Figuring Out The Hot New Learning Theories
If you are still trying to figure out how "connectivism (networked leanring)" is different from other learning theories, read on. IBM, Accenture, and plenty of other companies are jumping on networked learning theory by using internal wikis, delicious style tagging systems, and blogs for their employees.
This new hot theory is called "connectivism" or networked learning. It is also part of the new Informal Learning movement led by Jay Cross, father of e-learning.
Another well respected guru, George Siemens, just wrote about some differences between this new hot theory and older theories such as constructivism. He says:
For me - call it whatever you want - connectivism, social constructivism, navigationism (pick your own)...learning today must be seen as social, knowledge distributed across a network, capacity enhanced by enlarging the network, learning/knowledge as multi-faceted and complex, incorporating technology
The challenge involves creating models in order to cope with information overload and complexity. For example, ineffective models of learning function are not noticed for their weakness when they are not under pressure. When, as we are seeing today, the climate of knowledge and information changes, then the weaknesses of those structures are more pronounced. Connectivism is simply about forming connections - between people and with technolgy.
Constructivism, for example, relies on social dimensions of learning as a means of internalizing knowledge - i.e. in the end, constructivist knowledge ends up largely situated in a persons mind, while using the social space as a means to mediate and define the knowledge.Perhaps the real challenge I have with constructivism - and I've mentioned this before - is that it has so many flavors.
http://connectivism.ca/cgi-bin/mt/mt-tb.cgi/66
