Connectivism

When I read about Connectivism as a learning theory, something that stood out was the the fact that competence is obtained as a result of forming our connections. And I agree. I feel like we are social beings that are designed to work together, as opposed to being our own little island. As a future teacher, at first I could not understand how I would be collaborating with other teachers, seeing as how they are not in the same classroom. But this made me consider thinking out of the box to find creative ways to do this through technology. Which of course led me to a Google search where I found the following list:

Top 10 Best Student Collaboration Tools

1. VoiceThread
2. Skype
3. Groupmaker
4. Mural.ly
5. BaiBoard- Collaborative Whiteboard
6. Minecraft
7. ePals
8. Mighty Meeting
9. Scoot and Doodle
10. Stormboard

The link below then allows you to see the price, grade appropriate level, platforms such as Ipads, Computers, etc., the skills it teaches, and the purpose of the app. However, the list is extensive and goes beyond the top 10 to explore even more educational apps. Ultimately, these collaborative tools give students the opportunity to increase their socialization, even if it is behind a screen.
List taken from: https://www.graphite.org/top-picks/best-student-collaboration-tools

The concept of Connectivism is all about being up to date and being constantly ready to retain all the knowledge that is available in the world, from collaborating with students in Texas, to classrooms in India using the aforementioned apps. I think this is important because it increases collaboration and gives students a more open mind set that strays away from the "answer" mentality and retains the integrity of the process of learning rather than just the product. This is important because it encourages students to think more globally and be less restricted to the four walls of the classroom. Education and knowledge have the capacity to extend as far as we want them to, and giving students the resources to explore will encourage them as life-long learners and thinkers.

http://dastornews.com/2016/04/refugee-consulting-project-global-impact-in-phoenix/