Explanation of Instruments and Procedures Used by the Recipients of Education in order to Build their Own Learning Network, Based on the Generic Model Cognitive Process

Abstract

The natural use of ICT, including modern social networks and open information sources by today's generation of pupils and students is a generally recognized fact, which stimulated the development of a new concept of learning theory based on the potential of modern information and communication technologies. It was designated as connectivism.The key aspect of teaching thus conceived is the creation and the maintenance of interconnection on the network, expanding the knowledge base of the individual beyond his or her own capacity. That is why constructivist methods, involving the process of active social learning have been gradually applied recently in order to build a proper learning network and to internalize basic knowledge structures, including further deepening of the knowledge gained, by the educatee.Within this context, a wide scale of questions arise as to how and to what extend the pupil‘s and student‘s cognitive process is influenced by modern information and communication technologies and tools, conversely, how these technologies are used by pupils and students to build their own learning networks and to internalize their knowledge structure. To be able to, at least partially, answer some of those questions, we carried out a survey research aimed at the explanation of the procedures and tools which pupils and students use in order to build their own learning networks and to internalize their knowledge structures based on a generic model of knowledge construction. Subsequently, a classification of pupils and students shall be carried out based on the said explanation. The submitted paper presents some of the partial results of the aforementioned survey.