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> Teaching … is essentially a transformational activity, which aims to get students to take charge of their learning and to make deeply informed judgments about the world. This book also challenges us to examine the institutional conditions that support or undermine this more ambitious view of teaching. In this sense, it urges a transformation of the conditions of teaching. — Richard F. Elmore, //Education for Judgment: The Artistry of Discussion Leadership.//[xi] []

toc =The Practicality of Connectivism= The article, Connectivism: Learning theory of the future or vestige of the past? by Rita Kop and Adrian Hill gives a solid overview of Connectivism and its place in educational theory. It presents a background on education and evaluates connectivism as it fits into those theories. The article also examines if connectivism is useful in the future. The article makes clear the importance of connectivism in the classroom. In today's classrooms, students are usually more technologically advanced than their teachers. Teachers need to learn new technologies and adopt them in their classrooms if they want to prepare students for life after school. This article does not "officially" view connectivism as a new theory but shows connectivism as a positive shift from teacher centered learning to more individual accountability for learning. [|Explanation of Connectivism and its role in classrooms]

Connectivism in Plain English from youtube. media type="youtube" key="XwM4ieFOotA" height="390" width="480"

According to George Siemens, goals for learning vary and are not utilitarian. In his article, "Connectivism: Learning Theory or Pastime for the Self-Amused?" Siemens states that "we may engage in formal learning activities to increase our career prospects, but for many, the bulk of learning occurs as a desire to make sense, understand, develop personally, or (for the utopian) become contributors to making a better world. Our views of learning must account for our strong urge to //make meaning//."

Although Siemens views connectivism as a learning theory, Pløn Verhagen, professor of Educational Design at the University of Twente, denotes connectivism as a pedagogical tool in his article, "Connectivism: A New Learning Theory?" . According to Verhagen, Siemens theory should not be placed at the instructional level but rather at the curriculum level. "The instructional level deals with how learning takes place, and learning theories are relevant at that level. The level of the curriculum is concerned with what is learned and why (Verhagen)."

. //Worlde of Connectivism (2008). Vivevans' Photostream. Retrieved February 16, 2011, from http://www.flickr.com/photos/vivevans/2658465788///

=Connectivism in the Classroom= Sarah Stewart, a teacher and blogger, examines the Connectivism theory at @http://sarah-stewart.blogspot.com/. It is an interesting blog because the teacher trains midwives. What I find fascinating is the idea that a teacher is a teacher, regardless of the subject or level they teach. She discusses her role in educating her students and how teachers should view the classroom and the best ways students should learn. [|A Teacher Explanation on how she promotes Connectivism in her classroom.]

George Siemens (2008) supports Stewart's stance by advocating for a curator role for teachers in the classroom. Siemens states that a curator creates spaces to connect, create and explore knowledge versus a space where teachers just dispense knowledge. According to Siemens, "A curator balances the freedom of individual learners with the thoughtful interpretation of the subject being explored. While learners are free to explore, they encounter displays, concepts, and artifacts representative of the discipline. Their freedom to explore is unbounded. But when they engage with subject matter, the key concepts of a discipline are transparently reflected through the curatorial actions of the teacher." //Excerpt from "Learning and Knowing in Networks: Changing Roles for Educators and Designers."//

//Fellow educators like Lindsey Jordan, a teacher of art and design on the post graduate level, has a passion for teaching. That passion draws her allow her students to enjoy their learning. Connectivism broadens the students learning and achievement beyond the classroom and raises awareness of connections never thought of before.// //[]//

=Teaching the Connectivism Way=

> Good teaching, in the ethical sense, enables students to engage in intellectual discourse, to learn how ideas are shaped and used, and to articulate those ideals clearly. Knowledgeable teachers often slip into defining teaching as knowing and telling it all. — Richard F. Elmore, //Education for Judgment: The Artistry of Discussion Leadership//, xv.

Just like any other event that allows interaction with people, the act of learning does not occur in a vacuum. Connectivism allows interaction, collaboration, prior knowledge and flexibility to integrate in the learning experience. In the following reference you will find an embedded video entitled "Connectivism in Plain English". Connectivism is shown to "connect " with other learning and with other learners, as reported by the Department of Educational Psychology and Instructional Technology at the University of Georgia. See their findings here: [|http://projects.coe.uga.edu/epltt/index.php?title=Connectivism#A_Comparison]

Sarah Stewart talks about how connectivism changed her teaching practice. When evaluating her teaching practices, she found that teaching just isn't about the content, but the means the content is provided to the students, the activities the students engage in to learn and what they do with the content they learn. Stewart learned to become a steward of learning instead of a teacher of knowledge, which was not an easy task. She learned to lead in the knowledge of technology to engage the student to learn. A connected teacher is always changing, according to the needs of the students and the changes in technology.

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Buffy Hamilton, a teacher-librarian at Creekview High School in Canton, Georgia, promotes information literacy through connectivism by showing students tools such as Google Reader, iGoogle, Delicious and Google Calendar gadgets. According to Hamilton, "students learn how to connect with other learners and entities to build knowledge and solve information-search problems." In addition, Hamilton introduces podcasts, blogs, social networks, video streaming, wikis and RSS feeds to her students. "Information literacy instruction must include helping students learn to pick and evaluate the best resources for their personal learning networks from print, subscriptions, and free sources (Hamilton )."

=References= Hamilton, B. J. ."Transforming Information Literacy for NowGen Students." //Knowledge Quest// v. 37 no. 5 (May/June 2009) p. 48-53 Kop, R., & Hill, A., "Connectivism: Learning Theory of the Future or Vestige of the Past?" //International Review of Research in Open and Distance Learning// v. 9 no. 3 (2008) retrieved from [] Verhagen, Pløn. "Connectivism: A New Learning Theory?" (2006)