My Journey on the Connectivism Course

Really enjoyed Valdis Krebs’ session on ‘business and social networks’. I think it was all the diagrams

For me, it definitely goes to show that graphics/diagrams can be used to communicate ideas as well as just plain data.

The graph below, adapted from Connecting the Community, shows my relative positions in both the CCK08 on-line community and my own PLN on-line community. Doing a little better on the second

I suspect given the size of the CCK08 community there are probably already several ’sub communities’ developing within the main one, each of them mirroring this graph.

In the CCK08 on-line community, I am sitting somewhere between the lurker and the loosely connected fragments in the second ring, mainly because I feel that I am not engaging with the material in enough depth in order to contribute and thus become a highly connected member.

But, I like Andreas’ recent observation that “The course has assignments but this does not means that all the assignments have to be done. One should write when feeling to have something useful to offer or something to ask for help, not just to have an assignment done”.

This is what I will be attempting to do. Mabye, as the course continues, this will lead to becoming a member of a smaller inner core or mabye not. Either way it will be an interesting journey.

Phew, not the only one! – Discovered I was not the only one wondering if connvectivism was a theory.

Comment1
Connectivism for me is yet another way for us to try to explain something we have all experienced on a regular basis for most of our lives, the amazing yet utterly mundane experience of learning. It’s very name implies movement, continuity, evolution. Much like the intricate patterns of diffusion.
- edna talboy
http://ltc.umanitoba.ca:83/moodle/mod/forum/discuss.php?d=599

Comment2
I appreciate your thoughts, and wonder how the theory of connectivism is different from the theory of social constructivism. – Ken Anderson

Comment3
Constructivism
http://amusingspace.blogspot.com/2008/09/connectivism-and-actor-network-theory.html

Allocating enough time to this course is already proving a problem. Seeing as I am not doing this course for credit, I have decided to work at my own pace and dip into the readings etc as time allows. Will not be attempting the mindmap at this point – maybe when time prevails.

On completing several of the first week’s readings including the learning theories comparision chart, I have to say that I am not seeing Connectivism stand up as a learning theory.

I get the ideas behind Behaviourism, Cognitivism and Constructivism. Not so with Connnectivism, although it is early days yet.

I can see great value in networking and “connectedness” on a global scale and have experienced this over the past year. I also think this “connectedness” enhances a Constructivist environment. I am not seeing a difference between “connecting” and Connectivism.

At the moment, for me, Connectivism aligns very much with Constructivism and is possibly using different semantics to describe much the same thing!

As I said……….. early days yet

On another note, there must be someone else out there participating from Ireland????

Looking forward to the start of the online Connectivism course this Monday. I am just completing the pre course work tasks, which includes setting up this blog!

Have also set up my course Moodle profile and have completed my introductory Moodle message. Have been a bit disorganised this week leaving all the tasks for the last few days. Just completed reading ‘What is web2.0..’ and ‘Media Multitasking..’. Two more documents to go.

Have also just started following the CCK08 twitter stream and have added my pin to the CCK08 Partic­ipants google map created by Rodd Lucier.

Beginning to feel connected already