Connectivism

Mapping my Learning Connections

My coworker's youngest son is going off to college and I have to admire how prepared she is. A planner by nature, she does not leave details to the last minute. Recently, she has been asking around at work about what computer they should get him for college. Our Person Centered Technology Coordinator stopped by and explained to her the differences between the myriad of computers that are out on the market.  Needless to say it was not a short conversation but that's how we operate these days. Technology is changing so quickly that we either study up on every single thing or ask someone more qualified than ourselves as to what the best answer is. As my mother-in-law always says "it's not what you know, it's who you know" and, more importantly these days, it's a question of knowing  how to access the right network to gain the knowledge you need. 

These learning networks are best described by Siemens (2005) as connectivism which is "driven by the understanding that decisions are based on rapidly altering foundations. New information is continually being acquired and the ability to draw distinctions between important and unimportant information is vital. Also critical is the ability to recognize when new information alters the lands ace based on decisions made yesterday." For example, if a newer version of of Captivate was published I would know because I would receive an email from Adobe. If I wanted to purchase it I could go to their website, purchase it, and download it instantly to my computer. To learn about any of the new features Captivate might have I could read about them on their Adobe community site, I could watch a Lynda.com video about it, or I could join a Captivate community that is a forum for users to post questions and answers about the product.  My learning network for work is a great example of the learning theory of connectivism.  I use all of my networks in order to keep up in the eLearning world.

I use a lot of digital tools to help me learn and what tool I use is dependent on the question I'm asking.  If I need a step-by-step instruction on how to calibrate my Yeti microphone in order to get the best sound quality I'll do a Youtube search. If I want to learn a new program like Photoshop I'll look for tutorials on Lynda because it is a full course with exercise files for the learner to practice with. No one way works best for me every time and I often need to move on to the next resource if I can't find what I am looking for but because I have so many connections, both human and non-human, my question will eventually be answered. 

Being connected is imperative for my job and my personal life. One day I'll need a new computer  and I'll rely on my learning connections to get the best deal so I can check my Facebook and watch Netflix with the best resolution money can buy. 


Reference List

Siemens, G. (2005, January). Connectivism: A learning theory for the digital age. International Journal of Instructional Technology & Distance Learning, Retrieved August 02, 2014, from http://www.itdl.org/Journal/Jan_05/article01.htm