A learner is like a living Wikipedia

A learner is like a living Wikipedia that could always update information within it. Siemen(2005),connectivism perceives that “creating, preserving and utilizing information flow should be a key organizational activity.” I think that a learner as a living Wikipedia functions creating, preserving and utilizing in the information flow. In addition, Siemen(2005),  

“Personal knowledge is comprised of a network, which feeds into organizations and institution, which in turn feed back into the network, and then continue to provide learning to individual.”

A living Wikipedia shares the above properties.

First of all, knowledge is created and discovered by human beings. Information within Wikipedia is edited and influenced by people around the world. On the one hand, people create new ideas, on the other hand, others share these ideas on Wikipedia. Thus, a learner is as a living Wikipedia creates and discovers information as well.

Second, Wikipedia preservers and therefore shares information with the world. I, as a learner, get new information which is shared by others from the external world from time to time. Thus, I update my knowledge every now and then which is the same as Wikipedia. This is the situation that mentioned in the video The Changing Nature of Language; there are two types of knowledge: one is internal neuron network happens within individual, and the other is external component of network learning that we form and make connections with each other individuals. The information I get from the external world is the result of my connection to the world, and the knowledge within me is my neuron network in myself and I could share what I have with others. In addition, Siemens (2005), “learning is a process of connecting specialized node or information sources.”  Accordingly, a learner is like a living Wikipedia that could preserve and share information.

Third, a learner is like a living Wikipedia that utilizes the information. As I mentioned, we get new information from the external world. The external world provides information for me by any form of mediation. According to Vygotsky, mediation includes physical and symbolic tools. I personally argue that these tools are all created by human beings; thus we have Wikipedia, a product that people utilized information from it. What’s more, since there is always new information uploaded to Wikipedia, it changes all the time, at the same time, what the learners absorb changes too. As a result, a living Wikipedia utilizes the information forms the cycle of knowledge development, Siemens(2005).  

 At the same time, the video The Conflict of Learning Theories with Human Nature mentioned that “we externalize our thought in order for us to connect with other individuals.” It best explains that a learner is like a living Wikipedia. We learn, we create, and we share. As a result, a learner as a living Wikipedia functions creating, preserving and utilizing in this  knowledge economy era.