Of all the Learning styles I find the Connectivism the most fascinating. It boggles my mind to think that we have arrived at an age where there is so much knowledge floating around through the air waves. We live in a time where we can continually be connected with other. Our environment is becoming increasingly more complex and our ability to stay current with new trends in technology is overwhelming.
I wonder if the trend in education is to move toward and online learning environment where the majority of learning takes place in a network environment. This would fundamentally change the entire educational system. I hope that we never lose site of the importance of the teacher student relationship. I hope we never move to this extreme type of classroom.
There were two statements in the video, Connectivism as a Learning Theory I that I wish to comment on. I agree with the statement that knowledge is networked. (George Siemens) I think that means that we have the opportunity to learn and teach one another. I think that can be true in both the classroom situation and also in the world as we interact with one another. However there was another statement that I disagree with. The statement was Knowledge is not out there, it is something we create. (George Siemens) I absolutely think this is a false statement. To me it speaks of the arrogance of man. I believe knowledge is out there and it is up to us to find it and discover it but that does not mean that man created knowledge.
When I think of cooperative learning in the classroom, I think of students working together to create a common project. There is collaboration and lots of conversation and the group is responsible for everyone in the group. This is one learning technique among many learning techniques, and as with all learning styles they should be used with moderation and variety. Teachers should consider a variety of styles so as to meet the needs of a variety of student’s learning styles.
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I totally agree with you about not wanting education to totally be online-geared. I was a fairly recent traditional college grad, went to a state school, walked in the snow to class several times a day, met with groups in lounges and coffee shops, etc. True, much can be learned in the comfort of your own living room via blogs, podcasts and voice threads, but what kind of personal interaction is that? Are you learning about the real socialization that you get by working in a library with a group from your Chemistry for Consumers class? We all keep saying it: It's all about the balance!
ReplyDeleteLeann,
ReplyDeleteI agree that knowledge is out there and it is our responsibility to find it. I felt like Siemens was saying we create knowledge. I feel that we find knowledge that is there but we share it and expand on it. I also fear that we may one day have classrooms that are set up over networks. The thought of this makes me wonder how extracurricular activities would be conducted and what type of relationships we could have with our students by communicating with them only online.
Jonathan Garrett
I have to say that much of what I do involves students talking with each other, working in pairs or small groups, but I would still consider it collaborative learning, even if no common project was created. They are still learning from one another through their reading and conversations. I would think that a technology based project would have a longer lasting imact on the students though.
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