Constructivism, Connectivism and Cyborg learning theories O my! I really understand how constructivism and connectivism work in education and will continue to work in education for a long time.
In constructivism the theory suggest that we never learn anything from scratch and that all ideas stem from something that is already in your brain. This builds or constructs the framework. I don't believe this will ever go away, maybe change but will always be involved in learning. It is obvious.
Connectivism has also been around when we really think about it for a long time as well. People have always been connected and learning from others has always occurred. But, now with computers, wide world web, smartphones, Skype, and many other technologies we are more connected than ever! With Facebook we are making connections with people we haven't seen in a long time. No more are the days of learning about happenings in another part of the world and important part of the evening news. We know almost instantly when something happens around the world due to technology. This connectivisim I believe will only increase. We now have teachers using Skype in the classroom to reach other classrooms live via webcams. Fifty years ago the only way to connect to a classroom would have been via the mail and it took weeks to receive letters.
The Cyborg Learning theory really scares me right now. Will it in the future? I can't answer. I am a true believer in the advances of technology and education. I like that technology can save a person's life when a pacemaker is implanted. But, I don't know if I'm ready for a chip to be implanted that will know when I approach a building and open the door for me. I don't know if people in general are ready for that either.
I do know that as educators we are working during an incredibly fascinating world right now. I love the advances in technology that allow me to work from my computer basically anywhere. I love that I can communicate with someone many miles away via a text message and even send them a picture if I want. I know that students in the classroom are the same way. They cannot be away from their technology so it is important that we as educators embrace every type of technology that we can to help our students learn.
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