Connectivism

How has your network changed the way you learn? 
As I have grown older, I feel my network has matured and has been more comprehensive.  It has also been much more interactive in terms of sharing information.  I now find myself sharing my information with them as much as them sharing information with me as opposed to 10-20 years ago where I was doing much more absorbing and not much contributing.  I am now finding networking much more beneficial because I am able to build off my current knowledge and grow deeper in my learning.  I am being able to add more to knowledge that I have acquired than merely just trying to learn for the first time.  I also, feel I am providing more knowledge others in my network thus, developing more of a leadership role in the learning processes of my network.

Which digital tools best facilitate learning for you?
Perhaps the two biggest digital tools that I utilize are the Internet and social networking.  Both of these components have allowed me to access information at a very fast rate.  I am sometimes, have to aware of the validity of the information being accessed because both resources are wide open and can be posted on utilized with very little regulation and supervision.  However, as whole the Internet and social media have accessed a tremendous amount of information that I have never had the capacity to access in the past.

How do you learn new knowledge when you have questions?
Because most of my formal learning (Teacher Certification, Master's degree, and potential Specialist degree) have been online, I am very much becoming a self-learner utilizing various digital resources when needed.  This has also forced me to seek out and find solutions autonomously and often using digital resources such as the Internet, blogs, and discussion posts to learn new knowledge.  While it has been more difficult to learn this way, it has developed a level a self-discipline that haven't had before as well as the ability to utilize networks for effecitively to find answers.

Rheingold's Video

Do you believe that humans have a basic instinct to “interact and work as a group,” as Rheingold proposed in his discussion of the evolution of Wikipedia as a collectively developed encyclopedia?

Rheingold gives some great examples of collaboration and cooperation in the private sector, especially with such companies as Sun Microsystems, Toyota, and Amazon.  I am not sure that humans have a "basic instinct" to work together. That seems to imply that there is some force that is embedded in us through heredity that drives us to work together.  I believe that our society is beginning to see the benefits and rewards that can be reaped individually through collaboration.  I don't think people would not "automatically" work together because through instinct.  I feel people would work together because of the benefits they can potentially receive.  The private sector is still capitalistic as a whole and desires to earn income, grow, and create profit.  They are recognizing that this can be be obtained through collaborative and cooperative interaction. 

The driving force and realization behind this is the fact that technology and the Internet has made our world a much more smaller place.  It has opened lines of commerce and communication among individuals, industries, corporations, and business that are immediate, efficient, and responsive.  This is making the whole idea of realizing collaboration and cooperation much more effective and impactful in today's modern marketplace.

How can technology facilitate collaboration among learners based on constructivist principles?

Technology, starting with the Internet, is driving collaboration and cooperation.  It is also feeding constructivist principals in that it is feeding new innovations in communication and information sharing.  As these processes, ideas, and innovations progress, newer ways of working together and sharing and processing information are becoming realized.  This primarily due to individuals building off of and improving previous ideas and concepts.  We are constantly looking to learn from and improve on ways of doing things.  This constant drive to search for better ways fall in line with the constructivist learning principles.  A great example is Apple, Inc. in their constant progression of computing through improvements in desktops, smart phones, and touch screen technologies.  We we look at innovations in IPhones, IPads, and other technologies we are constantly seeing collaboration that leads to innovation.

Find a current research study that has been conducted in the last 5 years that supports collaboration as an effective tool for learning.

I found a 2009 research study entitled, "An Educational Psychology Success Story:
Social Interdependence Theory and Cooperative Learning" it can be found at

http://www.co-operation.org/wp-content/uploads/2011/01/ER.CL-Success-Story-Pub-Version-09.pdf

This research study does an excellent job of addressing the psychological impact that cooperative learning can have.  The study centers around a Social Interdependence Theory which states that there are two types of social interdependence:  Positive Interdependence and Negative Interdependence.  Positive Interdependence states that Positive interdependence exists when there is a positive
correlation among individuals’ goal attainments; individuals perceive that they can attain their goals if and only if the other individuals with whom they are cooperatively linked attain their goals (johnson & johnson, 2009).  Negative Interdependence is when there is a negative correlation among individual goal achievements; individuals perceive that they can obtain their goals if and only if the other individuals with whom they are competitively linked fail to obtain their goals (johnson & johnson, 2009).

Reference
johnson, D., & johnson, R. (2009, July 14). An educational psychology success story:. Retrieved from http://www.co-operation.org/wp-content/uploads/2011/01/ER.CL-Success-Story-Pub-Version-09.pdf