Let's Get Connected

    How do we use connectivism in the modern classroom setting? The answer is as simple as opening a laptop, tablet, or smart phone.

   Simply by using and emphasizing technology, we are promoting connectivism. The fact that a student can access the opinions of billions of people with a few clicks can change the way we learn and teach.

   In a science classroom, applications are important. Even though the percentage of students that will actually use Newton's laws of motion or the laws of thermodynamics explicitly in their future careers is incredibly slim, it helps to put learning into practice. A simple Google search revealed a group of scientists from multiple disciplines that partake in "Skype a Scientist". I don't have a vast network working engineers and scientist (at least until my fellow physics majors all finish their doctorate programs), but, with sites like this, I can access a vast world of knowledge I never could have with my students. 

   Weekly or bi-weekly conversations with actual people who actually use what we are learning could potential cause a student to change their path in life to a whole new world of learning. At least I would hope they understand that science is real and vastly important. As the class ventures through a unit, questions for a scientist can be compiled and ready to ask! Through connectivism, I hope to answer the questions "who uses this?" or "why is this important" with "let's ask someone who uses it everyday".