Connectivism and Knowledge

How do they relate? One of the strategies we teach in reading is making connections. In everything we read we take the time to talk about how it connects to other text, or to self. The students become better readers and learners because they think beyond what they are reading. If they can make a connection, it means something to them, they gain understanding and knowledge.

Teaching our students how to connect with each other, their families, their communities and behond will help them become strong, productive community members. When students are simply provided with information they have the ability to gain knowledge, but won't necessarily learn how to use it or where to find it when needed. What struck me most in Siemen's chapter about Connectivisim, http://knowingknowledge.com/, was the question, What happens when knowledge flows too fast for processing or interpreting? Are we getting close to a time when there is more information given to us than we can handle? Although the human capacity for learning is tremendous, technology has provided us with ways to organize and manage knowledge. We don't need to be able to store all information, but have the ability to locate it and use it. What that means to me in the classroom is that I need to be teaching students to learn rather than learning for them and simply passing on the information!