Today's learner is like a...

I see today’s learner like a thruway. All of us are on a course with the same end in mind. Each path involves a different route but, in the end, we get to our desired destination.

On the thruway cars get left behind, passed and fly by others. Each learner learns at a different pace, some have no problems and cruise along the path towards educational success while others get stopped along the way. On the thruway cars are stopped for various issues and then get back on their course once the issues are solved just like learners need to stop for help, clarification, etc.. When we are driving and having car issues, we often stop on the side of the road for help, and in our time of need others stop to help, like a teacher or peer help us along in the educational setting.

Some drive recklessly along the thruway with no idea of where they are going. Many, in the educational journey, float through their academic careers like those reckless drivers. As a driver, we are able to choose the lane we drive in and the route we take just like "learners often select and pursue their own learning" as stated in George Siemens' article Connectivism:A Learning Theory for the Digital Age. Constructivist principles acknowledge that real-life learning is messy and complex.

As George Siemens says that "through social needs we are able to connect with one another" in his video The Impact of Social Software on Learning. Much like when we are on the thruway, the chosen path connects us to one another but we all get there in our own way.