Network Theories for Technology-enabled Learning and Social

Change

Frances Bell, Salford Business SchoolPresented at Networked Learning Conference, 3-5

May 2010 Aalborg, Denmarkhttp://www.networkedlearningconference.org.uk/

Agenda•Context

•Connectivism

•Actor Network Theory

•Disconnects

•CCK08 and Observations

•Conclusions

Global Context World Region

Internet Users 2008

Penetration % Population

User Growth 2000-2008

Africa 54,171,500 5.6% 1100.0%

Asia 650,361,843 17.2% 469.0%

Europe 390,141,073 48.5% 271.2%

Middle East 45,861,346 23.3% 1296.2%

North America

246,822,936 73.1% 128.3%

Latin America/ Caribbean

166,360,735 28.6% 820.7%

Oceania/ Australia

20,593,751 59.9% 170.2%

WORLD TOTAL

1,574,313,184

23.5% 336.1%

Context for learning

•Formal / informal

•Individual /social

•Scheduled / responsive

•Media / web services

Principles of Connectivism

• Learning and knowledge rests in diversity of opinions.

• Learning is a process of connecting specialized nodes or information sources.

• Learning may reside in non-human appliances.

• Capacity to know more is more critical than what is currently known

• Nurturing and maintaining connections is needed to facilitate continual learning.

• Ability to see connections between fields, ideas, and concepts is a core skill.

• Currency (accurate, up-to-date knowledge) is the intent of all connectivist learning activities.

• Decision-making is itself a learning process.

Connectivism - network theory of learning

Trajectory of Connectivism

•Siemens – knowledge management

•Downes – Philosophy, neural networks

•Differences e.g. groups/ networks

•Theory or loose collection of ideas

Actor Network Theory

•symmetrical analysis – humans and non-humans

•how a network grows/ decays rather than explain outcomes

•process of growth/decay is one of translation (Fox, 2005).

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CCK08

•2300 students on MOOC, 23 for credit

•Moodle, wiki, Daily, blog network, Second Life, Elluminate, Youtube, Flickr, etc., etc.

•Self-organisation within familiar online structure

Observations•Paradox of strictures on teaching/

learning vs delivery mode

•Groups/ network discussion – for fun see http://tinyurl.com/sisikate

• (SD) revealed ’normative’ assumptions of connectivism

•Participants – connectivism as ’espoused theory’ but different theory in use

Conclusions•Connectivism as personal theory -

allows practitioners to legitimise what they are doing (Cormier)

•Connectivism as a knowledge network, learn from itself, include ANT, SST and other descriptive theories of change BUT

•Need rich case studies to provide empirical base, exploring

• performativity of learners and teachers

• trajectory of connectivism as a knowledge network

• scope of theory - local, organisational, societal change

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