Learners Are Like Mountain Climbers

 

The learner today is very much like an extreme mountain climber.  From reading the article Connectivism: A Learning Theory for the Digital Age, it  is especially apparent when Siemens claims that “Connectivism is the integration of principles explored by chaos, network, and complexity and self-organization theories. Learning is a process that occurs within nebulous environments of shifting core elements – not entirely under the control of the individual.”  First a mountain climber never really knows what they might run into, which can prove quite chaotic, weather and natural obstacles are often great challenges which cause them to adapt and make decisions.  Second, a climber must network and cooperate with other climbers to reach their goals.  Self-organization of a mountain climber is critical, without it, they go nowhere, or will find themselves in some difficult situations

According to the video The Impact of Social Media on Learning,  it is said that with the Connectivism Theory “It really comes down to our ability to have a dialogue with other individuals.  When we have that dialogue, we ourselves grow in that knowledge, we grow in our own understanding of our ideas sometimes.”  Dialogue in mountain climbing is critical, and often necessary to help others along when they get stuck or cannot see around an obstacle.  Having that connection, a resource, allows individuals to do much more than they could do individually and better prepares them for similar situations they may encounter in the future.