Content-type: text/html Downes.ca ~ Stephen's Web ~ Connectivism: A Learning Theory for the Digital Age

Stephen Downes

Knowledge, Learning, Community
George Siemens hits the mark nicely with this essay describing connectivism, the Information Age's answer to consructivism, behaviorism and cognitism. Most of what he outlines in this essay is what I have been advocating in the area of learning networks, but what Siemens has done is to express the principles, not as an organization of learning, as I have, but as a learning theory proper. I subscribe to the core principles of connectivism listed in the paper, but I would emphasize where Siemens does not that connectivism is essentially a learner-driven (as opposed to merely learner-centered) and decentralized approach to learning. I would also extend 'ability to see connections' to be something more like 'ability to see patterns of connections'. None of this is to take away from this paper, which I consider to be a substantial contribution, one that will be remembered well after this comment is forgotten.

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Stephen Downes Stephen Downes, Casselman, Canada
stephen@downes.ca

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Last Updated: Dec 23, 2024 1:40 p.m.

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