George Siemens tells us “Learning is a continual process, lasting for a lifetime. Learning and work-related activities are no longer separate. In many situations, they are the same.”
David Kolb tells us that “the emphasis on the process of learning as opposed to the behavioral outcomes distinguishes experiential learning from the idealist approaches of traditional education and from the behavioral theories of learning created by Watson, Hull, Skinner, and others. The theory of experiential learning rests on a different philosophical and epistemological base from behavioral theories of learning and idealistic approaches.”
These two theories certainly complement each other in that the iterative learning model espoused by experiential learning is also reflected in lifelong learning- we try something, notice what works and what doesn’t, research better options, and try again. As Kolb writes, “The emphasis on the process of learning as opposed to the behavioral outcomes distinguishes experiential learning from the idealist approaches of the traditional education…” A metaphor I share with my students (I teach a lot of student-athletes) is that your skills don’t improve when you’re playing a game, they improve during practice, and that it’s the process of failure and incremental adjustments that actually increases skill. Coupled with that is the concept of Connectivism, as described by Siemens. In this model, learning begins with the individual, who then acts as a node of information within the larger system or community. He suggests the “information flow within an organization is an important element in organizational
effectiveness,” and that the individual is also tasked with the validation of that information.
Technology is able to support both of these learning theories, but more so in that it facilitates the collection of group knowledge. Sharing can exist both within and between organizations in an ever expanding network that also leads back to the individual learner. Information can also be scaffolded to support learners at all levels.