Connectivism

The mind map of how I apply Connectivism learning theory shows a number of different avenues including interpersonal connections like family, and friends; solitary connections like observation; and reflective connections like making a mistake and reviewing it for corrective measures next time; and connections designed for escape from the every day, like reading. All of these various connections have changed the way I learn by providing resources and outlets to allow my mind to connect the dots when needed and wander to wider spaces to allow connections to happen on their own.

As I began to use my connections, learning became easier. I do not try to force learning – or very rarely – I use the different connections to help me learn. For instance, if I am tackling a difficult concept, I read about in a text, then surf the web to try and put it in practical terms, and then I may take a mental vacation by reading something not related. After this, I can then return to the concept and look at it from a different point of view and am able to grasp it better.

The internet has helped with growing my connections by being able to “Google” something that I do not understand and more recently or finding almost everything you ever wanted to know by video on “You Tube”. Both provide the tools necessary to dig deeper into information and gain a better understanding while comparing it against the tried and true published texts. When I have questions, I can usually Google it and dig until I find the information in a form that I can comprehend and apply practically.

The central tenets of Connectivism include: learning by connecting with new resources; acting blindly to learn new information; continual reflection and evaluation used to shift mindset; and emotion and cognition and their role in learning (Siemens, 2004). My personal learning network supports these tenets through my seeking new knowledge through web resources; allowing myself to make mistakes by at times acting blindly and then learning from them so as not repeat the same mistake; taking the time to vent in order to put things into perspective or take mental breaks or escapes when learning gets too “heavy”.

Connectivism to me is a theory of learning that incorporates the ever increasing role of technology in learning and the importance of our fast-pace to provide a framework of how we can apply these things to learning.



Siemens, G. (2004). Connectivism: a learning theory for the digital age. eLearning Space. Retrieved on November 29, 2009, from: http://www.elearnspace.org/media/Connectivism.ppt.