Abstract
Connectivism is a new paradigm of learning adapted to the networked world we live in. In this chapter we explore this paradigm as developed by Siemens and Downes and critically discuss its essence of knowledge and learning.
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Notes
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“Epiphenomenalism is a position according to which mental states or events are caused by physical states or events in the brain but do not themselves cause anything” (Walter, 2018).
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Appendix: Network Topologies
Appendix: Network Topologies
To prepare the discussion in Chap. 6 and onward, we add the notion of “network topology”, which refers to the layout of a given network. There are various types of networks, and they affect the learning processes in different ways. As we shall see in Part II, all of them can be found in the students’ learning processes, although some of them suit heutagogy better.
The common network topologies are: the fully connected mesh in which every node in the network has a link to every other node; the star in which all nodes are linked to a central node, usually called a hub; the bus, in which a central path links all the nodes in a network; the ring in which all the nodes are linked in a closed loop; and the tree in which only one path exists between any two nodes of the network. Such a network resembles a tree in which all branches spring from one trunk (see Fig. 3.1). There are also mixed network topologies, for example a group of star networks which are connected to a different node in a linear bus structure (cf., Singh & Ramoula, 2016).
The network topologies
Each of the network topologies has a distinct influence on the learning process. For example, if the world of knowledge is conceived as a tree network, learning is like climbing this tree. It begins with the acquisition of some basic skills and knowledge (the roots), and proceeds, as in the pedagogical paradigm discussed in Chap. 2, in a linear path, to a more complicated, domain-specific subject-matters (branches).
If, on the other hand, the world is a mesh network, learning is wandering in a fluctuating web (Serres, 1997, p. 8). It consists of discovering its nodes and mapping their ever-changing links (see Chap. 6). Of special importance, for our concerns, are the tree, the mesh, and the star networks which, as we shall see in Chap. 6, have important logical, epistemological, ontological, ethical, and educational aspects.
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Glassner, A., Back, S. (2020). Connectivism: Networks, Knowledge, and Learning . In: Exploring Heutagogy in Higher Education. Springer, Singapore. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-981-15-4144-5_3
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