Social constructivism emphasizes the importance of culture and context in understanding what occurs in society and constructing knowledge based on this understanding. The social constructivists believe that individuals create meaning through their interactions with each other and with the environment they live I, therefore they also view learning as a social process. Meaningful learning occurs when individuals are engaged in social activities.
According to Siemens, knowledge resides in the patterns of how different concepts are networked together. We can no longer personally experience everything there is to experience as we try to learn something new, therefore it is necessary to create networks of technology and people where learning communities can share their ideas.
According to Siemens, the principles of connectivism are:
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.
Decision-making itself is a learning process. Choosing what to learn and the meaning of the information may be considered as shifting reality. Something that may be considered true today may not be so tomorrow due to alterations in the information climate. A complex system is typically modeled as a collection of interacting agents, representing components as diverse as people, cells or molecules. Because of the non-linearity of the interactions, the overall system evolution is unpredictable and uncontrollable.
Maria.
http://voicethread.com/share/656976/
Orey, M. (Ed.). (2001). Emerging perspectives on learning, teaching, and technology. Retrieved from http://projects.coe.uga.edu/epltt/
Laureate Education, Inc. (Producer). (2008). Program nine. Connectivism as a Learning Theory [Motion picture]. Bridging learning theory, instruction and technology. Baltimore: Author.
Application 4 (New and Emerging Technologies)
13 years ago
Maria,
ReplyDeleteI can't help but notice that your global temperature project (see my comment on your previous posting) also satisfies the criteria for social learning theory.
I liked your VoiceThread on the Aurora Borealis and how you fit science in with the culture of Norway, and your family trip. Students would enjoy such a VT because they like getting inside our personal lives as much as we like getting in theirs.
Incidentally, my daughter gave my wife and I a CD of Sami traditional music from her trip to Sweden and Norway. It is hard to listen to! She was enrolled at Lund University in Sweden for a semester as an exchange student.
Tim,
ReplyDeleteTheir music is very much like a lullaby. It repeats itself a lot and there are very few or no words. It is interesting how they migrate with the deer to feed them and then bring them back. The sami do have a very specific culture. They also have their own flag and in parliament they have a very strong representation.
Your daughter must have loved being in Sweden. It is totally different from the USA. I have never been to Lund. The closest I have been was Malmo.
Maria