This week of listening and learning about being “open” regarding education and its resources has been insightful. All pieces connect, relate, and build off of each other; yet, there is difficulty putting all the buzzing pieces together in a short reflection. I am struck by the underlying notion of the social constructivist theory of the value or openness and the learning from it. Siemens (2004) discusses how the theory of connectivitism has “learning as a process that occurs within nebulous environments…not entirely under the control of the individual,” and that learners establish personal knowledge networks of relevant information, resources, and connections. This focus on creating communities of learning makes connectivism a popular learning theory to meet the needs of the 21st-century learner. This is where the value of openness is relevant. Building a “sandbox” of learning, where someone constructs their own learning from the “tools” provided and others in their “community” (van Oosteveen, 2107). As David Cormier and Catherine Cronin mentioned in their symposium presentation (RRU Virtual Symposium, 2017) the pedagogical shift the control of learning to learner. The educational experience is built from social interaction, and cognitive presence, sprinkled with the support and discussion of teachers/facilitators. I appreciate the move toward a learning manager, in a community of inquiry, where the learner is constructing their own knowledge and feeling empowered in their learning. Currently, in the “sandbox” of my classroom, I love the idea of “rhizomatic learning” presented by Cormier. I am working at developing a space, where social interaction and cognitive presence, builds the personal knowledge and learning. Tough to do with teenagers but also a very appropriate time for them to understand how and why they learn. The autonomy of the learner to grow and explore within a safe space, community, is where the “rhizomatic” learner is “capable and spreads on it is own within the limits of its habitat” (Cormier, 2008). A lot to think about …
Connectivism WordleSiemens, G. (2004). Connectivisim. A theory for the digital age. Elearn Space. Retrieved from www.elearnspace.org/Articles/connectivism.htm
Cormier, David (2008). Rhizomatic Knowledge Communities–> Edtechtalk. Webcast Academy. Edblog. retrieved from http://davidcormier.com/edblog/2008/02/09/rhizomatic-knowledge-communities-edtechtalk-webcast-academy/