Analogy about today's learner

I have read Siemens' article on Connectivism as an updated theory for education, and watched the video entitled, The Changing Nature of Knowlede. He is stating that learning is changing from an internal activity to a group or social acitivity as technology has progressed. We must learn how to stay current and engage in contunual learning and this is often done through staying connected with other individuals in the field, or even in other fields. In the writing he discusses the limitations of the traditional theories of learning. They do not provide a way for learning how to evaluate the worthiness of learnign something, or the synthesis of connections from different types of information. He states that connectivism as a new model, providing a model for teaching about how to make connections, and that because of the rapidity of information being posted, things do not stay as they were for very long. "The half life on knowledge is shrinking" (Siemens, p. 1). Students need to learn how to locate, connect, and create knowledge in this day and age. They also need to know how to continue learning and growing as the times require. This is becuase, as Siemens' video states, the "network becomes the learning" (Siemens, changing nature of knowledge video, Youtube.com). Therefore the students must learn how to create and become part of a network that assists them in going from where they are to where they desire to be.

Analogy

I have created an analogy of the learner today with Siemens' ideas in mind. I would suggest to you that the learner today is like a blender. This is becuase many things go in, and after some chopping, grinding, or mixing, something new begins to emerge. Something that has become totally connected to all the parts that were originally free standing. The final product is better than the sum of its parts. At times this process may be messy, and may not look refined, and I think that is just how learning in a connected world is. This is the network of learners.

Siemens, G. (2005, January). Connectivism: A learning theory for the digital Age.International Journal of Instructional Technology and Distance Learning. Retrieved September 23, 2009.