Connectivism and Curators

In his website dedicated to Connectivism, George Siemens describes how traditional learning theories cannot adequately address the new facets and dimensions of learning in the digital age, where the “half-life of knowledge” is rapidly shrinking. (The half-life of knowledge is ”the time span from when knowledge is gained to when it becomes obsolete”…Gonzalez 2004, cited by Siemens in Connectivism: A Learning Theory for the Digital Age)


Today, “chaos is the new reality for knowledge workers” and learners must not only know where to look for knowledge, they must also rapidly evaluate different sources, select only what is relevant, and filter out the rest. “The need to evaluate the worthiness of learning something is a meta-skill that is applied before learning itself begins”.

Connectivism recognises the role of networks and “other people’s experiences” in meaning-making. Connectivism sees learning as a process that is not entirely under the control of the individual. Learning or actionable knowledge resides outside the learner in the network of connections between entities.

Knowledge resides in different people and institutions, interlinked through many different constantly shifting, living networks. Individuals and organizations feed the networks and the networks in turn feed the individuals and organizations. The trick is to foster and maintain an effective knowledge flow between the individual and the network, “Learning is a process of connecting specialised nodes or information sources”.

Hence pattern recognition, or the “ability to see connections between fields, ideas and concepts” becomes vital. This concept is similar to DeGroot’s (1965) findings that experts were able to see patterns and connections not evident to novices. In today’s world, the body of information and knowledge resides in a constantly shifting network. Hence, we need to build a new breed of learners that can effectively contribute to as well as tap the network to obtain accurate and up to date knowledge. They must network and constantly contribute to the network for a value exchange.

Recently, a connection on LinkedIn (thanks Christopher Pappas!) shared this very useful resource on Free E-learning Books. I am in turn sharing it on this blog…and perhaps you will find something of value in this share. This is Connectivism - the new mantra for Learning in the Digital Age.

In another discussion, Siemens explores the role of edubloggers who offer a commentary on current trends and technologies in education and share not just resources, but their thoughts and ideas.

“They serve as curators of ideas, connections, philosophies, and world views. They create frameworks of interpreting and understanding history, new technologies, and trends through their work and public dialogue…”.

He extends this analogy to the role of the teacher, in providing an interpretation of content, knowledge or ideas being explored.

“A curatorial teacher acknowledges the autonomy of learners, yet understands the frustration of exploring unknown territories without a map. A curator is an expert learner. Instead of dispensing knowledge, he creates spaces in which knowledge can be created, explored, and connected. While curators understand their field very well, they don’t adhere to traditional in-class teacher-centric power structures. A curator balances the freedom of individual learners with the thoughtful interpretation of the subject being explored.”

So, how good a curator are you?