Societies, Groups and Networks

Connectivism is a learning theory based, not on psychology, but on sociological and technological principles. Founded in the early 21st century, and based on the ideas of Stephen Downes and George Siemens, Connectivism states that knowledge exists within a community or network. This network can comprise of individuals as well as machines that learn, store and share knowledge. Any knowledge held by one member of a network can be shared and used by others in the network.

 

Combining Ideas in New Ways

In Connectivism, the knowledge state of any one individual in a network is chaotic. This means that each learner in a network may have any amount of different prior knowledge and experience that they connect with their new learning. As an individual in a network learns from others, they assimilate knowledge subjectively, combining new ideas with their existing understanding and making new connections and insights. These new insights can feed back into the network, and become knowledge and ideas from which others learn.

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Keeping Up to Date

This means that the knowledge base of a network is constantly evolving – the network itself is learning – and individuals need to become lifelong learners, updating their knowledge from the network. For this to happen, the connections an individual has within the network need to be nurtured and maintained. In this model, knowing how and where to access required information is far more important than memorization of information at an individual level.

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A Theory for the Digital Age?

Although this theory of learning can be applied to any community – e.g. knowing who can show you how to cut your stone tools, which hunting ground is currently the most reliable source of food – it is ever more relevant in modern society. With vast global, social and virtual networks and the rise of artificial intelligence, the volume of human knowledge is growing at an ever accelerating rate. Put simply: there is more to know than any one person can ever know but anyone can choose to know any part of it, as long as they are connected to a source of that knowledge. Connectivism is fundamentally changing the way we look at Professional Development.