It is a very interesting to make
analogy to illustrate the learner of today. In my opinion, a learner is like a
baby because after some period of time, we can see progress and improvement. For
example, for a baby, within three years, we can see that he or she is able to
speak and walk which are two most important thing in human life. It is the same
as learners, they are exposed to an unfamiliar environment or world but after
some time of practicing and learning, we can see that they are able to master
some basic rules or even can do something by themselves.
“…Where we have come with
computers, we are now at a point where an individual, can do significantly more
with the aid of a computer which was never ever possible in the past..” This
was stated by George Siemens in the video The Changing Nature of Knowledge
, in which he explains his view on the changed nature of knowledge and
his learning theory of connectivism. He also compared his childhood study with
that of present students. When they learned to use computer, it is more
difficult for them to use computers than not using them. However, for present
students, it is very easy and normal to use computers because they are in
contact with computers every day. Therefore, if teachers can use computers as
aid, students can be in contact with more useful outside materials or even can
learn something by themselves.
As stated in the article Connectivism:A Learning Theory for the Digital Age : A Learning Theory for the Digital
Age, George Siemens, states that connectivism is the integration of principles
explored by chaos, network, and complexity and self-organization theories. With the increased use of technology
nowadays, students, adults, and children stay connected through the use of
social networking, news, media, etc.
When individuals stay connected through this process, they then have the
ability to stay connected through different fields and continue to improve
their learning process. I think at
present, it is teachers’ responsibility to help students exposed to new and
various different fields and materials in order to improve their learning
process.
Your analogy works very well.
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