What made me go “wow” after reading the article “Connectivism: A Learning Theory for the Digital Age” was the ways in which the author highlighted the need to shift traditional learning theories to encompass the new ways we learn through technology. In a digital age, personalized learning can no longer be acquired through experience, but through learning about other people’s experiences. Constructivism, a traditional learning theory, states that a learner can acquire knowledge through tasks, however, the new challenge in a technological world is to connect with others to gain knowledge. Therefore, connectivism is the key learning theory in a digital age as its underlying principle surrounds a network of people and their sharing of knowledge, sources, and opinions. After I read this article, I wondered about how I could relate this to my own experience of networked learning, and I immediately thought of Tik Tok. The social media app has taught me many things, including how the internet is not an equal space for everyone. For example, I have learned about the importance of closed captions on Tik Tok for those in the deaf community, and how it can make them feel excluded if captions are not enabled. Can you think of a learning experience that came as a result of online connection?
Hello Mia,
I really enjoyed reading your blog post. I definitely agree with so many points that you made. I am a third-year student in Health Informatics and I am completing a co-op this term. When you stated in the post that learning through other people’s experiences can teach us a lot, it made me reflect on my experiences. And right now, being on co-op, I think it is such a great example of this because I have been doing so much learning in an informal manner by learning from the people in my team and understanding what I can do differently by learning from their experiences.
Reagrds,
Riya
Hi Riya,
Thank you for your comment, I have completed 3 co-ops now and I totally agree with your statement on informal learning. In my experience, learning through other people was also the best way for me to fully comprehend things.
Cheers,
Mia