Connectivism

Recently I have noticed a extreme lag in my desktop computer while doing graphically intensive task, usually this is a sign a component is on its last legs. My suspicions were confirmed when I took my case apart and heard something rattling around inside. As I was shaking my computer around like a mad man a plastic stud and a loose spring fell out of the case onto the floor. 

I had no idea where these loose parts came from, but knew it couldn't be good. I turned to Google to source the answer for me, after scouring multiple blogs I came across someone who found themselves in the same conundrum. The user was able to identify the part as the arm that holds the heat sink to the graphics card, others were chiming in with their own experiences. I was able to determine that eventually my card would fail due to excessive heat and this was the most likely reason I had been experiencing lags during task that required some extra extra oomph.

The article that we read from Christopher Guder identifies the basic principles that make up the learning theory of connectivism. Connectivism has been called the learning theory for the digital age, the basic principles that make up this theory is as follows

• Learning and knowledge rest in diversity of opinions.
• Learning is a process and connecting specialized nodes of information sources.
• Learning may reside in non-human appliances. 
• Capacity to know more is more critical than what is currently known.
• Nurturing and maintaining connections is needed to facilitate continual learning.
• Ability to see connections between fields, ideas, and concepts is a core skill.
• Currency (accurate, up-to-date knowledge) is the intent of all connectivist learning activity.
• Decision making is itself a learning process. Choosing what to learn and the meaning of incoming information is seen through the lens of a shifting reality. 

In my search for discovering the cause of my computers hard ware failure I exercised many of the principles of connectivism. I turned to a diversity of opinions in order to narrow down a solution for my issue. I connected to specialized nodes of information sources when I accessed a forum discussing hardware failure on computers. I found the most up to date post so I could ensure that I had the most accurate information available. 

There's no denying that technology has had a major impact on the way we learn, we have access to a almost unlimited amount of information. Learning has become more collaborative, we use others understanding of subjects or problems in order to form our own understanding. We have access to the most up to date information the minute it becomes available. Technology allows the learner to be an active participant in their learning, which makes learning more student centered. The learning theory of connectivism explains the processes of how modern technology is used in the learning process, and the impact tech has had on students and teachers. Technology isn't static and we may find ourselves needing to redefine this theory as tech like virtual and augmented reality change the way students learn.