From brains to the net? Episode One - Net

Topic for week 7 is Connectivism, Social Knowledge and Participatory Learning, which attracts me greatly.

Connectivism is a said-to-be learning theory that aims at providing a better explanation to the learning in a technological and digital era than what the existing three major learning theories (behaviorism, cognitivism and constructivism) have done. 

The most interesting part is connectist belief of knowledge existing in the network outside of human's brain. "Learning is a process that occurs within nebulous environments of shifting core elements - not entire under the control of the individual." "'I store my knowledge in my friends' is an axiom for collecting knowledge through collecting people." In this theory, it is the "know-where" that matters, rather than "know-what". That is to say, it is more important for us to know where we can find specific knowledge, instead of knowing the exact description of knowledge. 

Consequently, learning can be equaled to making connections. We have to form new connections, as well as organize and adjust old ones. 
"Unlike constructivism, which states that learners attempt to foster understanding by meaning making tasks, chaos states that the meaning exists". Learners are making meanings from "a cryptic form of order", "a breakdown of predictability, evidenced in complicated arrangements that initially defy order", which means to recognize and organize the patterns of knowledge from a chaos of numerous existing patterns, meanings or pieces. In other words, learners are forming connections between specialized nodes or sources of information among a great deal of disordered information. The ability to distinguish important information from unimportant ones is also a key learning task.
When the environment or the "underlying conditions used to make decisions" change, the decisions (connections) that have been made may not be correct any longer. Adjustment of connections is needed all the way through learning, as information and environment is changing all the time. "The ability to recognize and adjust to pattern shifts is a key learning task."
"The capacity to form connections between sources of information, and thereby create useful information patterns, is required to learn in our knowledge economy." The diversity of connections learners make is a key factor that influences learning.

However, the position of connectivism as a learning theory has been challenged almost since its advent.

Pløn Verhagen (2006) believes connectivism to be relevant on a curricular level as it speaks to what people should learn and the skills they should develop. To be relevant at the theoretical level, connectivism should explore the processes of how people learn. According to Bill Kerr, connectivism fails to qualify as a theory based on three criteria. They are:

• Connectivism does not contribute to a theory or learning reform, due to its use of "language and slogans that are sometimes ‘correct’ but are too generalized to guide new practice at the level of how learning actually happens,"

• Connectivism does "contribute to a general world outlook," and

• Connectivism "misrepresents the current state of established alternative learning theories such as constructivism, behaviorism and cognitivism, so this basis for a new theory is also dubious" (Kerr, 2006, para. 5-7). 

To my point of view, connectivism does not explain the exact learning process that happens in human brains. And instructional strategies derived from connectivism, such as the design of learning environment and use of learning communities, etc, seem similar with those of constructivism.

Relevant articles: 

Siemens, G. (2005, January). Connectivism: A learning theory for the digital age.

       International Journal of Instructional Technology & Distance Learning, Retrieved

       November 03, 2008, from http://www.elearnspace.org/Articles/connectivism.htm