Connectivism

Describing the current view of education as opposed to 50 years ago George Siemens says, “Today I would say education is complex, and complexity is like a weather system, lots of multiple impacting factors. We suspect it will be like this tomorrow, but if this storm system comes up from over here or this factor changes over there, it will be completely different. That's education today, and that's the dimension that I'm trying to address with connectivism is that nature of abundant information, of primary use of technology, the increasingly complex systemic-based environments that we face today.“ (Laureate Education, 2009, p. 6) Learning then comes at the intersection of one’s personal and professional networks and systems facilitated by today’s technology tools. My networks have had a profound impact on my learning. The people and information that I am exposed to on a regular basis shape my thinking and guide my interactions throughout each and every day. As new people, information sources, and systems add to, replace, or modify my existing network I am effectively changed as a result. I am a product of this environment and the influences that I allow into my network. I utilize various digital resources to help me learn. I rely on the internet heavily for various forms of information; research, personal opinion, news, and entertainment. Work related tools like googledocs, wikispaces and dropbox allow me to collaborate and connect with various professionals. I communicate through email and use computer databases and programs for organization and management of information that I gather/learn. The diagram above demonstrates the various ways that I access information and where I turn to when I have questions or I am searching for help with a problem. It helps to describe the way in which connectivism applies to me personally and the network that I have in place to facilitate learning.

References:

Laureate Education, Inc. (Producer) (2009). Connectivism [Video webcast transcript].

Learning How To Forget

Have you ever seen, heard, or experienced something that you just wish you could forget? I usually struggle more with trying not to forget but on some occasions I have felt it would be useful if I could simply erase an element of my life just as if it never happened. It may sound strange but much of the current brain research on memory is focused on making subjects forget. Scientists have target proteins that are connected to specific memories and have experienced some measure of success at wiping those memories from the brain. In The Dana Alliance’s 2010 Progress Report On Brain Research (http://www.dana.org/uploadedFiles/News_and_Publications/Special_Publications/WEB_ProgressReport2010.pdf) they state that they believe, “To optimize the way memory functions, scientists must continue to map out its inner workings at the molecular level. Recent research underscores the role of specific proteins for preserving memory. In addition, scientists have shown that rapid erasure of memory may someday become a reality.” Wouldn’t that be great if you could just erase the most embarrassing moments from your past just like they never happened? Well, that may be trivial, but considering those who have truly experienced severely traumatic experience, this research could be life changing. In a recent article from wired.com (http://www.wired.com/magazine/2012/02/ff_forgettingpill/) they discuss the implications for individuals with PTSD (Post Traumatic Stress Disorder) and the role that a recent brain research might play in helping victims forget the experience ever even happened. Jonah Lehrer of wired.com states, “In the very near future, the act of remembering will become a choice.” The ethical dilemmas surrounding this application of recent research are hugely significant; however, the implications for learning could be just as important. By discovering the way that we forget we may just figure out how we learn. These recent advances on the molecular level are paving the way for future research on how these chemicals function in storing information into long-term memory.

Blog Assignment #1

Here you will find three links to blogs related to education and instructional design.  I have enclosed a brief description of each to give you an idea of what you might find if you were to visit the site.


The first is an education blog http://ilearntechnology.com/ with the primary goal of helping educators to incorporate the use of technology into their classroom. This website was awarded the Edublog award for best website in 2009 (http://edublogawards.com/2009/best-educational-tech-support-edublog-2009/) You'll find a wealth of information for practically implementing various technologies into the classroom setting.









The second blog is http://www.21apples.org/  Here's what the author says about his site:

"21apples is a blog with a few lofty goals

• explore ways of empowering students to be more in control of their own learning
• help educators learn more about integrating technology into their curricula
• propose educational projects and hear feedback from around the world
• evangelize the benefits of particular technlogies in helping young people learn"

I chose this blog because it is an eclectic mix of information that is useful to me both as an instructor and as a learner. He uses cutting edge information and technology mixed with art.

21APPLES

learning in the 21st century

 

 

My third blog http://123elearning.blogspot.com/ is from an instructor from another part of the world who's goal is to link people together for the purpose of improving education. It seemed to fit well with the basic idea of the assignment from Dr. Artino and I was intrigued by the challenges faced by her as she attempts to connect with other educators around the globe.

E-Learning Journeys

Innovation, Leadership, Creativity, Collaboration

I hope you find these links useful and interesting. I hope to add more as I come across them and I will figure out the best way to post the links to my blog site for easy access.