Connectivism glossary About this glossary[edit] This is a glossary of terms used in connectivism to help define how they they differ from the dictionary definitions and other learning theories. This glossary is currently under development as part of the CCK09 and CCK11 course. Please help to improve. Alphabetical index of terms[edit] agent[edit] amplification[edit] A central concept of connectivism. capacity to know[edit] This is the potential that exists in a learner and their connections. centrality[edit] A measure of the importance of a node in a network. Connected specialization[edit] In complex systems, individual agents/nodes become increasingly specialized. connections[edit] "A connection is a link between two entities [in a network] such that a change of state in one entity may result in a change of state in the second entity." connections, making[edit] "Connections form naturally, through a process of association, and are not 'constructed' through some sort of intentional action." connective knowledge[edit]
Spelling Strategies for Children with Dyslexia Struggling with Spelling | Pride Learning Center By Dr. David Raffle, PhD, CBIS I know many adults who truly believe that they cannot spell, saying “I can’t spell” in the same manner that they would say, “I can’t swim.” But spelling, like swimming, can be taught. However, while most teachers know how to test for spelling, very few know how to teach spelling. There is a misconception that spelling is a form of dyslexia, a disorder where one is unable to recognize words or sound them out phonetically. The Three Types of Memory When I teach spelling to children and to adults, I first talk about the three types of memory. The second type of memory can be called Short-Term Memory, which lasts from 31 seconds to about 2-3 months. The goal of all learning, then, is to place what needs to be remembered into the student’s Short-Term Memory, so that facts, dates, and the spelling of words can be recalled. Simple Technique for Perfect Spelling Here is a simple technique that you can do at home to help your child succeed in spelling: 1. 2. 3. 4.
What is connectivism? In my last two posts on connectivism (here and here) I've alluded to but not made particularly explicit what I think connectivism actually is, even though I have been critiquing and exploring its boundaries. This post is an attempt to fairly briefly list what I think are among its more compelling shared ideas. I will draw substantially from George Siemens's most cited seminal article that has acted as a catalyst and gravitational centre for the idea, though I will also be adding odd bits of interpretation and extrapolation here and there that might not have been in the original and to which others have contributed. If connectivism makes any sense at all then knowledge about it is a networked phenomenon, not an individual invention. This is my bit of personal sense-making as I see it on this particular rainy day, not a definitive account to stand for all time, not a scholarly article citing its sources, not a theory, not a refutation of any other model of the idea. Connectivism
A Dictionary For 21st Century Teachers: Learning Models Learning Models, Theories, and Technology: A Dictionary For 21st Century Teachers by Terry Heick and TeachThought Staff Purpose: Improving our chance for a common language in discussing existing and emerging learning trends, model, and technology in hopes of innovation in classrooms, and collectively, education at large. Audience: K-12 & higher ed educators, researchers, institutions, and organizations globally. Form: An index of learning models, theories, forms, terminology, technology, and research to help you keep up with the latest trends in 21st century learning. Revisions: Persistently updated. Ed note: As stated, this is an ambitious work in progress that we’re choosing to share as we proof, revise, iterate, and generally improve for wider dissemination. Ed note 2: If you’d like to help update and improve this page, and have the background, curiosity, and/or expertise to contribute, email me. A Dictionary For 21st Century Teachers: Learning Models & Technology Activity-Based Learning
Learning metaphor – understanding of an elephant based on Instructivism, Constructivism and Connectivism This is my response to the stimulating and interesting post Instructivism, Constructivism or Connectivism by Ryan Tracey. Ryan writes: From a practical perspective then, is the popular “evolution” of instructional design from instructivism through constructivism to connectivism a furphy? Therefore, I propose to replace the traditional left-to-right gradient with a new representation: This diagram acknowledges the chronology of instructional design theory, with the earliest pedagogy occupying the centre circle, and the later pedagogies occupying the outer rings. Ryan concludes that if someone asks me “Instructivism, constructivism or connectivism?” Let me share with you my metaphor of the understanding of an elephant by learners (people). If you were an educator, a facilitator or an instructor, how would you assist the four persons to arrive to a “logical and rational” conclusion? Comments? Like this: Like Loading...
Differentiation Figure 10.1. Focus on Learning Profile Learning-Style Preferences Learning style refers to environmental or personal factors. Intelligence Preferences Intelligence preference refers to the sorts of brain-based predispositions we all have for learning. Culture-Influenced Preferences Culture affects how we learn, as well. The goal of the teacher is, therefore, not to suggest that individuals from a particular culture ought to learn in a particular way, but rather to come to understand the great range of learning preferences that will exist in any group of people and to create a classroom flexible enough to invite individuals to work in ways they find most productive. Gender-Based Preferences Gender also influences how we learn. Combined Preferences Combinations of culture and gender will create unique constellations of learning preferences in individuals. Some Guidelines for Learning-Profile Differentiation Remember that some, but not all, of your students share your learning preferences. Ms.
Distributed Cognition | Social Learning Theory “The emphasis on finding and describing “knowledge structures” that are somewhere “inside” the individual encourages us to overlook the fact that human cognition is always situated in a complex sociocultural world and cannot be unaffected by it.” (Hutchins, 1995, p. xiii) Over the 20th century, many have explored the question “how can the cognitive processes we normally associate with an individual mind be implemented in a group of individuals?” Ed Hutchins has spent his “academic carreer trying to understand human cognition in social, cultural and material context”. According to Rogers (1997), “distributed cognition is a hybrid approach to studying all aspects of cognition, from a cognitive, social and organisational perspective” (p. 1). Therefore, using insights from sociology, cognitive science, and the psychology of Vygotsky, the theory emphasizes the social aspects of cognition. Figure A ( Metaphors and examples: A ship steers into harbour.
Schema Theory Schema Theory (learning theory, psychology, cognitive science) According to schema theory, people make sense of new experiences and the world by activating the mental representations or schemata stored in their memory. New experiences and information are interpreted according to how it fits into their schemata. Information that does not fit may be misunderstood or miscomprehended. Key Concepts Definition A schema (plural: schemata) is an abstract structure of knowledge, a mental representation stored in memory upon which all information processing depends. How is schema activated? A schema may be perceived as a structure consisting of a series of spaces, some of which are filled and others empty. A person's possible schema of an egg (Davis,1991) Activation of schema can take place from the whole to the part, that is ‘’top-down’’ or it may be ‘’conceptually driven’’ from the parts to the whole, that is "bottom-up" and also known as "data driven". Types of schema Social schema Ideological schema
Connectivism_Week1 The Top 100 Tools for Learning 2012 list is revealed UPDATE: The Top100Tools Club opening January This year’s Top 100 Tools for Learning list (the 6th Annual Survey) has been compiled from the votes of 582 learning professionals worldwide – 55% working in education, 45% working in non-educational organizations. The top tool for the 4th year running is Twitter, with both YouTube (2nd) and Google Docs (aka Google Drive) (3rd) retaining their places for the 3rd year in succession. Once again the list is dominated by free online social tools. Whilst there is a clear differentiation between the personal/professional tools and the enterprise tools being used by workplace learning professions, in education teachers are frequently making use of the same toolset for both their teaching and their own personal learning. In terms of tool trends, this year’s list has seen an increase in the popularity of curation tools and social magazines for the iPad (like Scoopit, Flipboard and Zite). But now for the complete 2012 Top 100 Tools list.
When to Use Social Media for Learning Workplace learning professionals should focus on how social learning - and its associated tools - can help achieve business goals. The transfer of knowledge has always been a social activity. Many years ago, workers learned skills through apprenticeship. Workers in the same location, in the same area of practice would share knowledge, and thereby, strengthen the skills of the group. Today, workers can learn as they work, by connecting with someone with the answers, who may live anywhere in the world. What has changed over time are the skills needed for business success, and the speed at which knowledge is needed to maintain a competitive edge. In 1966, Peter Drucker coined the term the "knowledge worker." As organizations became larger, global, and more complex, it became less likely to find knowledge in next office - or when it was needed. Looking at the big picture As learning professionals, it is easy to focus the discussion on social learning on the tools, known as social media.
Learning Theories Every Teacher should Know about Have you ever asked yourself what learning theories you know about and which ones you feel more connected to and apply in your teaching ? Generally speaking, theories inform and guide practice in any content area and a learning theory is a set of concepts on how people learn. It is more or less an investigation of the strategies and the underlying cognitive processes involved in learning. The educational field abounds in learning theories to the extent that it becomes hard to draw clear boundaries between some of them. The graphic I have for you below provides a clear categorization of the learning theories you need to know as a teacher and educator. courtesy of edudemic
Networked Knowledge and Combinatorial Creativity by Maria Popova Why creativity is like LEGO, or what Richard Dawkins has to do with Susan Sontag and Gandhi. In May, I had the pleasure of speaking at the wonderful Creative Mornings free lecture series masterminded by my studiomate Tina of Swiss Miss fame. I spoke about Networked Knowledge and Combinatorial Creativity, something at the heart of Brain Pickings and of increasing importance as we face our present information reality. The talk is now available online — full (approximate) transcript below, enhanced with images and links to all materials referenced in the talk. These are pages from the most famous florilegium, completed by Thomas of Ireland in the 14th century. In talking about these medieval manuscripts, Adam Gopnik writes in The New Yorker: Our minds were altered less by books than by index slips.” You may have heard this anecdote. Here’s the same sentiment from iconic designer Paula Scher on the creation of the famous Citi logo: Kind of LEGOs. And I like this last part.