Constructivism

We were asked to create a .jpg representation of our own learning network.  Here is mine:

This week, as we looked at connectivism, we were also asked to reflect on a number of questions:

How has your network changed the way you learn?
I’m not sure that I can answer how my network has "changed" the way that I learn – but can speak to how it has impacted the way that I learn. I have always had a network. As a pre-schooler, it consisted of my family, neighbours, church members, and members of the physical community that I lived in. Over time, my network has grown and I have also grown more comfortable with age in using my full network for learning when required. As my network grows, so does the richness of knowledge that is available to me. It is important to recognize when we look at our network – that it does not "end" with the individuals within our network. Each of those individuals has their own network as well that becomes a part of our "extended" network. I can’t say that I have always been aware of my network though, and the value that it brings to learning. Reading John Seely Brown’s book in 2002, "The Social Life of Information" (Seely Brown, & Duguid, 2002) was probably the first event that started bringing the awareness of my network as a learning tool into my awareness. After reading that book, I started to recognize how my network, and the context of my network shapes my own information and learning

Which digital tools best facilitate learning for you?
Google would be the highest on my list for digital tools that facilitate learning for me. The whole World Wide Web exists as a function of "connections", and Google helps navigate through the information to find what is relevant.

After Google, I would have to say that the "tool" is closely related to the context. For example, if I am troubleshooting or trying to work through a new application with software – forums seem to work best. If I am looking for information about a specific organization, or specialized knowledge – I often go to my LinkedIn network to see if I know someone there who might have the answer (and if they don’t know the answer – they have a high-likelihood of knowing who would).

How do you gain new knowledge when you have questions?
This may seem like an over-simplified response – but I gain new knowledge when I have questions by actually asking those questions and seeking a response. Whether I am typing my question into Google, sending the question by email to someone, searching for it (and the answer) on a forum – it all starts with asking. Simply asking though, does not guarantee a response – or more importantly a "quality" response. When I have a question – there generally is a context for it. If the response doesn’t fit or work – it leads me to more questions to try and get to what I need, in the context I am working in.

In what ways does your personal learning network support or refute the central tenets of connectivism?
For this question, it is important to consider the seven principles that George Siemens believes are core to connectivism (Davis, Edmunds, & Kelly-Bateman, 2008):

• 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.

As I look at my own learning network, I am unable to see any area (or application) of my network that refutes these principles so I would have to say that my personal learning network supports the central tenets of connectivism.

The next question this leads to is "Why"? This goes beyond the scope of what was asked here, but I think that there is value in exploring this. My work for the past 13 years has been in the domain of eLearning, primarily for corporations. It is the intersection of technology, learning and performance. If I had chosen a different career path, would my learning network, and my view of the importance of a learning network and all of the principles that Siemens has listed have evolved differently? If survival and growth within this industry wasn’t contingent on having and using a rich learning network, would I have developed such a rich network otherwise?

References:
Davis, C., Edmunds, E., & Kelly-Bateman, V. (2008). Connectivism. In M. Orey (Ed.), Emerging perspectives on learning, teaching, and technology. Retrieved from http://projects.coe.uga.edu/epltt/index.php?title=Connectivism

Seely Brown, J., & Duguid, P. (2002). The Social Life of Information. Boston, MA: Harvard Business Press.