Week 3 - How have you been?

Quite a long time has passed since Week 3, and I found that when I went back to reflect on it, it really was quite far from my thinking. This week covered the topic of Online Pedagogies. To recap, these are often divided into behaviourism, cognitivism, constructionism and connectivism (Siemens, 2004). In my forum post (click!), I expressed my personal hesitance with connectivism as it is described by Siemens (2004), due to a feeling of lack of control by how the learning theory is outlined. Siemens (2004), for example states: "Connectivism is the integration of principles explored by chaos, network, and complexity and self-organization theories." (p. 4). However, after having engaged with others' interpretations of the theory and also gained new perspectives on the topic from my placement in Tallinn, I would like to look at this in another light now. Below you can see my classmate Tanya's video on this, which turned my attention much more away from the 'chaos' to the 'connection'.

Tanya's video also connected me to something I learnt about in my placement the other week - the flipped classroom. Here is a pretty great video to explain it.

A flipped classroom can be informed by many pedagogies, but connecting it to connectivism seems both interesting and logical to me. Siement (2004) highlights these characteristics of connectivism:

• "Learning and knowledge rests in diversity of opinions.

• Learning is a process of connecting specialized nodes or information sources.

• Learning may reside in non-human appliances.

• Capacity to know more is more critical than what is currently known

• Nurturing and maintaining connections is needed to facilitate continual learning.

• Ability to see connections between fields, ideas, and concepts is a core skill.

• Currency (accurate, up-to-date knowledge) is the intent of all connectivist learning activities.

• Decision-making is itself a learning process. Choosing what to learn and the meaning of incoming information is seen through the lens of a shifting reality. While there is a right answer now, it may be wrong tomorrow due to alterations in the information climate affecting the decision." (p. 4)

Through looking at this, rather than getting caught on the one part Siemens (2004) highlighted about chaos, I can start seeing how connectivism can play a big role in new ways of teaching and learning, and also connect more with it myself. I don't feel the same apprehension as I initially described and understand it more fully.

#Week3 #Revisit