My Connectivism Mind Map

MY NETWORK CONNECTIONS

I am constantly seeking answers to questions that pop into my head.  With the invention of smartphones, data, and search engines, I have the pleasure of instantly finding solutions.  This process of using technology to increase knowledge quickly is known as connectivism.  The formal definition of connectivism is “The ability to draw distinctions between important and unimportant information.  The ability to recognize when new information alters the foundation of decisions made yesterday” (Davis et al., 2008).  For connectivism to work one must create a learning network.  A learning network consists of the people, places, and things that I use to gain new knowledge.  My most used links in my network are technology tools.

Curiosity Didn't Kill This Cat

I have always been curious. Whenever I encounter something new, I would seek answers from family, friends, and books. Lots of books!  I do not remember when I started to use the Internet as my primary source for seeking information; it seemed to happen naturally. There was no significant shift, just a consistent change.

Bannerman, 2008 
(A favorite comic I keep next to my computer)

In the 80’s I relied on my set of Encyclopedia Britannica (250 years of Britannica), my Webster’s Dictionary, and my public library card.  In the 90’s I remember using the World Wide Web (it was new) in my university computer lab.  All the websites looked the same, not many pictures, but lots and lots of text (click here to explore the first websites).  Somewhere between 1993 and today, the World Wide Web became my number one stop for all research.  Any and every question that pops into my mind or out of other people’s mouths eventually gets researched using Apple’s Safari or Chrome’s Google.  

Doing Online Research

Often, the search engines lead me to websites like YouTube, Pinterest, or Amazon; but what makes searching the web interesting for me are the hundreds of thousands of websites related to my simple keywords.  I have learned how to find what I am looking for and confirm its validity.  In other words, I look at what could be considered chaos, find trusted sources, and organized the information as being relevant or irrelevant. 

Using the Internet can be risky, with fake news and unvalidated website becoming more prevalent, but there are ways to check information when it is questionable.

• Confirm your information on at least three other trusted websites.

• Use websites known for fact-checking; for example, YouTube and Britannica have joined forces to fact-check historical and scientific information uploaded in videos.

• If you find the information you are looking for to confirm your opinion, look for websites that do not agree to get an opposing view.  This method gives the researcher information on both sides of an issue and avoids bias influencing any decisions.   

Conclusion

Having consistent access to information at my fingertips has increased my rate of learning new things, but it also decreased my patience for the time it takes to gather information.  The speed and the 24/7 access I have for obtaining answers for any topic of interest is the main reason I love using technology to learn.  I still have discussions with my family and friends and read books, but the minute questions arise that we can not answer, I bring out my mobile device and ask Google.