Nowadays, the distances among people are becoming shorter and shorter due to the technology, which results in our global village. Not only can we chat with our friends no matter when and where, but also we know what happened at the other side of the earth immediately. The change of our life determines the change of learning style. As Siemens (2005) pointed out,
over the last twenty years, technology has reorganized how we live, how we communicate, and how we learn. So in my opinion, a learner of today is like a bee.
As we all know, bees cannot survive if they live alone, to some extent, which is like our learning today. In the video, Siemens said "
our learning today is one of forming networks with each other". In this network, learners can get more information which they may not acquire in the classroom. I have benefit a lot from that. When I prepared TOEFL test, I searched a blog which is like a discussion board for those who want to study abroad. From it, many learners showed their learning experience of TOEFL, which provided me with some shortcuts and let me know how to prepare that test. What's more, that blog also gives me some information about how to survive in the abroad. I enjoy this kind of learning. From social network, we can get more than academic knowledge.
On the other hand, the social network gives us more opportunities to practice our ability to have a dialogue with other individuals. Like bees, which use their ways to tell others where food is, learners of today also need a media to communicate with their peers, teachers or others. As Siemens mentioned (2005),
informal learning is a significant aspect of our learning experience. Formal education no longer comprises the majority of our learning. Learning now occurs in a variety of ways - through communities of practice, personal networks, and through completion of work-related tasks. When we communicate with others, we also grow our knowledge, understandings and ideas. Communication is a way to externalize knowledge.
Article:
Connectivism: A Learning Theory for the Digital Age
Video:
The Impact of Social Software on Learning
1 comment:
It sounds as if your food experience networking about the TOEFL and about living abroad initiated you into the usefulness of being connected. It can help us throughout our lives in many ways!
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