Introduction to Views of Connectivism Theory of Learning

‘Traditional' theories of learning as pratical dimensions of psychology majorly tend to focus their interest on humans' inner factors that influence the process of learning such as intelligences, motivation, interest, attitude, concentration and aptitude. They never connect it with instruments and technological inventions such as multimedia, cyber celluler, internet, even social organization, cultural values, traditions etc., while these are very influential nowdays towards the progress and behaviors of human life. As such the application of connectivism theory of learning which connect those dimensions of life with learning activities, is now and then insparable from any effort to promote the quality of humans' learning itself, including in teaching and learning languages.


Introduction
Behaviorism, cognitivism, and constructivism are the three broad learning theories most often utilized in the creation of instructional environments. These theories, however, were developed in a time when learning was not impacted through technology. Over the last twenty years, technology has reorganized how we live, how we communicate, and how we learn. Learning needs and theories that describe learning principles and processes should be reflective of underlying social environments. Vaill (1996: HPSKDVL]HV WKDW ³OHDUQLQJ PXVW EH D ZD\ RI EHLQJ ± an ongoing set of attitudes and actions by individuals and groups that they employ to try to keep abreast o the surprising, novel, messy, obtrusive, UHFXUULQJ HYHQWV«´ Learners as little as forty years ago would complete the required schooling and enter a career that would often last a lifetime. Information development was slow. The life of knowledge was measured in decades. Today, these foundational principles have been altered. Knowledge is growing exponentially. In many fields the life of knowledge is now measured in months and years. Gonzalez (2004)  learning. (Brown:2002).

The root of connectivism: limitations of behaviorism, cognitivism, and constructivism
A central tenet of most learning theories is that learning occurs inside a person. Even social constructivist views, which hold that learning is a socially enacted process, promotes the principality of the individual (and her/his physical presence ± i.e. brain-based) in learning. 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. Learning theories are concerned with the actual process of learning, not with the value of what is being learned.
In a networked world, the very manner of information that we acquire is worth exploring. The need to evaluate the worthiness of learning something is a meta-skill that is applied before learning itself begins. When knowledge is subject to paucity, the process of assessing worthiness is assumed to be intrinsic to learning. When knowledge is abundant, the rapid evaluation of knowledge is important. Additional concerns arise from the rapid increase in LQIRUPDWLRQ ,Q WRGD\ ¶V HQYLronment, action is often needed without personal learning ± that is, we need to act by drawing information outside of our primary knowledge. The ability to synthesize and recognize connections and patterns is a valuable skill (Brown:2002 Self-organization on a personal level is a micro-process of the larger self-organizing knowledge constructs created within corporate or institutional environments. The capacity to form connections between sources of information, and thereby create useful information patterns, is required to learn in our knowledge economy.

Specific character and basic principles of connectivism
A network can simply be defined as connections between entities.  (Newell: 1999).
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. Learning (defined as actionable knowledge) can reside outside of ourselves (within an organization or a database), is focused on connecting specialized information sets, and the connections that enable us to learn more are more important than our current state of knowing (Brown;2002:92).
Connectivism is driven by the understanding that decisions are based on rapidly altering foundations. New information is continually being acquired. The ability to draw distinctions between important and unimportant information is vital. The ability to recognize when new information alters the landscape based on decisions made yesterday is also critical.
2. Learning is a process of connecting specialized nodes or information sources.
3. Learning may reside in non-human appliances.
4. Capacity to know more is more critical than what is currently known 5. Nurturing and maintaining connections are needed to facilitate continual learning.
6. Ability to see connections between fields, ideas, and concepts is a core skill.
7. Currency (accurate, up-to-date knowledge) is the intent of all connectivist learning activities.
8. Decision-making itself is a learning process. Choosing what to learn and the meaning of incoming information is seen through the lens of a shifting reality. While there is a right answer now, it may be wrong tomorrow due to alterations in the information climate affecting the decision.
Connectivism also addresses the challenges that many corporations face in knowledge management activities. Knowledge that resides in a database needs to be connected with the right people in the right context in order to be classified as learning. Behaviorism, cognitivism, and constructivism do not attempt to address the challenges of organizational knowledge and transference. Information flow within an organization is an important element in organizational effectiveness.
In a knowledge economy, the flow of information is the equivalent of the oil pipe in an industrial economy. Creating, preserving, and utilizing information flow should be a key organizational activity. Knowledge flow can be likened to a river that meanders through the ecology of an organization. In certain areas, the river pools and in other areas it ebbs. The health of the learning ecology of the organization depends on effective nurturing of information flow (Gredler;2005).
Social network analysis is an additional element in understanding learning models in a digital era. Art Kleiner (2002)

Implications of connectivism theory in learning practices
The notion of connectivism has implications in all aspects of life. This paper largely focuses on its impact on learning, but the following aspects are also impacted: 1. Management and leadership. The management and marshalling of resources to achieve desired outcomes is a significant challenge.
Realizing that complete knowledge cannot exist in the mind of one person requires a different approach to creating an overview of the situation. Diverse teams of varying viewpoints are a critical structure for completely exploring ideas. Innovation is also an additional challenge. Connectivism provides insight into learning skills and tasks needed for learners to flourish in a digital era. This gives great contribution in language teaching and learning.
Our ability to learn what we need for tomorrow is more important than what we know today. A real challenge for any learning theory is to actuate known knowledge at the point of application. When knowledge, however, is needed, but not known, the ability to plug into sources to meet the requirements becomes a vital skill. As knowledge continues to grow and evolve, access to what is needed is more important than what the learner currently possesses.
In case of language teaching, cognitivism as a paradigm of learning is rich of horizons, strategies, methods and techniques such as the application of multimedia, digital library, etc.