Reflection on knowledge learned in Week 1: Connectivism and Cyborg Learning Theories
During week one I was introduced to two theories of learning which was new to me. Most of what I have been learning about so far such as Bloom’s Taxonomy and Constructivism has not been unfamiliar. This is why I was surprised when I began learning about Connectivism theory and Cyborg theory of learning. According to the video lecture by Dr. Mason (2011), Connectivism is more complex than just constructing knowledge; it is the ability to create connections between various sources of information. It is about knowing where to find knowledge within various networks – through interaction with humans as well as technology-based databases. After listening to this video I thought about how this is the way we have been gathering knowledge since the advent of the internet. It’s just that I never knew there was a label to place on this type of learning. Knowledge is literally at our fingertips! It is instantly attainable and because of this I believe that we should not make our students responsible for remembering hordes of information. Instead we need to spend time teaching our students how to use the tools to access information when needed. In the video Siemens (n.d.) stated that it is not just what we know today that is important, it’s our ability to continue to stay current as knowledge changes. What we teach our students today may be obsolete for when they go out in the workforce tomorrow. It is important that we teach our students how to continue to stay current over a lifetime.
The other new learning theory I learned about was Cyborg. This was something that I never thought about being available in my lifetime. It is something that I remember seeing in futuristic movies such as Star Trek. As I watched the video I could not keep from thinking how frightening this all sounded. But after learning the implications this may have for education I realized what possibilities this could have for students who never before had the advantages that the average student had. And yet it is still something that is hard to think about especially when one thinks about cyborgs being far superior to humans. If this were to be so then we would have the inverse effect of students who are at a disadvantage. Further down the road the education system as we know it could completely change. Warwick (n.d.) stated in the video Cyborg Life, that there could possibly be no need for schools and universities as they are now when we can simply download information into the brain. If we could do this wouldn’t we all become equal? If we are all equal then what kind of a world would we be living in? This is entire concept is very difficult for me to wrap my mind around. It all reminds me of a movie, The Surrogates, set in a futuristic world where humans live in isolation and interact through surrogate robots. I remember watching this movie and thinking, why? I ask myself again later on in this video when this question was posed, “So what will be the destiny of humans without chips?” The answer to that question – “human enhancement will change life completely; humans could become a subspecies – cyborgs will clearly be intellectually superior” (Warwick, n.d.). That left me with more to think about!
References:
Mason, D. Week 1: Learning theories and implications for teaching with technology. [PDF document]. Retrieved from Lecture Notes Online Web site: https://www.lamar.epiclms.net/Learn/Player.aspx?enrollmentid=1702535
Siemens, G. (n.d.). The changing nature of knowledge. YouTube.com. Retrieved on February 25, 2011 from http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YMcTHndpzYg
Warwick, K. (n.d.). Cyborg life. YouTube.com. Retrieved on February 25, 2011 from http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RB_l7SY_ngI
