Can Connectivism Work with Distance Learning?

George Siemens' TEDxNYED talk was gratifying. As a leading proponent of connectivism, he confirmed one of the primary concerns that I have with technology use in education: use of technology can lead to fragmentation and is not necessarily a judicious education tool.

I agree with him that connectivism is a key factor in quality education. Knowing that he is working toward better understanding how to create effective connections in distance learning makes his work all the more exciting. I look forward to seeing the results from the work of Siemens and other proponents of MOOCs and other forms of distance learning. We seem to be undergoing a revolution in education especially in higher ed, such as the initiatives underway with Harvard, MIT, Stanford, and others. While the goal is to make higher ed education more available and more affordable. The question remains as to whether or not the education has quality.

This push for distance learning by the Board of Regents at the University of Virginia appears to have played a role in justifying the attempted (and failed) ouster of the President of the University. I appreciate President Sullivan's desire to not jump on the bandwagon and to take a measured approach.




As a postscript, I highly recommend this article from Inside Higher Ed which reviews the xMOOCs created by Harvard, MIT, Stanford, etc.