EDLD+5364+Week+1+reflection

This week’s readings on learning theories were very interesting and enlightening. The focus was on three learning theories: constructivism, connectivism, and cyborg. The Southwest Educational Development Laboratory (SEDL) explains constructivism in a very understandable fashion aligning it to learner-based instruction whereby the student is in control of the content and collaborates with classmates to explore and synthesize the information in a way that relates to their existing knowledge. “It has been said that the person doing the work is the person who learns” (SEDL, 1999). The constructivist theory substantiates that students are likened to detectives where they must use the new information gleaned and assimilate it with existing knowledge in order to problem solve. This type of learning promotes the practice of higher order thinking skills—analyze, create, and synthesize—which strengthens their learning capacity and retention.

Not only is learning internally focused but it is also externally driven by forming and making connections with outside sources of information and individuals, according to George Siemens. Today’s culture relies on a network model of learning which is the foundation of the Connectivism learning theory. Connectivism is a more complex learning style and is characterized by a continual process which requires the need to stay current and reflective with technology as it evolves. The connections between external sources of information are an important element to achieving this. Today, connections formed with other individuals and external sources are at the core of learning. Siemens describes learning and knowledge as “the distribution that occurs across an entire network” (Siemens, nd).

Dallas McPheeters, an Instructional Technology Liaison for Tucson Unified School District in Arizona, provides an excellent explanation of the integration of the cyborg learning theory. McPheeters discusses the use of Web 2.0 tools, specifically social media, as “an interactive network inviting collaboration at all levels” (McPheeters, 2009). According to McPheeters and other researchers, technology is on the brink of explosion and is the future of our society. It is indispensable to adopt a new paradigm for the 21st Century classroom due to the fact that education is at the forefront of this explosion. This new learning model is characterized by fusing both technology and humans and is known as the Cyborg learning theory. Introduction and implementation of the Cyborg learning theory will enable the next generation of learners to assimilate and prepare themselves for future evolution and technological learning models.

Reference List

Southwest Educational Development Laboratory, (1999). //Learning as a personal event: A brief introduction to constructivism//. Retrieved on October 4, 2009 from []

McPheeters, D. (2009, March). Social networking technologies in education. //Tech and Learning//. Retrieved October 4, 2009 from []

Siemens, G. (nd). //The Changing Nature of Knowledge//. Youtube.com. Retrieved on Oct. 5, 2009 from []