Abstract
Through the centuries study was necessary for a person that wanted to advance in society. However, with the proliferation of information and communication technologies it is no longer the case. The millennium generation has progressed from Homo sapiens (the “wise man” or “knowing man” using advanced tools) and Homo Mobilis (the “moving man”) to Homo Contextus (the “connected man” overcoming his cognitive limits by using social technologies and shared objects). Homo Contextus, or the connected man, focuses
on a diversity of connections to people who use intelligent tools to extend their mind and bodies, uniquely harnessing collective
intelligence (networked intelligence). The emphasis is therefore shifting from information technology (where the core is information) to interaction technology (where the core is interaction). This presentation will focus on the connected human and the future of education and how academic institutions should progress from
empowering individuals (computer workstations, library catalogs, image editing, etc.) and groups (learning environments, learning management systems, groupware, etc.) to empowering networks (mobile technology, infoware, social networking, social software, blogs, social navigation, collaborative filtering, etc).
A pedagogical paradigm shift to connectivism is necessary if academic institutions want to accommodate the millennials who are often
suffering from what is known as the channel-hopping, YouTube-watching, Google-gorging, Facebook-sniffing, Twitter-tracking condition.