We've all heard of the same old smilies, "A learner is like a bridge," or, "A learner is like a tree." However, learning now is not the same as it was 10, 5, even 2 years ago. The technologies we use and the world we live in impacts the way we learn and teach. With that being said, it may be more accurate to state that, "A learner is like a road trip."
How is a learner anything like a road trip? It has been said that during a road trip, the journey is more important than the destination. The same concept can be applied to Connectivism. Connectivism is a learning theory created by Stephen Downes and George Siemens. This theory seeks to explain how learners learn in a ever-changing socially digital world. The basic idea of Connectivism is that learners learn best through making connections with other learners. Downes and Siemens stress that connecting with people from around the world can being different perspectives. This in turn can increase critical thinking skills and in-depth learning.
Connectivism states that the content of what is being learned is not the most important aspect of learning; rather, the connections made to gain that knowledge is. In other words, just like the journey is more important than the destination during a road trip, "The pipe is more important than the content within the pipe" (Siemens, 2005). Those connections made when learning new material are the most important because those connections can be used to gain knowledge at any time. With our ever-changing world, it is important to be prepared to evaluate and understand new information as it comes, and those connections can allow us to do just that. In fact, Siemens states that, "What we know today is not as important as our ability to stay current." In other words, making new connections and using already created connections allows us to better understand new concepts. In turn, this will allow us to become better learners.
How is a learner anything like a road trip? It has been said that during a road trip, the journey is more important than the destination. The same concept can be applied to Connectivism. Connectivism is a learning theory created by Stephen Downes and George Siemens. This theory seeks to explain how learners learn in a ever-changing socially digital world. The basic idea of Connectivism is that learners learn best through making connections with other learners. Downes and Siemens stress that connecting with people from around the world can being different perspectives. This in turn can increase critical thinking skills and in-depth learning.
Connectivism states that the content of what is being learned is not the most important aspect of learning; rather, the connections made to gain that knowledge is. In other words, just like the journey is more important than the destination during a road trip, "The pipe is more important than the content within the pipe" (Siemens, 2005). Those connections made when learning new material are the most important because those connections can be used to gain knowledge at any time. With our ever-changing world, it is important to be prepared to evaluate and understand new information as it comes, and those connections can allow us to do just that. In fact, Siemens states that, "What we know today is not as important as our ability to stay current." In other words, making new connections and using already created connections allows us to better understand new concepts. In turn, this will allow us to become better learners.
I love the bookends of "the journey is more important than the destination" and "the pipe is more important than the content within the pipe". Do you agree with Siemens that what we know today is not as important as our ability to stay current? Or are they of equal importance? Can we ignore the past in our rush to seek the future?
ReplyDeleteI think they are of equal importance. I think it is important to know how to stay current, or else we'd be left behind and never advance as a human race. However, I do think it is important to understand what we are learning. What is the point of learning if we are just going to repeat our mistakes in the future?
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