Connectivism through Social Networking: Educator's PLN

The Networked Teacher:

Keeping up with technology is nearly impossible but one way to keep up is to establish a network with other teachers and to explore new technology as much as possible because it changes so often.

It is impossible to know all the answers so it's a great idea for a teacher to network with colleagues to learn from them.

The Educator's PLN is a great social networking site to connect with other teachers. I teach ESL and after a quick search on this site, I found dozens of blogs with teaching tips, lessons, and resources for ESL teachers.

This site can be useful for me if I'm in need of resources on a topic or if I'm struggling with something in the classroom then I can turn to my network for advice. Keeping up with the blogs on this site will help me to get new ideas or to learn from other teachers. This site is great and I encourage you to take a look!

A Learner is Like an Explorer

In the article, Connectivism: A Learning Theory for the Digital Age, the author, George Siemens, discusses that old learning theories are not relevant in today's technology driven world. Siemens says that Connectivism is driven by the understanding that decisions are based on rapidly altering foundations and that new information is continually being acquired. In today's information age, one has to constantly search for updated information. This is why I made the analogy that a learner is like an explorer. Learners must continuously search for updated information as the life of knowledge according to Siemens, is now measured in months and years instead of decades, as it used to be.

In the Video, The Conflict of Learning Theories with Human Nature, Siemens says that old theories of learning are at odds with a human desire to externalize. He says, we need to externalize our thoughts to connect with other individuals. A learner must explore various ways of networking with others because as he says, learning is a function of a network. Networking with other individuals can foster this human need to externalize in social spaces and help learners grow.