Connectivism

I began using my network in high school with social chat sites when the Internet started becoming more popular. As a student I stuck to traditional forms of finding information, going to a library. As times continued to change and the Internet became even more popular I used the Internet to communicate with college classmates and professors by email. I never thought I would ever attend online school. I knew I needed to be in the classroom with an instructor in order to be successful. After I realized I would not be able to further my education but attending a traditional university I enrolled in an online university. My educational network changed the way I research information, the library for me is a thing of the past. I can't remember the last time I entered an actual library. I use online search engines for research as well as virtual libraries, I also learn from the thoughts and opinions of others. I don't think I would have this vast knowledge of the Internet and web tools if I didn't have an educational network. My work network opened the doors for me to communicate with teachers around the district and get ideas for teaching lessons. We often use email to share links to useful sites or web pages we created. My networks changed the way I learn new information and share information. My social network even allows me to stay up to date with friends I haven't actually seen in years.

I enjoy using search engines from various sites to find information, especially when I have questions. Almost everything I want to know can be researched via web. Google and Google Scholar have become two of my favorite places to find information. I also like to share information and collaborate with classmates and colleagues with various tools such as wikis, blogs, emails, and online discussion forums. My experiences with these digital tools have been heavily influenced by my networks. I enjoy the connections I can make through my network connections. I feel that I have an abundant knowledge base now that I have a strong network.

Collaboration

Howard Rheingold in his video on colllaboration suggests that humans have always had the basic instinct to interact. I agree that humans have the need to interact, but I feel that they will only collaborate and work together on something if they feel that it's beneficial. I believe that people do things for personal gain in most cases, don't get me wrong there are some that genuinely just want to help others. For instance a lot of people do not lean towards group projects if they feel they can get the project done alone. I have many students that would much rather work alone than pull the weight of the group. Those that look forward to group work often tend to be those who want the bulk of the responsibility placed on someone else. I also believe that the evolution of wikipedia came together because those that contributed to it's content felt that they could benefit from some aspect of the site. In essence people have a basic instinct to interact because they know they need other people to make personal gains.

The constructivist theory is weighted heavily on the idea that "higher mental processes in humans develop through social interaction." (Driscoll, 2005, p.396) With this thought in mind Driscoll points out that collaboration is a critical feature in a constructivist learning environment. (2005, p.396) Goal-based scenarios and problem-based learning, two of the methods of instruction for constructivism, are facilitated by collaborative activities. One person may not have the knowledge base to successfully answer a question, but members together have the knowledge necessary to construct an answer. Technology facilitates social interaction among students, facilitating collaborative activities. The use of wikis, blogs, and virtual worlds help develop ideas and promote the constructivist view of learning. With these social sites students can collaborate and construct their own knowledge base for learning. For instance blogs are controlled by individual students and ownership motivates student participation so students more voluntarily participate in collaboration on these sites.

Reference:

Driscoll, Marcy P. (2005) Pyschology of Learning for Instruction 3rd Ed. Boston, MA: Pearson Education Inc.