Constructivism, Connectivism, and Cyborg Learning Reflections

As I watched the videos and completed the readings on constructivism, connectivism, and cyborg learning, I found I agree with many of the points made by Abbott and Siemens in regard to how students learn and how learning has changed over the last several years.  According to the Abbot interview, Building Knowledge: Constructivism in Learning, students do not learn facts individually, but build on the knowledge they already have and fit the new information into that knowledge as best they can.  If this is the case, the more life experiences and the more students are exposed to, the larger the knowledge base they bring to your classroom.  It is also important for the teacher to make the learning relevant to the students so they can pull from the knowledge base they bring to the classroom and then build that base through activities inside and outside the classroom.  How students acquire knowledge has changed drastically with the creation of the Internet and social media sites.  Siemens address this in his interview The Changing Nature of Knowledge, in which he points out the connections the learners make with other students, social communities, databases, etc. is the most important source of learning.  I agree with this point of view and believe content is no longer the most important thing I teach in my classroom.  Teaching students where to find the content, how to analyze the information, and how to problem solve has replaced content as the most important things learned in the classroom.

 

Technology can assist in creating student-centered classrooms that allow the students to access their prior knowledge and build on that knowledge base.  Technology also allows the students to investigated new information and helps them build learning communities where they can collaborate and share ideas.  I like the idea of the technology being the source of content for the students and the teacher helping the students with how to interpret, analyze, and evaluate the information they have discovered.