Thoughts after day 2

My thoughts post the discussion session on day 2 regarding connectivism, constructivism, and learning theory and online technology.

Connectivism
Overall I think the thing which struck me was how differently people had interpreted this theory. I very much saw the 'nodes' and 'connections' as a metaphorical representation of all learning, so could be applicable in many different contexts. However others saw it much more purely as a social network idea, where students were gaining information from peers and teachers and media with potential conflicts regarding the accuracy of information. This in itself was interesting, and lead to a discussion regarding the problem of 'verifying' the information our students access.

In my experience, students want to access information which is credible; however they aren't always able to judge this for themselves. In a way I think we need to credit our students with the ability to think critically, but equally this ability is something which undoubtedly improves with experience.

Learning theory and online technology
There was a nice comment made in the discussion regarding "technology" and the fact that we're all potentially a bit automatically negative towards it. I think this is certainly true; however I have been able to blog on this topic from an iPad while waiting for samples to be processed in a lab; I have also used my phone this morning to check emails while teaching a practical session; I have also used an online platform to show a group of students a picture series representing a practical exercise they needed to complete. So actually "technology" is already embedded into our lives. Maybe it's time to embrace it and use it well rather than see it as a gimmick or an unnecessary distraction?

JB