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Using Connectivism to Elevate Technology in the Classroom

Trevor A. Cockburn

Department of Education, James Madison University

EDUC 641: Learning Theories and Practice

Dr. Estes

May 7, 2020
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Using Connectivism to Elevate Technology in the Classroom

As the technology around continues to advance, so too must the ways we use these

technologies in our everyday lives. Although we often might not think of it, technology plays a

crucial role in the way that we learn and teach, especially in an academic setting. In a university

setting, technology is pivotal to their mission to educate and inform those who are there to learn.

As we advance our technology as a society, the technology in our classrooms must also advance.

These advancements often come with significant changes which can result in many challenges

for faculty, staff and students as they have to learn and implement the new technologies into their

class. This frequently results in the lack of proper use, or use at all, due to the absence of

education and instruction for use of these technologies. Connectivism can play a critical role in

the support, implementation, and knowledge of these technologies that pertain to the classroom.

Through the use of an online training hub, similar to that of a massive open online course

(MOOC), faculty and staff at universities can share their ideas, experiences, and uses of the

various technologies throughout the classrooms. Not only will this assist with the understanding

of how to use these technologies, but it could assist with breaking outside of the constraints of

what the technologies are intended for and instead use them in creative ways that can enhance

both learning and teaching.

Connectivism

Many would argue that the best type of learning takes place during student centered

projects that place more focus on collaborative projects between students. This idea places the

learning into the hands of the students and encourages them to collaborate amongst one another.

The Connectivism Learning Theory requires learners and teachers to create a network of

connections between each other and the various source “nodes” where they gather their
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information (e.g. books, websites, blogs, etc.) (Alzain, 2019). In these connections, the humans

are to share ideas, new information, thoughts, emotions, etc. so that others can build upon these

concepts. Siemens states that “Connectivism is the integration of principles explored by chaos,

network and complexity and self-organization theories” (Siemens, 2005, p. 4).

Compared to many other learning theories, Connectivism has only been around for a

short time, first being introduced in writings from George Siemens and Stephen Downes back in

2005. George Siemens, a theorist, writer and professor, suggests that Connectivism incorporates

ideas from Chaos theory, Self-organization, and Networks. Siemens' creation of Connectivism

stems from the idea that many learning theories, such as Behaviorism, Cognitivism,

Constructivism and Humanism, only have learning take place inside of an individual learner.

Siemens (2005) argues that:

These theories do not address learning that occurs outside of people (i.e. learning that is

stored and manipulated by technology). They also fail to describe how learning happens

within organizations… We can no longer personally experience and acquire learning that

we need to act. We derive our competence from forming connections. (p. 3)

One of the primary aspects of connectivism is, rather than just acquiring more

knowledge, that the process of learning should be connecting knowledge, maintaining these

connections, and expanding or increasing network complexity (Siemens, 2005). These

connections that Siemens talks about are formed between nodes and networks of nodes.

Connectivism suggests that nodes can be anything that can be connected to another node such as

information, data, emotions, organizations, images, websites, etc. The stronger the connection

between the nodes, the faster information will flow. Additionally, the connections between nodes
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may have varying directions and strengths (AlDahdouh et al., 2015). The connection between

node 1 and node 2 may be very different from the connection between node 2 and node 1.

Connectivism states that there are three types of nodes: neural, conceptual and external

(AlDahdouh et al., 2015). In the neural level, the network consists of neurons connected by

neron’s axon and dendrites. In the conceptual level, the network consists of concepts, ideas and

thoughts connected by conceptual links like similarity and positive correlation. In the external

level, the network consists of people, books, websites, programs and databases by internet,

intranet or direct contact. According to Siemens, content, interaction, static nodes, dynamic

nodes, self-updating nodes and emotive elements are all elements and characteristics of a

network (Siemens, 2005).

Connectivism explains how new technologies, such as the internet, have created new

ways for people to learn and share information amongst one another (Chandrappa et al., 2018).

Connectivism breaks down the confinements of a traditional classroom and suggests that

learning can take place across peer networks that take place online. Email, web browsers, online

discussion forums, video streaming platforms and various other social networks are all tools

which allow users (learners and teachers) to share information with others. With connectivism,

learning and knowledge is supported by the diversity of opinions and that learning is far more

than simply just “knowing”. Creating connection between ideas and concepts is a core feature of

connectivism, while maintaining and growing these connections are equally as important in order

to facilitate continuous learning. Connectivism is a form of experiential learning that prioritizes

connections through experience than that of simply gaining knowledge. It’s also important to

note that connectivism is not solely dependent on using web-based technologies, as connectivism
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suggests that learning is done whenever students make connections between ideas “embedded in

various communities and technology in their learning network” (Dunaway, 2011, p. 682).

Due to its age, connectivism is not widely accepted, as many argue that there is not

enough research and evidence to support its claims as a theory. Many state that connectivism is

not a theory, but instead a learning pedagogy. Professor Mohamed Amine Chatti claims that

connectivism misses some crucial concepts, such as reflection, that are important to the learning

process (Chatti, 2010). Additionally, although connectivism recognizes the changes in the way

that learning takes place, its ideas do not justify being labeled as a new and independent learning

theory (Kop & Hill, 2008). Kop and Hill do, however, state that connectivism is important to the

development of new learning pedagogies. (Kop & Hill, 2008). Frances Bell concludes that

connectivism influences learners and teachers to change the way we view learning but “will not

be built as a theory without significant qualitative studies to inform its development within the

context of other theories.” (Bell, 2011, p. 112).

Massive Open Online Course (MOOC)

A recent addition to distance learning, massive open online courses are open online

courses that allow individuals to learn through traditional educational means, but also provide

forums to support discussion and interactions between learners and instructors. Over time, the

massive open online courses have developed into two different categories; cMOOC and

xMOOC. These two terms were conceived by Stephen Downes, one of the creators of the first

massive open online course (Downes, 2018). The cMOOC is based heavily on the theory of

connectivism and focuses on self-guided learning through the sharing of information through a

network of individuals. On the other hand, xMOOC are more in line with ‘traditional’ learning

and is centered around the idea of a professor, rather than the sharing of knowledge and
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information amongst students. In addition, the cMOOC is more focused on the collection,

knowledge building, and networking of shared information, whereas the xMOOC is focused on

completing course objectives usually for certification (Ravenscroft, 2011).

One of the main principles of a massive open online course is that it is open and available

to everyone. The courses are usually self-paced and self-guided, encouraging more individuals to

participate in the learning. One major benefit of a massive open online course is that it allows the

users to learn with one another and promotes independent learning, which is often convenient for

the users’ time, but it also creates a sense of autonomy.

Setting

Universities are often supported by a classroom technology services, or audio-visual

technicians, group that work on installing and maintaining the various technologies located in the

classrooms on campus. These groups will research trends in the educational technology field and

continue to find new ideas of systems that could be used to assist faculty teach their students. It’s

often important to try to keep the technology somewhat consistent across campus, while making

sure the technology is also current with the trend. Due to the limited number of people who

support the classroom technology, they are often unable to provide complete assistance and

training for everyone who may need the help whenever new technology is installed on campus.

Faculty are tasked to teach students the topics that they are knowledgeable in. Most of the

faculty use the technology provided to better instruct the students, and they will often request

new technology to assist them with their mission. As they begin to create their course, they must

be aware of the technology that they have at their disposal and how the technology can be best

used to achieve their academic mission in educating their students.

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In addition to the faculty, many staff members and students will use these classrooms for

presentations or assist those who are presenting. They often have very little experience using the

technology in these rooms and therefore face challenges in using the technology to its full

potential.

The Problem

Unfortunately, due to the limited number of people who support the classroom

technology and the time constraints of the extremely busy faculty members, there often isn’t a lot

of time spent on training and instruction on how these technologies work. This often results in a

good portion of the technology being unused, forgotten about, or not used to its full potential.

Not only is this a concern for a potential squandering of the university’s money, but even more

importantly, this can be troublesome challenges for the professor, and will likely hinder the

learning done by the students.

The Solution

To combat the issue of the lack of training regarding the various technologies, creating a

tutorial webpage (or MOOC) would be a beneficial solution. In this training hub, there would be

various pages that could be used to assist with the explanation, training and discovery of many of

the common technologies found across campus. The training hub would be divided out into four

different categories; overview/explanation, training videos, frequently asked questions (FAQ),

and a discussion forum. This would ideally be a central hub for all things classroom technology

related, allowing faculty, staff and students a place to go if they have questions or want to learn

more about the various technologies. The ability to be proficient with the technology in the
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classrooms, would be one of the major motivation factors and would encourage them to continue

returning to the hub.

In the overview/explanation page, this would go over what technologies are located in the

various classrooms, where they are located, and what they are often used for. This page doesn’t

give in-depth instruction on ‘how’ to use these technologies, rather it provides basic information

that is useful for locating and a beneficial guide for those who have experience using the

technology. The overview page would also act as a ‘directory’ as it would allow you to remotely

search for all of the classrooms across campus to see what is located in the classroom and how

the classroom is set up.

For the training videos page, this would be a location that would consist of instructional

tutorial videos for the various technologies located throughout campus. This would be a place

where people unfamiliar with the technology, or need a refresher, could go to learn how the

technology is intended to be used. It is important that these videos are similar to one another and

use Gagne’s Nine Events of Instruction so that they remain structured and informative. Gagne’s

Nine Events of Instruction act as a guide to ensure that all of the necessary conditions for

learning is covered and function as a basis for designing instructional material with the proper

media (Ullah et al., 2015).

The Nine Events of Instruction are:

1. Gaining attention (reception)

2. Informing learners of the objective (expectancy)
3. Stimulating recall of prior learning (retrieval)
4. Presenting the stimulus (selective perception)
5. Providing learning guidance (semantic encoding)
6. Eliciting performance (responding)
7. Providing feedback (reinforcement)
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8. Assessing performance (retrieval)

9. Enhancing retention and transfer (generalization)

These nine levels can be divided into three different categories; Preparation, Instruction and

practice, and Assessment and transfer.

During the “Preparation” stage, the instructor, or instructional video, must gain the

attention of the learners (reception) and then inform them what the objectives of the course are

(expectancy) by providing an outline of what is going to be taught with goals. The next critical

level is to stimulate recall of prior learning. To process information into long-term memory,

learners must recall prior knowledge and relate it to the new memory. This is where the

Information Processing Theory comes into play.

Information Processing Theory (Model) is a “simplified explanation of how the brain

deals with information from the environment” (Sousa, 2017, p. 45, figure 2.1). Information that

the brain encounters is sent to “immediate memory” and then on to “working memory”. While in

“working memory” the brain will use previously learned information from the “long-term

memory”, this process is called retrieval. The brain will then use that information, during the

encoding process, to make sense and meaning to the new information, processing it into “long-

term memory”. (Sousa, 2017, p. 45). In order for the faculty to commit the new information

about the technology into their long-term memory, they must be able to use previously learned

knowledge to assist with this process.

The next stage of Gagne’s Theory of Instruction, “instruction and practice”, assists the

learners in processing and rehearsing the information provided to them and assists instructors by

providing a guideline for instruction. The first level is presenting the stimulus (selective

perception). At this level, the instructor will provide a detailed explanation (semantic encoding)

on how to use the technology located in the classrooms. Next, is providing learning guidance by
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further defining and explaining the technology through examples of its use. Elicit performance

(responding) asks for the learners to participate in activities to stimulate what they have been

taught, such as rehearsal. After this level, this instructor will then want to provide feedback

(reinforcement), highlighting what they got correct and pointing out what was incorrect. Now

this may be difficult in an instructional video, however the instructor can provide examples of

common mistakes while continuing to reinforce the expected behavior.

During the “assessment and transfer” stage instructors will assess performance (retrieval)

and enhance retention and transfer (generalization). This can be done through a questionnaire,

summary of the course, and discussion questions.

In addition to the overview and tutorial pages, there will also be a page for frequently

asked questions (FAQ). In this page, learners will have the ability to view what are the most

common questions that others may have. The FAQ page is an excellent source of information as

chances are they will have many similar questions that can be found there. Furthermore, support

staff can continue to update the page as more questions come in regarding the classroom

technology, so as new issues arise end users can be updated on current issues.

Lastly, and perhaps one of the more crucial pages, is the discussion forum. This is a page

where users will login, using their university provided credentials, to explore and participate in

discussion regarding the classrooms. Discussions sharing ideas on uses, tips and new ideas are

encouraged as others will be able to benefit from these discussions. We see examples of these

discussion forums and communities with all major companies. Apple, Google, Adobe, etc. are all

examples of companies that have online communities that allow for individuals to post a

question and other users, and company personal, can respond to the question and provide

additional input that is potentially useful to the one asking the question. Someone who may come
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up with a new creative way to teach using a particular technology is encouraged to share their

idea and how it benefits their teaching style. Others can also comment discussing how that may,

or may not, work for them, further expanding the discussion.

Presence of Connectivism

In this situation, pertaining to the online training hub for classroom technology,

connectivism is present. As stated earlier, connectivism is the framework for learning in an age

of new technology. The theory of connectivism relies heavily on self-directed learning through

nodes within a network. With the introduction of new technologies, internet-based technologies,

knowledge and information can be shared across the web in new ways from before. This is

where the idea of the online training hub for classroom technologies would be a beneficial

system for universities.

Connectivism relies on the idea that learning is a processing of connecting various nodes

together. All of the material and information located in the online training hub (instructional

videos, FAQ, discussion forum, etc.) are different nodes that learners can connect with one

another. The theory of connectivism is the idea that learners will make these connections and

continue to build upon them. Additionally, connectivism can be seen heavily in the discussion

forum. People sharing ideas, thoughts, knowledge and additional content is a key principle of

connectivism. The discussion forum is intended for learners to use to share ideas about using the

technology in the classrooms in different ways, what was useful for them, how they structured

their class around the technology, etc. The share of this information creates new connections that

can be developed upon and shared with others.

Connectivism breaks away from the traditional confinements of the classroom and

instead asks the learners to participate in their own self-guided learning through the connection
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of these ‘nodes’. It is the responsibility of the learners to continue to grow these connections of

information and pursue new connections as well. One of the major benefits with the idea of

connectivism in the online training hub is that all of the learning can be done on the learners’

own time. Because many professors are often extremely busy, this allows them to learn, explore

and make connections when they have the time, further motivating them and not constraining

them with a certain time frame. Although those who created the online training hub (classroom

technology services) will be there to provide guidance, the majority of the learning will be done

between the learners as they share and connect information.

Summary

We live in a world where almost every adult has a device in their pocket and easy access

to the internet at their fingertips. In this type of world, learners must be able to adapt and use the

tools that are easily at their disposal. Connectivism is a learning theory for the new digital age

that relies heavily on the participation of individuals with diverse opinions. Motivated

participation from the users to create, maintain and grow these connections is how connectivism

thrives. Using the principles of connectivism, creating an online training hub is an excellent way

to educate faculty, staff and students on how to properly use the technology in the classrooms

across campus. Not only would this educate, through the use of training videos and instructions,

but it would also be a beneficial space for users to share information and create ‘nodes’ for

others to learn and expand upon. Although it is a recently established theory, connectivism is a

useful way to encourage learning and the collaboration amongst individuals.

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References

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Bell, F. (2011). Connectivism: Its Place in Theory-Informed Research and Innovation in

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