Today's learner is like a passenger on a speeding train...

"Knowledge is growing exponentially. In many fields the life of knowledge is now measured in months and years." (Siemens, 2005)

    The field of knowledge and how one acquires said knowledge is a complicated one, especially now with the advent of technology. George Siemens in his article entitled "Connectivism: A Learning Theory for the Digital Age" explains how knowledge in the past few years has been developed and become obsolete within a very short time frame. He states, "The amount of knowledge in the world has doubled in the past 10 years and is doubling every 18 months according to the American Society of Training and Documentation (ASTD)" (Siemens, 2005). In his article, he compares and contrasts several theories of learning and explains how all of them are inadequate to describe and understand today's learners. To combat this inadequacy, he presents a new theory: connectivism. According to Siemens (2005), "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". He further goes on to state that learning is continuously altered as the foundations for learning change, and that networks become the basis for learning. By networks, the author is referring to databases, communities of learning, and the outside world. Learning is no longer an individual state and does not take place intrisically, but within a whole network of learning. As this Video Blogger  states, "In essence, the network becomes the learning; the network that learners create."

   So what does all of this mean for today's learner? In my opinion, today's learner is like a passenger on a speeding train. Imagine yourself on the "bullet" train in Japan, one of the world's fastest land vehicles. Landmarks, geography, and architecture speed by in a blur. For me, this is consistent with what a learner in today's world goes through. Information and knowledge pass by so quickly that we're left with a quick glimpse of the passing platform as we move on to the next.  Connectivism states that what a learner needs next is more important than what a learner currently posesses in regards to knowledge. Just like a speeding train, knowledge moves quickly and without hesitation, one must know the routes and signals to navigate this new world successfully.