About Myself
I'm George Siemens, Founder and President of Complexive Systems Inc., a learning lab focused on assisting organizations develop integrated learning structures to meet the needs of global strategy execution. I recently authored a book - Knowing Knowledge - an exploration of how the context and characteristics of knowledge have changed, and what it means to organizations today. I'm actively involved in research as Associate Director, Research and Development with the Learning Technologies Centre at University of Manitoba.

I'm enamored with the potential of technology to transform learning and society. I'm convinced that existing educational perspectives need to be revised to meet the needs of "today's students". In addition to elearnspace, I also maintain the connectivism website (a site devoted to creating a learning theory reflective of how learners learn today).

I have been active in corporate and higher education for over a decade. Over the last seven years, my focus has primarily been on technology and learning. During that time, I have been actively consulting with corporations, government offices, learning associations, and NGOs.

I have presented at various national and international conferences, on topics which include: the role of new media in learning, blogs and social technology, elearning in vocational education, streaming media, and connectivism. For more information, please visit my presentations page. If you would like me to present at your conference or event, or are interested in consultation services, please email me.

While I informally publish most of my thoughts and articles on the elearnspace site (visit my articles page, elearnspace blog, and connectivism blog) my work has been published in several referred journals, and I have contributed chapters to several texts.

I've also been interviewed by numerous organizations and publications. These include:

Future of FLOSSE: Interview with George Siemens
ELGGRadio: Interview
EdTechTalk: With Jay Cross
EdTechTalk: With Stephen Downes

If you are interested in information on my publications, texts, presentations, or interviews, please email me.

My most popular articles on this site include: Connectivism, Learning Development Model, Learning Ecologies, Communities, and Networks, Learning as Network Creation, and The Art of Blogging (Part 1 and Part 2).

My current research interests include:

• Assessing methods of Improving the relevance of higher education in today's society
• Determining effective approaches to blending higher education with corporate training (transitioning education providers as out source candidates for corporations)
• Evaluating connectivism as a learning theory which accounts for the changing dynamic of information flow and complexity, the changing needs of learners, and the altered climate of "the individual" in a personal control (i.e. software tools that have moved power from the organization to the individual) but connected (global) era.
• Processes, theories and tools to create personal learning networks

Why elearnspace?
I'm somewhat idealistic. Much of what I have learned about technology and education has come through informal means. I've had the pleasure to explore and visit resources of learning experts, technologists, and researchers from around the world. Most that I've contacted have been very willing to share experiences and suggestions. In the spirit of that type of assistance, I've tried to create a resource on learning, networks, and ecologies that links many disparate resources, in an attempt to give a complete, whole picture view of the learning experience, one that appeals to the beginner - and to the guru.

Significant changes in most institutions will not come about as a result of a multi-million dollar project. Most organizations will transform slowly, probably driven by a small group of dedicated, committed staff. If I offer any service with this site, it is to assist this group. In my opinion, this is the group that will truly integrate learning and technology, not monolithic projects. Much of my work over the last six years has centered on the role of the individual in transforming organizations. This has resulted in a strong belief in the value of blogs, wikis, and personal learning networks. I use the term of "connected specialization" to represent the importance of connecting specialized nodes in the process of network forming. I'm a strong advocate of the value of diverse, even contradictory, knowledge sources in personal effectiveness and decision making.

While taking my masters in distributed learning, I was surprised at how much the structure of formal education was at odds with how I had been learning. When I was in the workforce, most of my learning was a by-product of other activities - learning was rarely an explicitly-focused task, and never without a higher aim. Learning was "messy", chaotic, social, collaborative, and connected with other activities and interests. Formal education, in contrast, was artificial and structured. The experience, however, was valuable in providing a space for self-evaluation and reflection. Most importantly, I've realized that certain learning challenges, by their nature, require formal, structured processes, while others require more fluid, informal approaches. The nature of each intended learning experience should drive the selection of tools and processes. Rather than outright dismissing theories and techniques which have served the learning field well for centuries, we need to retain their value for appropriate tasks. No one concept or theory is universal in its application.

April 14, 2006

This work is licensed under a Creative Commons License.