Initial Thoughts on Connectivism and Connective Knowledge Course
George Siemens and Stephen Downes have created a massive online course, Connectivism and Connective Knowledge, that now has 1700 participants! I can’t wait to see how this unfolds. George had a great introductory video to help us get started. He suggested that we accept a degree of unsettledness as we move through this course and he talked about how we simply can’t stay on top of all the information available to us. Unsettledness I can handle. I think I’ve been living with unsettledness for awhile, heck, it’s become my way of life. I’m taking him up on his good advice. I thank both George and Stephen for organizing this learning opportunity. I thought earlier that I must be crazy to take this course based on the fact that I already have more than I can do but as I read through all the materials I knew I would be crazy not to take it! Wow! I have literally dropped everything today and spent time reading the course outline, reading a lot of the pre-week materials, reading introductions, and browsing many of the participants’ blogs. 
George also told us in his video that they thought they would be able to provide us with a broad enough theoretical and conceptual works that we would be able to start to see how this type of approach to learning can be applied to individual classroom and even broader. It’s a 12 week course through the University of Manitoba. Learners all over the world are participating and it is an incredible opportunity. It is so well organized and full of activities. The Moodle forum is the central hub in the course.The conference tag is CCK08. I have a feeling this is going to be an exciting journey. I am really looking forward to this opportunity for learning!
Tags: CCK08
September 6th, 2008 at 12:07 am
Hi Anne - great to have you involved in the course! I look forward to follow your insights.
I’m excited about the prospect of this course opening opportunities for educators to connect with each other…and to experience the value of being connected in diverse ways to a global network.
As mentioned in the intro video, the goal is to clarify what connectivism is and to provide educators with enough of a framework on conceptual structure to apply it practically. I spend too much time in the theoretical stage of learning and knowledge, so I’m quite eager to build the ideas into a more usable format for educators.
Take care
George
September 15th, 2008 at 5:13 pm
Hi George!
Can you imagine? I am just getting around to comments. I hope I am learning the “lay of the land” for this course - I am enjoying it!
I too am eager to build the ideas into a more usable format for educators. I know we are going to get good “food for thought” for that.
Thank you for this awesome opportunity….
Best,
Anne
October 6th, 2008 at 8:17 pm
The opportunities to be “connected” seem almost limitless. Learning how to navigate the “pathways” and the “etiquette” for clear, respectful, understandable communication seems beyond my reach at the moment. Learning how to take this “step” reminds me of the book, In Over Our Heads: The mental demands of modern life by Robert Kegan. It really is a book theorizing about ways of knowing and viewing adult development much as we view child development, an open ended process which derives from cultural interactions and developing mental capabilities. The “in over our heads” phrase is what I really identify with. No matter how hard I “work at things” there is always more. The communication technology and opportunities are way ahead of my ability to know about them or know how to use them. I would like to be pointed to some places where I can read more about using Web direct connection/communications or whatever they are actually called, for learning, especially in the visual arts. Thanks for making yourself, your thoughts, and your site available.
Sincerely,
Anne K.