, diverse knowledge sources