#Connectivism Meets #Constructionism

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#Connectivism meets #Constr uctionism

Connecting to Make:
How Lear ning Theor ies Influence STEAM in the Classr oom
Kevin Deissler
EdTech 504
Boise State Univer sity

Abstr act
Students are growing up in a world much different than the readers of this paper. The demand
for 21st century skills to be taught in the classroom is ever increasing. Todays workforce
demands individuals who are independent thinkers, problem solvers, and decision makers
(Silva, 2009). Teaching students skills that make them proficient in science, technology,
engineering, the arts, and math (STEAM), will not only make them more marketable in a world
of growing technologies, but will provide them with higher-level thinking skills that the
workforce is looking for. Connectivism and Constructionism are two learning theories that fit
perfectly into this movement towards a 21st century education. The problem is that there is only
a limited number of teachers that engage these theories in their classrooms. This paper will seek
to find a correlation between these two theories and the technologies that can be used in
classroom Maker Spaces, and in everyday learning.

Keywor ds: Connectivism, Constr uctionism, Maker , theor y, inter act, contr ibute

#Connectivism Meets #Constructionism

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Connectivism

The idea of Connectivism is messy. The simplest idea of Connectivism involves the
connection with information and contribution to a learning community. A learning community,
otherwise known as a node, contains a group of people who share similar ideas and interests.
These people, due to common ground, are able to share relevant information with each other to
each others benefit. So what makes it messy? Most theorists approach learning as some type
of change in performance due to acquisition of skills or knowledge. However, knowledge
acquisition does not equate with learning, (Siemens, 2006). When a teenager turns 16, they
study the rules of the road in order to drive and acquire the skills necessary to operate a car.
They cannot get their license until they can prove to an expert that their skills are worthy of a
license (and even then, people joke about staying off of the road!). The point of Connectivism is
to not simply acquire, but to demonstrate and share what one knows. The tip of Abraham
Maslows Hierarchy of Needs is called Self-Actualization. It alludes to the sense that an
individual feels comfortable enough and has fulfilled all of their other needs that they can teach
others what they know, thus they exhibit a mastery of knowledge and seek to spread their selfworth onto others. Connectivism fits perfectly onto the top of this pyramid of needs.
Connectivism also digs into Blooms Revised Taxonomys Apply group, which utilizes such
verbs as teach, share, demonstrate, create, and simulate; all of which plays perfectly to the
Connectivist model of learning.
People argue against Connectivism as a learning theory because of its inconsistencies.
Different nodes bring different connections, interests, and emotions. Nodes are built on social
interactions. There is no set structure to how learning is acquired. Learners are tailoring
learning to themselves, which contributes to the inconsistencies of the method. Everybody

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learns differently, thus this learning theory affects everyone differently. Banduras (1977) article
on Social Learning Theory stated that new patterns of behavior can be acquired through direct
experience or by observing the behavior of others. While Connectivism has similar properties,
its the contribution of ideas that makes Connectivism an effective and substantial player in the
world of learning theories.

Connectivism in the Classr oom

Connectivism has an applied place in todays 21st century classroom, as Students are
expected to be more actively involved in their own learning process, (Voot & Roblin, 2010).
One of the International Society for Technology in Education standards focuses on
communication and collaboration.
Communication and collaboration1
Students use digital media and environments to communicate and work
collaboratively, including at a distance, to support individual learning and
contribute to the learning of others.
a. Interact, collaborate, and publish with peers, experts, or others
employing a variety of digital environments and media
b. Communicate information and ideas effectively to multiple
audiences using a variety of media and formats
c. Develop cultural understanding and global awareness by engaging
with learners of other cultures

http://www.iste.org/docs/pdfs/20-14_ISTE_Standards-S_PDF.pdf

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d. Contribute to project teams to produce original works or solve

problems
The verbs interact, collaborate, publish, communicate, and contribute fit in with Blooms
Revised Taxonomy and are all actions that take place in the 21st century workplace. Teachers
are responsible for preparing students for this workplace by engaging them in ways that connect
them to each other through technology. There are many ways in which technology allows
students to engage with each other and with the world.

Edmodo
Humans are naturally social creatures and are constantly interacting with each other.
Social media has rooted itself into peoples everyday lives. Society is also constantly finding
people who abuse social media. Why not begin to model good social and online citizenship and
allow students to actively engage with other class members online? Enter Edmodo
(www.edmodo.com): an opportunity for teachers to give students assignments in a social setting.
Students have the opportunity to comment and share within their own class that their teacher has
set up. The teacher also moderates and models activity within the group. Edmodos relative
advantage to learning includes the ability to continue discussions outside of school. It gives kids
the ability to converse with their peers about whatever discussions are posed by the teacher and
allows them the chance to share their knowledge with others.

Padlet
Teachers like to find ways to gather prior knowledge from their students as they
introduce a new topic. Padlet (www.padlet.com) works as an online corkboard, and allows

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students the opportunity to share what they know about whatever prompts or question the teacher
provides. The students responses are posted for all to see. Students can learn things from each
other about the subject and it is a quick and efficient way to give the teacher an idea of what the
students actually know about a particular topic.

Twitter
In what some consider the ultimate way to connect with others, Twitter
(www.twitter.com) is not thought of by many as a conventional means of learning. In reality,
there are some rock star educators who share their knowledge with the world. Teachers and
students need to identify their purpose for using Twitter. Teachers can give assignments and ask
questions seeking responses from their students. Students can also write stories using Twitter.
Whats unique about tweeting, is that individuals can only use 140 characters. By keeping tweets
that short, one must be able to succinctly explain what they are trying to converse. This can
show mastery of a topic if students can explain it through a tweet because they are putting things
into their own words. Students and teachers can utilize hashtags to follow conversations about
almost anything. Not only can one follow conversations to learn what others have to say about a
topic (which allows you to see viewpoints from others outside of the classroom), but individuals
can contribute your own knowledge to the conversations and build connections with other likeminded educators and learners.

Constr uctionism
If somebody were to observe a childcare facility which cared for the youngest learners, one
would see them using their imagination, and creating things from their thoughts and ideas with

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their hands. Whitehead, Coltman, Jameson, and Lander (2009) suggest that Play, particularly
pretend or symbolic play, contributes to learning by supporting childrens development of
metacognitive or self-regulatory skills, which are in turn crucial in the development of problemsolving and creativity. As children grow, there becomes less of a focus on this imaginative
play, and more of a focus on test scores. Classrooms such as wood shop, machine shop, and
home economics have suffered severe cuts over the years, however there is still a need for
students to be able to create and work with their hands. Enter Constructionism: put simply by
Papert and Harel (1991), Constructionism is learning-by-making. Learners engage in projects
that allow them to express their creativity and imagination to build knowledge. Grit, or
resilience, finds its way prominently into this learning theory, as there is a higher chance for
student failure; and thats ok. Students who fail but find ways to overcome their desire to give
up, whether they solve a problem or not builds character and grit, both of which are
unmeasurable on tests, and make better students and lifelong learners. As Dougherty (2012),
founder of Make magazine says, If its fun, why not do it? He continues to say that When
youre making something, the object you create is a demonstration of what youve learned to do,
thus you are providing evidence of your learning. Theres a fantastic correlation between
Constructionism and the Maker movement. By giving students the opportunity to make
something, to own it, and to show it off, educators are not only going to get more engaged
students, but presumably higher test scores and lifelong learners.

Constr uctionism in the Classr oom

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With the infusion of computers and other mobile technology in the classroom, the doors
have been blown wide open with the ways constructionism can be found in the classroom. Give
a student an iPad and they might play with the Photo Booth app or record a video. Give them the
right apps, such as iMovie, or Hopscotch and you give the students the ability to create mindblowing movies or learn to program their own games. Give a student a computer, and sure, they
could type a great report on what theyve researched, but that only touches on a few concepts of
the Common Core and very little on incorporation STEAM into the classroom.

3D Printers
3D Printers have changed the game for Constructivists and the Maker movement. While
having quite the AWESOME! factor, the effectiveness of this technology lies in planning and
engagement by the teacher. Plan the right assignment and one can teach to every facet of the
Common Core. Start with writing, collaborating, and designing a product and end with
production and presentation. Science, technology, engineering, arts, and math, all fit together
into in a wonderful package that allows students to construct their own learning. Giving students
the opportunity to work with such emerging technologies also allows students to consider an
interest in science and engineering, potentially changing or inspiring a new career path (Muskin
& Kouadio).

Minecraft
There are many viewpoints as to whether or not video games can and should be used in
the classroom. Proponents of gamification of education consider using what students are already
playing to their advantage. The video game Minecraft has been described as creating with online

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LEGO blocks. Specifically, Mojang, the makers of Minecraft support the production of
MinecraftEDU, a version developed by teachers for teachers to use within their curriculum.
MinecraftEDU gives teachers total control of an online environment that allows students to
collaborate and solve problems assigned by the teacher. They may need to respond to a prompt
via writing or respond by mining and building some sort of structure. Theyre using their
imagination and creativity to construct their knowledge through math and art, among other
subjects. Students are highly motivated to play this game, so why not make it a learning lesson?
Perrotta, Featherstone, Aston, & Houghton (2013) suggest that gamification builds on the
principles of experiential learning, or learning by doing, and the fact that it is a social element,
that allows people to share experience(s). A great example of a purpose for this game is to take
a look at an ancient civilizations curriculum. Students can learn about a particular monument,
write about it, and actually build it within the game, and they can do it with other people. It
takes a great deal of coordination, collaboration, and creativity, 21st century skills that students
learn when they construct their own knowledge.

LEGO Robotics
Watching kids fail is hard. Watching kids overcome failure is why we teach. According
to Code.org2, computer programming jobs are growing at twice the national average. There are
not enough students who can program to fulfill all of the jobs that will potentially be available.
A fantastic way to introduce students to programming is through LEGO robotics. Robotics hits
on every aspect of STEAM, from designing ones robots to engineering its path through
mathematics. Students have to tell the robot what to do through programming. If it doesnt do
2

http://code.org/promote

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what they want it to do, they have to try it again...and again...and again, until they get the robot
to traverse the path they want. It can be extremely frustrating, but students who stick with it
learn discipline through problem-solving. Give students challenges for their robot and watch
them tinker with the design and program until they figure it out. Students come from all over the
world to participate in First Lego League challenges. They connect and share what theyve
created through competition. Chambers & Carbonaro (2003) say that Robotics allows students
to creatively explore computer programming, mechanical design and construction, problem
solving, collaboration, physics, motion, music-all within an active, enjoyable, and nonthreatening
setting. Indeed, EVERY student can learn basic programming through robotics. Its the
epitome of hands-on learning.

Connecting Constr uctivism and Connectivism

The relationship that Constructivism shares with Connectivism is a close one. Makers
tend to connect and connected educators see value in making. Social media has allowed these
two theories to collide and literally make a mess out of educational theory. In Doughertys 2012
paper, he explains the purpose of a Maker Faire. A Maker Faire is a way to extend his Make
magazine to educators and families to share what they do. It allows people to mingle with with
other types of people, to learn from them and eventually collaborate with them. At the Faire, a
maker could put an object they created up on a table and have people ask them about it.we see
innovation in the wild. It hasnt been domesticated or controlled Dougherty alludes to the
randomness that can be a Maker Faire. Much like seemingly random learning that is done
through Connectivism. Both of these theories, Connectivism and Constructionism allow learners
to sort of follow their rabbit hole, and make their own path towards learning. The hashtags that

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are in the title of this paper allude to the idea that conversations are collated on Twitter. You can
search for #Makered to find like-minded people discussing the Maker Movement, or #ipadapps
to find people discussing and sharing different iPad apps that work for them. Jerry
Blumengarten, aka @Cybraryman1, is a master at curating such lists3 with the purpose of
connecting educators with each other. He offers different projects or ideas on how to use almost
anything in the classroom, including 3D printers4, robotics5, and games in the classroom6. He is
a role model for anyone looking to connect, construct, share, and learn.

Final Thoughts
Its time that all teachers and administrators get connected. Instead of hiding in their
cave of a classroom or office, teachers and administrators need to see what exists outside of
their four walls. Many teachers have been teaching the same way for years, to the point where
theyre bored; they have binders that are full of dittos and packets that they give the students to
learn. Its time to see what else is out there. Teachers and administrators have good ideas.
They all have had experiences, both positive and negative, and if they were to share their ideas
with a larger group, they may be able to help someone else in a similar situation. Great projects
need to be shared with parents, families, and the community to lend authenticity to student work.
There are many definitions for the word connect. In the course of education, its role should be
to link and spread ideas, thoughts, and attitudes across like-minded individuals through a give-

http://www.cybraryman.com/edhashtags.html
http://cybraryman.com/3dprinters.html
5
http://www.cybraryman.com/robotics.html
6
http://cybraryman.com/gamesined.html
4

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and-take process. Educators should be lifelong learners and learning should be confined to
inside the classroom.
Citations
Chambers, J. M., & Carbonaro, M. (2003). Designing, developing, and implementing a course on
LEGO robotics for technology teacher education. Journal of Technology and Teacher
Education, 11(2), 209-241.
Dougherty, D. (2012). The maker movement. innovations, 7(3), 11-14.
Kop, R., & Hill, A. (2008). Connectivism: Learning theory of the future or vestige of the past?.
The International Review of Research in Open and Distance Learning, 9(3).
Bandura, A., & McClelland, D. C. (1977). Social learning theory. 63, 305-316.
Muskin, J., & Kouadio, C. 3D Printing in the Classroom. Urbana, 51, 61801.
Papert, S., & Harel, I. (1991). Situating constructionism. Constructionism, 36, 1-11.
Perrotta, C., Featherstone, G., Aston, H., & Houghton, E. (2013). Game-based learning: latest
evidence and future directions. Slough: NFER.
Siemens, G. (2006). Connectivism: Learning theory or pastime of the self-amused. Manitoba,
Canada: Learning Technologies Centre.
Silva, E. (2009). Measuring skills for 21st-century learning. Phi Delta Kappan, 630-634.
Voogt, J., & Roblin, N. P. (2010). 21st century skills. Discussienota. Zoetermeer: The
Netherlands: Kennisnet.
Whitebread, D., Coltman, P., Jameson, H., & Lander, R. (2009). Play, cognition and selfregulation: What exactly are children learning when they learn through play?.
Educational and Child Psychology, 26(2), 40.