A learner is like......

     While reading an article on connectivism and watching a video on the impact of social software on learning, I wasn't quite sure how to describe a learner. So, I took a break and watched some TV. My favorite movie so happened to be on- Forrest Gump. The line "life is like a box of chocolates, you never know what you're gonna get" immediately grabbed my attention. This is when I thought, "You know? A learner today is like a box of chocolates, because you never know what you are going to get from a learner."
     Learners today have so many options, resources and ways of obtaining knowledge. With those resources, comes a vast amount of opinions and thoughts. As a teacher, you truly never know what you are going to get from a learner. They can be misinformed one day, then come in the next and know everything about a topic. The article on connectivism stated that, "learning rests in the diversity of opinions, its a process of connecting information sources, and it may reside on non human sources." Connectivism also focuses on currency and up to date information. I believe this coincides with what learners are like today. They obtain info in a manner very differently then back in the "old days". Back in the day, there was really only one way to obtain information and that was through books. Now, you never know what you are going to get from a learner because through technology, there are so many ways of obtaining information. Through computers, internet, networking- there are a plethora of ways to obtain information.
     A great example from the youtube video was when he stated that "a programmer does not live in isolation, he needs to connect with other programmers so he/she can stay current". The video also describes blogs and social networking as a positive impact on learning. Learners use social networking sites these days almost everyday. They are constantly sharing knowledge with each other and all over the world to stay current on info. You truly never know where a learner gets their information these days whether it be from a website, book or social networking. Learners are unpredictable in their ways of obtaining information and sharing information. They have so many options in doing it these days.
     So when I say a learner is like a box of chocolates, you never know what you are going to get from them, internally and externally it is shown daily. From a teacher standpoint, a learner can surprise you with information at any given time. From a student standpoint, you can obtain all the world's knowledge with the touch of a button. Its just up to you to do it; therefore, you never know what you are going to get.