Connectivism Reflection

Wow, how learning has changed! I remember when my main resource for any substantial, scholarly information was the library. This was before you could just turn on your computer and “Google it.”

Now, I have so many different resources in my Learning Network. While creating the mind map of my network I wasn't sure what substantiated as a resource. You see, I watch some television programs that I do actually learn from and there are many “how to” videos on YouTube that come in quite handy.

From finding information after sitting in a library for hours, sifting through book after book or viewing the microfiche (wow are those still around), to now searching for something on the Internet, facebooking a question on my wall and seeing how many different responses I get, or calling a reliant friend, I can now find out answers to many questions via my network. What may have taken me all day, now takes minutes, if not seconds. I never realized how powerful my learning network was. Actually I never really thought about the fact that I even had a learning network.

We are now in the age of instant gratification. We want what we are looking for right now, if not yesterday. Technology aids, if not feeds, this immediate desire for knowledge. Google is my primary tool for information retrieval. Then, I just take off from there. I recently learned about Google Scholar as well. I read industry forums and newsletters from the Society of Technical Communication (STC) and various other technical writing or training development Websites and blogs.

The problem now is not finding the information I need. We are all seemingly overloaded with information these days. Now I have to prioritize and be selective on what I want to read and what is important or what will feed my hunger for knowledge.

Now that I have had time to reflect on the learning network mind map that I created, I can truly say that it follows the principals of connectivism. George Siemens, the father or connectivism, posits the following principles of connectivism:

• Learning and knowledge rest in diversity of opinions.

• Learning is a process of connecting specialized nodes or information sources.

• Learning may reside in non-human appliances.

• Capacity to know more is more critical than what is currently known.

• Nurturing and maintaining connections is needed to facilitate continual learning.

• Ability to see connections between fields, ideas, and concepts is a core skill.

• Currency (accurate, up-to-date knowledge) is the intent of all connectivist learning activities.

My favorite principal and the one I plan to expand on is “nurturing and maintaining connections is needed to facilitate continual learning.” That pretty much wraps up my learning network. In the near future I think I'm going to revisit my mind map and expand on my network, and even look for more resources that I should use on a regular basis.