WK1, Pt 2 - Connectivism : "knowledge" vs "Acquisition"

I feel that Connectivism is heavily focused on only one aspects of learning - “knowledge”. I believe the “learning” become more powerful when we recognise one’s journey of knowledge acquisiton.

I come up with the following concerns with Siemen’s theory:

·         Learners may not be able to filter the information in terms of its accuracy and currency

·         Learners may not be mature enough to know what is wrong

·         Topic/Subject specific   - how would learners learn subjects such as LOTE

·         Monitoring of learners’ motivation – who is going to “hook”?

·         Cyber safety

·         Removal of Teacher-Student engagement

·         Too strong focus on cyberspace interaction – are we creating socially incompetent people?

·         Availabilities of technology at school

 

 

However, I don’t totally disagree with Siemen’s theory. I believe that the theory can be used effectively and efficiently in tertiary education. I identify myself, as a GDLT student, using his theory in my learning.

As we read in Presnky’s (2005) article, we, as teachers, have to be flexible with the pedagogy we adopt in order to engage learners. Perhaps a new “flexible” learning theory needs to be developed because of the new technology. Theories such as behaviorism, social constructivism, or cognitivism need to be updated to fill the current requirements.

After reading Siemen’s theory, I asked myself a very basic question – “What is learning?”.  Then as a pre-service teacher, I decided to Google what the DETE says. I would like to share this with you;

Principals and school staff support wellbeing by building a positive learning culture - providing challenging, interactive and engaging learning experiences and by nurturing relationships with families and the wider community. Students support their own wellbeing by being actively involved in their school and community - and research on resilience shows a sense of belonging is critical for young people.

The Learning and Wellbeing Framework for all Queensland state schools incorporates aspects of current practice and supports schools to:

·         acknowledge the importance of wellbeing to the learning process

·         develop a rich school culture and positive ethos that creates a sense of belonging and self-responsibility, leading to positive behaviour, improved student attendance and achievement

·         embed personal and social capabilities within the general curriculumI

·         improve educational outcomes for all students.

(http://deta.qld.gov.au/initiatives/learningandwellbeing/)