8845 MOD 4 Post Reflection - Connectivism

A Thousand Words

A picture is worth a thousand words, someone once expressed. So is a mind map. My own mind map on connectivist learning (previous blog link) is no exception. It very neatly explains how my network has changed the way I learn, articulates important digital tools that best facilitate this learning, and implies how I learn new knowledge when I have questions. Ohh yes it doeoeoess. . . .

It, at once, models Siemens’ notion that in order to best come to grips with the exponential growth of new information, connecting to and through networks is crucial. It illustrates his Three Broad Stages of Connectivist Learning Theory, i.e. First level: Neural Networking, Second Level: Conceptual Networking, and Third Level: Social Networking. It further supports his insistence that knowledge is networked, and that learning is the act of creating and navigating those networks. (Laureate, 2008)

My mind map is a resounding acknowledgment of these, and in this manner all three stages described are prominent. I use the computer as an analog for the brain (neural network administrator), and highlight the role that concept (knowledge) plays in networked learning. Therein also, I represent the social network as an additional node for conceptual input and output. “Connectivist learning requires mashups, or taking content and ideas that others have produced and reusing and repurposing them in different contexts.” (Laureate, 2008)

‘To know’ is no longer a result of massive personal memorization of detail; it is instead, a confident exploitation of content rich networks. Connecting effectively to these then becomes the critical element. In this regard, I could have cited the thousand words in my mind map.

Laureate Education, Inc. (Producer). (2008). Connectivism learning theory featuring Dr. George Siemens.