Knowing Knowledge

George Siemens, 2006

ISBN 978-1-4303-0230-8

A Creative Commons licensed version is available online at www.knowingknowledge.com

Table of ConTenTsPreface. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .vSection 1 An Exploration of Theoretical Views of Knowing and Learning . . . . . .1

Shftng . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .3. What.has.caused.knowledge.to.leave... ....the.safe,.trusted.spaces.of.generatons.past?. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .4. What.s.the.mpact.of.knowledge.set.free? . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .5Many.Faces.Explorng.Knowledge. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .13. What.are.trusted.sources.of.knowledge?. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .22. Can.a.group.be.as.effectve.as.an.expert?. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .22Learnng. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .25In.Relaton.to.Knowng. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .49. Why.do.we.want.knowledge? . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .50. Is.serendpty.lost?. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .56Context.Games. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .61. What.about.power?. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .64. Who.are.the.new.oppressed?. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .64Section 2 Changes and ImplicationMoving toward Application . . . . . . . . . . . 67

Somethng.s.AmssChanged.Envronments.of.Knowledge . . . . . . . .69Cycle.of.Change. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .69. The.rse.of.the.ndvdual. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .72. Connectednessthe.world.has.become.whole . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .73. Immedacy. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .74. Breakdown.and.repackagng. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .74. The.condut.s.kng. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .75. What.s.the.mpact? . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .76. Socalzaton. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .77. Blurrng.worlds. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .77Changed.Characterstcs.and.Flow.of.Knowledge. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .79. Abundance. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .80

. Recombnaton . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .82

. Relaton.to.certanty. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .82

. Development.pace. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .83

. Representaton. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .83

. Flow. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .84

. Spaces.and.structures.of.knowledge. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .86

. How.can.organzatons.adopt.ecologes?. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .90

. Decentralzaton.of.knowledge. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .92

. Clear.ams.through.decentralzed.means . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .95

. Affordance. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .98Emotons.and.Creatvty. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .103. Control.and.acceptance. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .105. Quet.mnds. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .106. Scentst.versus.artst . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .107ImplcatonsStructural/Spatal.Impact . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .110. Complexty.corrodes.clear.paths. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .112. Learners.sklls. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .113Desgnng .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .116. Informal.learnng.s.too.mportant.to.leave.to.chance .. . . . . . . . . .119. Knowledge.reflexvty. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .120..Implementng. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .124. Change.forces.change. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .127Doman.Implementaton.Model . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .128. Doman.1:.Analyss.and.valdaton. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .130. Doman.2:.Network.and.ecology.desgn. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .132. Doman.3:.Adaptve.knowledge.and.learnng.cycle. . . . . . . . . . . . .134. Doman.4:.Systems.and.patterns.revew.and.evaluaton. . . . . . . . .136. Doman.5:.Impactng.factors. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .138Contnung.the.Conversaton. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .143. What.s.dfferent.tomorrow.mornng?. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .144Notes.. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .146Lst.of.Tables. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .157Lst.of.Fgures. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .157.Index.. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .158. .

Thank youMany.ndvduals.contrbuted.(or.sacrficed).tme.to.ths.project ...In.partcular,.I.would.lke.to.say.thanks.to.famly.(my.wfe.Karen.and..chldren.Alysha,.Jared,.and.Karel).for.toleratng.holdays.whnng.about.lack.of.nternet.access,.evenngs.of.dstracted.conversatons,.and.the..numerous.obtuse.deas.dropped.upon.unsuspectng.recpents .

My.thnkng.has.been.very.publc.for.over.five.years.(www .elearnspace .org) ...Thank.you.to.those.who.have.read.and.provded.feedback.on.countless.artcles.and.blog.postngs ..Your.tme.readng.and.commentng.has.been..an.encouragement.and.mportant.learnng.process.for.me ..

Steppng.out.nto.alternatve.means.of.expressng.thoughts.(through.on-.lne.publshng,.nstead.of.tradtonal.journals),.s.an.act.of.optmsm.that.has.been.modeled.and.drected.wth.other.transparent.thnkers ..One.needs.to.abandon.notons.of.perfecton.to.attempt.onlne.daloguewarts,.poor.sentence.structure,.quckly.jotted.thoughts,.embarrassngly.smple.vew-pontsare.kept.and.preserved.by.search.engnes.and.archves ..Those.who.hold.to.product.vews.of.learnng.and.knowledge,.nstead.of.process.vews,.find.the.unforgvng.nature.of.archves.ntmdatng ..I.thank.my.fellow.sojourners.for.ther.effort.n.walkng.new.paths:.Stephen.Downes,..Jay.Cross,.Wll.Rchardson,.and.Mash.Nchan ..

Specal.thanks.as.well.to.those.who.have.taken.the.tme.to.provde.revews..of.the.thoughts.contaned.n.text ..Those.who.prevously.held.the.power.to.filter.content.are.findng.a.dmnshng.world.as.many.are.now.able.to.cre-ate,.valdate,.and.share.freely ..The.revew.efforts,.thoughts,.gudance,.advce,.and.nput.of.these.people.are.nvaluable:.Zad.Al.Alsagoff,.Wayne.Batch-elder,.Doug.Belshaw,.Mark.Berthelemy,.Alson.Bckford,.Stephen.Downes,.Patrca.Duebel,.Denham.Grey,.Bll.Hall,.Davd.Hawkes,.Pam.Hook,.Davd.Lee,.Karla.Lopez,.Corrado.Petrucco,.John.D ..Smth,.Susan.Spero,.Louse.Starkey,.Lz.Stevenson,.Peter.Tttenberger,.John.Vetch,.Jack.Vnson,..Peter.West,.Gerry.Whte,.Terry.Yelmene,.Steve.Yurkw,.and.Chrstopher.Zelnsk .

Thanks.to.Euan.Semple,.Dave.Snowden,.and.Denham.Grey.for.ntervew/onlne.dscussons.relatng.to.knowledge.n.our.world.today .

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The.mages.n.ths.book.are.the.work.of.Murray.Toews ..I.spent.much.tme.wth.hm.n.creatng.a.non-structured,.non-lnear.model.for.expressng.key.concepts ..I.have.read.too.many.books.on.knowledge.and.knowledge.management.that.assume.advanced.theores.must.be.expressed.n.complex,.ntmdatng.mages ..Structure.does.not.equate.wth.knowledge.(structure.s.qute.dfferent.from.organzaton) ..

As.an.actve.partcpant.n.the.transparent.world.of.onlne.wrtng,..I.know.the.value.of.buldng.on.the.work.of.others ..I.have.tred.to.cte.orgnal.deas.(I.went.through.the.panful.process.of.tryng.to.locate.orgns.of.popular.quotesa.task.not.readly.acheved,.beyond.lnkng.to.a.quote.database) ..The.rapdly.evolvng.nature.of.knowledge.some-tmes.results.n.areas.beng.overlooked ..If.you.find.expressons.n.ths.text.that.have.not.been.sourced,.please.let.me.know .

The.onerous.task.of.edtng.fell.on.Karen.Graham

Thank You

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The First Step toward Knowledge is to Know that We are Ignorant. Richard Cecil 1

PrefaCeKnowledge.has.changed;.from.categorzaton.and.herarches,.to.networks.and.ecologes ..Ths.changes.everythng.and.emphaszes.the.need.to.change.the.spaces.and.structures.of.our.organzatons ..

Howdowerunameeting?

Howdowedecideonactionitems?

Howdowecreateourmarketingplan?

Howdowelearn?Howdoweshareknowledge?

Howdowedefineorganizationalethics?

Howdowefosterdemocracy?

Howdoweachieveourstrategicgoals?

We.supposedly.exst.n.a.knowledge.era ..Our.work.and.our.lves.center.on.the.creaton,.communcaton,.and.applcaton.of.knowledge .

Butwhatisknowledge?

Howisitcreated?

HowisitsHared?How.does.knowledge.flow.through.our.organzatons.today?..Is.t.dfferent.than.t.was.. 10yearsago?. 50yearsago?. . acenturyago?

v

What does our Future hold as a Knowledge-Based Society?

Why.does.so.much.of.our.socety.look.as.t.dd.n.the.past?.Our.schools,.our.government,.our.relgous.organzatons,.our.medawhle.more.complex,.have.mantaned.ther.general.structure.and.shape ..Classroom.structure.today,.wth.the.excepton.of.a.computer.or.an.LCD.projector,.looks.remarkably.unchangedteacher.at.the.front,.students.n.rows ...Our.busness.processes.are.stll.bult.on.theores.and.vewponts.that.exsted.over.a.century.ago.(wth.perodc.amendments.from.thnkers.lke.Drucker2) ..In.essence,.we.have.transferred.(not.transformed).our.physcal.dentty.to.onlne.spaces.and.structures .

Ths.book.seeks.to.tackle.knowledgenot.to.provde.a.defntonbut..to.provde.a.way.of.seeng.trends.developng.n.the.world.today ..Due.to..the.changed.context.and.characterstcs.of.knowledge,.tradtonal.defntons..are.no.longer.adequate ..Language.produces.dfferent.meanng.for.dfferent.people ..The.meanng.generated.by.a.sngle.defnton.s.not.suffcently..reflectve.of.knowledge.as.a.whole ..

We are able to describe, not define knowledge.3

Most.leaders.today.would.settle.for.a.vew.of.knowledge.that.enables.them.to.take.acton.consstent.wth.core.changesso.ther.organzatons.do.not.suffer.from.outdated.actons ...

Knowledge.possesses.two.broad.characterstcs: 1. It.descrbes.or.explans.some.part.of.the.world.(how.atoms.act,.whch.

companes.to.nvest.n.for.future.growth,.how.dseases.are.spread),. 2..We.can.use.t.n.some.type.of.acton.(buldng.partcle.accelerators,.

nvestng,.preventng.dsease) ...

All Knowledge is Information,

but Not all Information is Knowledge.

It.s.my.hope.that.ths.book.wll.not.be.seen.as.a.product,.but.rather..an.nvtaton.to.dalogue.and.debate ..You.can.dscuss.the.book.at.the..www.knowingknowledge.com.webste ..Artcles,.ntervews,.and.news..on.the.changng.context.and.characterstcs.of.knowledge.wll.be.avalable..as.well ...Readers.are.nvted.to.share.ther.comments.on.the.book.or.assst..n.re-wrtng.t.n.the.wk .

v

I.have.ntentonally.left.thoughts.unstructured.and.unconnected,..allowng.readers.to.create.ther.own.connectons ..It.s.not.ntended.to.be.read.as.a.comprehensve.treatse.on.socetys.changes ..It.s.desgned.to.mmc.the.chaotc,.complex,.but.holstc,..nature.of.knowledge.(and.learnng).n.todays.organzatons.an.attempt.to.duplcate.knowledge.n.form,.not.only.content ..

I.have.mrrored.the.nature.of.knowledge.today.through.text .

I.have.ressted.the.urge.to.extensvely.classfy.concepts ..

Today,.ndvduals.sttch.and.weave.ther.own.networks ..

thepracticeofclaSSiFication,asmeanstoreducecognitiveload,endsupmoretaxingwhenitfailstoaccuratelyreflecttheunderlying core.

I.am.used.to.wrtng.n.hypertext ...Concepts.relate.to.other.conceptsbut.not.n.a.lnear.manner ...For.example,.when.addressng.connectvsm.as.a.changed.theory.of.learnng,.I.want.to.relate.t.to.mplementaton,.or.when.addressng.changes.n.the.context.n.whch.knowledge.occurs,.I.want.to.connect.to.changes.n.knowledge.characterstcsbut.wthout.contnual.repetton ..Books.do.not.work.that.way ..To.acheve.the.same.effect.n.a.book,..I.would.have.to.rewrte.(and.you.would.have.to.reread).my.thoughts.numerous.tmes.n.numerous.places ..The.repetton.would.be.annoyng ..I.ntroduce.smlar.concepts.n.varous.places.to.show.connectons ..

Vewng.learnng.and.knowledge.as.network.phenomena.alters.much..of.how.we.have.experenced.knowledge.n.the.last.century ..Networks..are.adaptve,.flud,.and.readly.scale.n.sze.and.scope ..A.hierarchy imposes.structure,.whle.networks reflect structure .

Writing in a linear format is challenging

!

v

5Mass.meda.and.educaton,.for.example,.have.been.largely.desgned.on.a.one-way.flow.model.(structure.mposed.by.herarchy) ..Herarches,.unlke.networks.and.ecologes,.do.not.permt.rapd.adaptaton.to.trends.outsde..of.establshed.structure ..Structure.s.created.by.a.select.few.and.mposed..on.the.many ... The.newspaper.publshes,.we.consume ... The.teacher.nstructs,.we.learn ... The.news.s.broadcast,.we.lsten ..

An.alternatve.to.ths.one-way.model.has.been.developng.momentum..over.the.last.few.years ..Smple,.socal,.end-user.control.tools.(blogs,4.wks,5.taggng.and.socal.bookmarkng,6.podcastng,7.vdeo.loggng8).are.afford-ng.new.methods.of.nformaton.connecton.and.back-flow.to.the.orgnal.source ..Feedback.s.more.common.n.meda.and.advertsng.than.n.educaton . . .but.academcs.are.begnnng.to.see.ncreased.desre.from.learners.to.engage,.not.only.consume,.learnng.materals.and.concepts .

AS GoeS knowledge,

So Go our organizations

Ths.book.ntends.to.serve 5.broad.purposes: one. .To.conceptualze.learnng.and.knowng.as.connecton-.. . based.processes;

Two. To.explore.the.nature.of.change.n.the.context.n.whch... . knowledge.exsts;

Three. To.explore.the.change.n.the.characterstcs... . of.knowledge.tself;

Four. To.present.knowledge.as.a.context-gamea.dance... . that.requres.multple.realtes,.each.selected.to.serve... . the.ntended.needs.of.each.task,.challenge,.or.opportunty;.

Five. To.present.a.model.for.the.spaces.and.structures.whch.wll... . serve.the.needs.of.our.organzatons.(schools,.unverstes,... . and.corporatons).for.tomorrow .

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Lif

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ing Knowing Knowledge.s.dvded.nto.2.dstnct.sectons ..SecTionone provides a chaotic exploration of knowledge

and associated concerns. The.exploraton.of.learnng,.connectvsm,.and.connectve.knowledge.forms.a.lens.through.whch.we.can.see.and.understand.trends.mpactng.learnng.and.knowledge.development ..The theoretical basis of learning.s.presented.n.ths.secton ...

SecTionTwo provides a description of the changes relating to knowledge today. Implcatons.of.changes,.suggested.revsons.to.spaces.and.structures.of.our.socety.and.corporatons,.and.models.for.mplementng.are.suggested ..The.practical basis of connectivism.s.presented.n.ths.secton .

Knowing Knowledge.s.drected.at.two.broad.audences:.

Educators &. Business Leaders. (desgners,.nstructors,... and.admnstraton).

Whle.ths.may.be.an.nterestng.parng.of.target.audence,.t.extends.from.my.asserton.that.lfe.s.a.learnng/knowledge-based.process ..Lteracy,.marketng,.leadng,.producng,.nstructngn.our.developng.knowledge.socety,.these.tasks.requre.knowledge ..Anyone.who.works.wth.knowledge.needs.to.be.acquanted.wth.learnng.processes ..

A.busness.executve.needs.to.understand.the.characterstcs.of.knowl-edge.that.mpact.creatng.effectve.teams.to.acheve.corporate.strategy ..An.educator.needs.to.understand.the.new.context.of.knowledge.n.order.to.prepare.learners.for.a.lfe.of.learnng.and.workng.wth.knowledge ..Smply.put,.lfe.s.learnng ..If.we.are.nteractng.wth.people,.deas,.or.concepts.(n.a.classroom.or.corporate.boardroom),.knowng.and.learnng.are.our.constant.companons .

Whoever undertakes to set himself up as a judge of Truth and Knowledge is shipwrecked by the laughter of the gods.

Albert Einstein9

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An exploration

oftheoretical viewsofKnoWing andlearning

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sHifting...

We.are.n.the.early.stages.of.dramatc.changechange.that.wll.shake.the.spaces.and.structures.of.our.socety ..Knowledge,.the.buldng.block.of.tomorrow,.s.rdng.a.tumultuous.sea.of.change ..Prevously,.knowl-edge.served.the.ams.of.the.economycreaton,.producton,.and.marketng ..Today,.knowledge.s.the.economy ..What.used.to.be.the.means.has.today.become.the.end .

Left.n.the.wake.of.cataclysmc.change.are.the.knowledge.creaton.and.holdng.structures.of.the.past ..The.deologes.and.phlosophes.of.realty.and.knowngbattle.spaces.of.thought.and.theory.for.the.last.several.mllennahave.fallen.as.gudes ..Lbrares,.schools,.busnessesengnes.of.productvty.and.socetyare.stretchng.under.the.heavy.burden.of.change ..New.epstemologcal.and.ontologcal.theores.are.beng.formed,.as.we.wll.dscuss.shortly.wth.connective knowledge. These.changes.do.not.wash.away.prevous.defntons.of.knowledge,.but.nstead.serve.as.the.fertle.top.of.multple.sol.layers ..

The.task.of.ths.book.s.to.provde.an.overvew.of.what.s.happenng.to.knowledge.and.to.the.spaces.n.whch.knowledge.s.created,.dssem-nated,.shared,.and.utlzed ..

The.pursut.of.knowledge.s.ongong ..Unlke.most.desres,.ths.desre.s.nsatable .12.We.tnker.wth.the.constructs.of.realty:.What.causes.weather.patterns?.Why.dd.t.(pck.any.event).happen?.What.s.that.(pck.any.phenomenon)?.If.we.change.ths,.how.does.t.mpact.that?

Changes. do. not. manfest. themselves.sgnfcantly. n. socety. untl. they. are.of. suffcent. weght. and. force .. The.buldng. of. many. small,. ndvdual.changes.requres.long.perods.of.tme.before. fundamental. change. occurs .11.Our.conceptual.world.vew.of.knowl-edgestatc,. organzed,. and. defned.by.expertss.n.the.process.of.beng.replaced. by. a. more. dynamc. and.mult-faceted.vew .

Knowledge. has. broken. free. from. ts.moorngs,. ts. shackles .. Those,. lke.Francs. Bacon,. who. equate. knowl-edge.wth.power,.fnd.that.the.masses.are.floodng.the.pools.and.reservors.of. the. elte .. The. filters,. gatekeepers,.and. organzers. are. awakenng. to. a.sea.of.change.that.leaves.them.adrft,.clngng.to.ther.old.methods.of.cre-atng,. controllng,. and. dstrbutng.knowledge .

4

Human.exstence.s.a.quest.to.understand ..Our.spaces.and.structures.need.to.be.algned.wth.our.new.understandng.of.knowledgeand.the.manner.n.whch.t.moves,.flows,.and.behaves ..

We.lve.as.an.ntegrated.experencewe.see,.know,.and.functon.n.connectons ..Lfe,.lke.knowng,.s.not.an.solated.actvtyt.s.a.rch,.nterconnected.part.of.who.we.are ..We.cannot.stop.the.desre.to.know ..The.desre.to.know.s.balanced.wth.our.desre.to.communcate,.to.share,.to.connect,.and.our.desre.to.make.sense,.to.understandto.know.the.meanng ..In.an.effort.to.make.ourselves.understood,.we.create.structures.to.hold.our.knowledge:.herarches,.books,.lbrares,.encyclopedas,.the.nternet,.search.engnes ..We.create.spaces.where.we.can.dalogue.about.and.enact.knowledge:.corporatons,.organzatons,.schools,.unverstes,.socetes ..And.we.create.tools.to.dssemnate.knowledge:.peer-revew.journals,.dscusson.panels,.conferences ..

The.last.decade.has.fundamentally.re-wrtten.how.we:.

.. Consume.meda.

.. Authentcate.and.valdate.knowledge

.. Express.ourselves.and.our.deas.

.. Relate.to.nformaton/knowledge.(the.relatonshp.tme.s.much.shortercompare.1/2.hour.readng.the.mornng.newspaper.vs ..readng.50.news.sources.onlne.n.10.mnutes)

.. Relate.to.the.deluge.of.nformaton,.requrng.that.we.become.much.more.selectve.and.that.we.start.usng.external.resources.(socal.bookmarkng,.user-generated.and.fltered.content,.personal.taggng).to.cope

.. Functon.n.knowledge-ntense.envronments.(mass.movement.to.knowledge-based.work,.dmnshng.physcal.or.ndustral.work..actvtes) .

What has caused knowledge to leave the safe, trusted spaces of generations past?

Changes.are.occurrng.on.several.levels:.

thecontext(or.envronment).n.whch.knowledge.exsts;.and

theflow.and.characteristics.of.knowledge.tself ..

5

What is the impact of KnoWledge Set Free?

Yocha. Benkler,. n. hs. exploraton. of. the. growng. promnence. of. net-works. n.socety,.offers.a.glmpse. nto.what. s.at. stake. n.our.world.of.morphng.knowledge:

Information, knowledge, and culture are central to human free-dom and human development. How they are produced and ex-changed in our society critically affects the ways we see the state of the world as it is and might befor more than 150 years, modern complex democracies have depended in large measure on an industrial information economy for these basic functions. In the past decade and a half, we have begun to see a radical change in the organization of information production.13

These.changes.are.stll.beng.nterpreted.through.exstng.belefs.of.how.we.should.structure.our.organzatons.and.what. t.means.to.know.and.learn ..How.deep.must.change.penetrate.our.organzatons.before.we.see.systemc. change?. The. frst. attempt. at. mplementaton. usually. nvolves.forcng.decentralzed.processes.nto.centralzed.models .

We.stand.wth.our.feet.n.two.worlds:.one.n.the.models.and.structures.that. orgnated. n. (and. served. well). the. ndustral. era,. and. the. second.wthn.the.emergng.processes.and.functons.of.knowledge.flow.n.our.era.today ..Our.dual.exstence.s.notced.n.busness,.educaton,.and.me-dawe.have.new.tools.beng.used.to.serve.old.needs ..Ths.phenome-non.was.found.n.the.early.days.of.vdeo ..Intally,.vdeo.was.thought.to.be.best.suted.for.tapng.and.recordng.lve.stage.shows ..Vdeo.was.seen.as. a. second-rate. experence. to. lve. shows .. Over. tme,. once. producers.and.edtors.understood.the.unqueness.of.the.medum,.vdeo.developed.nto.ts.own.art.form ..

The. most. substantal. changes. wll.be. felt. n. how. we. organze. our-selves .. The. spaces. and. structures.of.socetycorporatons,.churches.and. relgous. bodes,. schools,. and.governmentwll. experence. a.dfferent. relatonshp. wth. knowl-edge .. Instead. of. relatonshps. of.control/montor. and. cause/effect,.

these.organzatons. requre.a. shft.n.vew.to.foster,.nurture,.and.con-nect ..Customers,.students,.and.cl-ents.no.longer.tolerate.pre-packag-ng.(musc,.news,.meda) .Knowledge. set. free. enables. dyna-mc,. adaptve,. and. personalzed.experences .

6

Or.consder.emal.n.ts.earler.daysmany.prnted.out.a.paper.copy.of.emals,.at.least.the.mportant.ones,.and.fled.them.n.a.fle.cabnet ..Today.we.are.begnnng.to.see.a.shft.wth.emal.products.that.archve.and.make.emal.searchable.and.allow.ndvduals.to.apply.metadata.at.pont.of.use.(taggng) .

Smlarly,.we.are.n.the.n-between.stage.of.organzatonal.modelswe.are.tryng.to.force.the.changed.context.and.expressons.of.knowledge.nto.structures.and.processes.that.served.a.prevous.age .

Knowledge is not static.

The.knowledge.flow.cycle.(see.Fgure.3).begns.wth.some.type.of.knowledge.creaton.(ndvdual,.group,.organzaton).and.then.moves.through.the.followng.stages:

co-creation. . . . (lke.end-user.generated.content).s.a.recent.. . addton.to.the.knowledge.cycle ..The.ablty.to... . buld.on/wth.the.work.of.others.opens.doors... . for.nnovaton.and.rapd.development.of.deas... . and.concepts .

dissemination. . . . (analyss,.evaluaton,.and.flterng.elements.. . through.the.network).s.the.next.stage.n.the... . knowledge-flow.cycle

communication. . . . (those.that.have.survved.the.. ofkeyideas. dssemnaton.process).enter.conduts.for... . dsperson.throughout.the.network

Personalization. . . . at.ths.stage,.we.brng.new.knowledge.to.. . ourselves.through.the.experence.of... . nternalzaton,.dalogue,.or.reflecton .

implementation. . . . s.the.fnal.stage,.where.acton.occurs.and.feeds.. . back.nto.the.personalzaton.stage ..Our.under-.. . standng.of.a.concept.changes.when.we.are... . actng.on.t,.versus.only.theorzng.or.learnng... . about.t .

(It.s.worth.notng,.even.the.dagram.provded.to.support.ths.lne.of.reasonng.falls.nto.statc,.almost.herarchcal.representatonsour.text/vsual.tools.perpetuate.and.feed.our.lneartya.concept.we.wll.explore.n.greater.detal.when.dscussng.the.changed.attrbutes.of.knowledge) .

7

A.smple.example.s.the.process.of.communcatng.va.text ..Tradton-ally,.a.book.was.the.created.knowledge.object ..Once.wrtten,.t.was.released.for.others.to.read.and.dssemnate ..As.an.object,.the.flow.of.dscusson.was.essentally.one.wayfrom.the.author.to.the.reader.(though.readers.may.form.book.clubs.to.dscuss.the.work.of.an.author) ..The.orgnal.source.was.not.updated.regularly,.perhaps.only.n.subse-quent.edtons.occurrng.every.several.years .

In.todays.onlne.world,.an.author.can.post.a.seres.of.deas/wrtngs,.and.receve.crtque.from.colleagues,.members.of.other.dscplnes,.or.peers.from.around.the.world ..The.deas.can.be.used.by.others.to.buld.more.elaborate.(or.personalzed).representatons ..The.dalogue.contn-ues,.and.deas.gan.momentum.as.they.are.analyzed.and.co-created.n.dfferent.varatons ..After.only.a.bref.tme.(sometmes.a.matter.of.days),.the.deas.can.be.sharpened,.enlarged,.challenged,.or.propagated ..The.cycle.s.dzzyng.n.pace,.process,.and.fnal.product,.whch.s.then.fed.back.nto.the.flow.cycle.for.contnual.teraton ..

We.do.not.consume.knowledge.as.a.passve.entty.that.remans.un-changed.as.t.moves.through.our.world.and.our.work ..We.dance.and.court.the.knowledge.of.othersn.ways.the.orgnal.creators.dd.not.ntend ..We.make.t.ours,.and.n.so.dong,.dmnsh.the.promnence..of.the.orgnator ..

Many processes tug at and work the fabric of knowledge.

Figure 3. Knowledge Flow Cycle

Knowledgeflowisinthisspace

8

Rather, knowledge comes to us through

a network of

prejudices,

opinions,

innervations,

self-corrections,

presuppositions

and exaggerations,

in short

through the dense, firmly-founded but by no means

uniformly transparent medium of experience. (Theodor Adorno)14

Weexistinmultipledomains15

Physical cognitive emotional sPiritual

It.s.to.our.own.ll.that.we.consder.any.one.doman.above.the.others ...We.are.most.alve,.most.human,.and.most.complete.when.we.see.the.full.color.of.our.mult-doman.contnuums .

Figure 4. Domains of Knowing

9

Figure 5. Knowledge Types

Our.quadratc.exstence.runs.through.spheres.of.nterconnecton ..Cogntve,.emotonal,.physcal,.and.sprtual.domans.of.knowledge.nteract.n.a.myrad.of.ways ...Lfe.s.not.lved.n.a.slo ...Artfcal.constructs.may..be.useful.for.categorzaton,..but.fal.to.capture.the.true.rchness.and.nterconnectvty.of.knowledge ...The.aggregate.of.domans,..each.wth.varous.levels..of.promnence.n.dfferent..stuatons,.provdes.the.condut.through.whch.we.experence.knowledge ..

10

Knowledge consists of different types:

Knowing aBout. . . . .news.events,.bascs.of.a.feld,... ntroductory.concepts.n.a.dscplne

. Knowing todo. . . . .drve.a.car,.solve.a.math.problem,..

. code.a.program,.conduct.research,..

. manage.a.project

. Knowing.toBe. . . . .to.embody.knowledge.wth.humanty.

. (dong.blended.wth.consstency.and..

. daly.exstence),.to.be.a.doctor.or..

. psychologst.(mannersm,.professon-.

. alsm),.to.be.an.ethcal.person,.to.be..

. compassonate,.to.relate,.to.feel

. Knowing WHere. . . . .to.fnd.knowledge.when.needed,.

. web.search,.lbrary,.database,.an.org-.

. anzaton,.and.ncreasngly,.knowng.

. who.to.approach.for.assstance

Knowing totransform. . . . .to.tweak,.to.adjust,.to.recombne,.to.. algn.wth.realty,.to.nnovate,.to.exst... at.levels.deeper.than.readly.notceable,.. .to.thnk ..The.why.of.knowng.resdes.. .n.ths.doman

We.have.created.journals,.books,.lbrares,.and.museums.to.house.knowledge ..Most.knowledge.n.these.storage.structures.s.n.the.about.and.dong.levels ..Knowng.to.be,.where.to.fnd.knowledge.(n.todays.envronment,.knowng.how.to.navgate.knowledge.as.a.process.or.flow),.and.knowng.to.transform.are.all.outsde.of.these.contaner-vews ..

Schools,.unverstes,.and.corporatons.attempt.to.serve.dssemnaton.processes.of.knowledge-n-contaners ..Under.the.pressure.of.constant,.ongong.change.(and.beng.desgned.to.manage.products.not.processes),.these.organzatons.are.unable.to.attend.to.the.full.array.of.knowng ...For.most.of.us,.we.fnd.our.hgher-level.understandng.through.reflecton.and.nformal.learnng,.where.we.engage.wth.knowledge.to.gan.new.understandngs ..The.sklls.and.processes.that.wll.make.us.people.of.tomorrow.are.not.yet.embedded.n.our.educatonal.structures ..Whle.there.are.many.who.are.attemptng.new.approaches,.the.vast.majorty.are.ensconced.n.structures,.preparng.students.and.employees.for.a.future.that.wll.not.exst ..

11

The.quad-space.of.self.occurs.n.the.larger.space.of.organzatons.and.socety;.just.as.we.exst.n.dfferent.domans:.physcal,.cogntve,.socal,.and.sprtual.(see.Fgure.4),.we.exst.n.dfferent.spaces:.self,.collectve,.organzatonal,.and.socetal.(see.Fgure.6) ..

Each.space.of.exstence.holds.ts.own.culture ..Knowledge.experenced..n.the.space.of.self.holds.a.dfferent.context.(and.thereby,.meanng)..than.knowledge.experenced.n.our.collectve.spaces.(hobbes,.volunteer.groups,.socal.spaces) ..Each.sphere.of.exstence.has.an.accompanyng.culture.and.feel.(an.evolvng.zetgest)whch,.themselves,.become.perspectve-ponts.for.percevng.(and.flterng).knowledge .

Figure 6. Our Structures of Existence

The.complextes.of.functonng.n.numerous.(and.ambguous).spaces.requres.ncreased.lnes.of.communcaton ..Duncan.Watts.addresses.the.challenge.of.rapdly.changng.envronments.through.ntense.commu-ncaton,.ensurng.that.each.agent.n.the.space.s.aware.and.nformed .

Whensolvingcomplexproblemsinambiguousenvironments,

individualscompensatefortheirlimitedknowledgeof

theinterdependenciesbetweentheirvarioustasksandfortheir

uncertaintyaboutthefuturebyexchanginginformation

knowledge,advice,expertise,andresources

withotherproblem-solverswithinthesameorganization.

DuncanWatts16

12

animportantscientificinnovationrarelymakesitswaybybygraduallywinningoverandconvertingitsopponents.itrarelyhappensthatsaulbecomesPaul.Whatdoeshappenisitsopponentsgraduallydieoutandthegrowinggenerationisfamiliarizedwiththeideafromthebeginning. maxPlanck17

Figure 7. What is Knowledge?

13

In order to understand beauty, we kill it. andintheprocess,

weunderstandmoreaboutournature

andlessaboutbeauty.

Many Faces exploringKnowledge

the categories of human thought are never fixed in any one definite form; they are made, unmade and

remade incessantly; they change with places and times. Emile Durkheim18

Understandng.knowledge.n.a.partcular.era.s.mportant.n.ensurng.that.we.have.algned.our.spaces.and.structures.wth.the.nature.of.

knowledge ..Untl.recently,.we.have.been.able.to.make.knowledge.ft.our.models ..Now.that.we.are.enterng.a.two-way.flow.model,.(where.org-

nal.sources.receve.feedback.from.end-users).we.need.to.adjust.our.models.to.ft.the.changed.nature.of.what it means to know.

As.promsed.n.the.preface,.ths.book.s.not.ntended.to.provde.a.defnton.of.knowledge ..Rather,.the.ntent.s.to.present.characterstcs.

we.may.consder.n.explorng.the.rchness.of.the.landscape ..A.hker.enterng.a.new.terrtory.would.thnk.t.foolsh.to.settle.on.a.smple,.myopc,.dluted.defnton.of.the.ecology ..Instead,.the.rch.space.s.

explored.for.plant.and.anmal.lfe,.streams.and.lakes;.sounds.and.smells ..Any.sngular.defnton.of.the.landscape.would.fal.to.defne.the.whole ..

Each.defnton.of.the.landscape.becomes.valuable.when.t.abandons.pretences.of.beng.the.only.one.and.acknowledges.other.perceptons ..

Ths.does.not.embrace.relatvty.(n.each.context,.one.vew.may.be.the.most.approprate ..Paul.Boghossan,.n.hs.exploraton.of.truth,.belef,.

and.facts,.rejects.the.noton.that.all.vews.are.equally.vald19) ..It.does,.however,.embrace.dversty,.acknowledgng.that.many.dfferent.vews.exst,.and.dfferent.ones.wll.be.more.applcable.n.dfferent.stuatons.

(each.context.may.better.algn.wth.one.partcular.vew,.elmnatng.the.noton.of.equal.valdty.of.all.vews.n.a.partcular.context) .

14

Many.have.provded.knowledge.defntons.and.models:

. Justfed.true.belef.(Socrates.and.Plato);. A.gradent.of.data,.nformaton,.knowledge,.understandng,... and.wsdom;.20

. Defned.by.tact.and.explct.sprals:.socalzaton.(tact.to.tact),... externalzaton.(tact.to.explct),.combnaton.(explct.to... explct),.and.nternalzaton.(explct.to.tact);21

. Three.worlds.of.knowledge:.onephyscal/materal,... twophysologcal/.subjectve,.and.threeculture/artfacts;22.. Sense-makng.and.organzaton .23

can multiple definitions of knowledge be true?

Canknowledgeexistindependentofhumanknowing?

IsknowledgeaCquIreDorisitCreateDthroughactiveparticipation?

Isknowledgeapersonalactivity?Dowesociallyconstructknowledge?

the aim of argument, or of discussion, should not be victory, but progress.

Joseph Joupert24

Knowledge.can.be.descrbed.n.many.ways;.an.entty.and.a.process,.a.sequence.of.contnuums:.type,.level,.and.applcaton,.mplct,.explct,.tact,.procedural,.declaratve,.nductve,.deductve,.qualtatve,.and.quanttatve ..Knowledge.rests.n.an.ndvdual;.t.resides.n.the.collectve .

Whle.not.ascrbng.to.pure.subjectvty.vews.of.knowledge.(some.thngs.are,.and.we.must.algn.ourselves.wth.thempure.subjectvty.s.the.play-ground.of.theorsts.and.phlosophers ..Realty.often.presents.both.objectve.and.subjectve.elements25),.we.can.see.that.certan.thngs.may.be.appro-prate.n.one.context,.whle.not.n.another ..

Knowledge.n.the.pharmaceutcal.feld.wll.possess.dfferent.trats.than.knowledge.n.agrculture ..Dfferent.defntons.wll.apply.based.on.df-ferent.understandngs ..A.knowledge.product.(a.mathematcal.formula)..s.dfferent.from.a.knowledge.process.(ongong.attempt.to.stay.current.n.a.world.of.acceleratng.knowledge) ..To.see.n.monochromatc.vews.s.to.fal.to.see.the.full.breadth.of.knowledge .

15

We must become skilled at seeing continuums and context.

Today.we.may.be.able.to.say.that.the.bran.works.ths.way,.but.only.f.we.acknowledge.that.the.dscoveres.themselves.are.emergng ..We.are.constantly.expandng.our.understandng.(revstng.our.preconceved.notons).and.forcng.the.bran.to.reveal.ts.functonng ..Our.under-standng.s.a.transtory.state,.nfluenced.by.our.domans.of.knowng.(see.Fgure.4):.cogntve,.emotonal,.physcal,.and.sprtual,.and.types..of.knowledge.(see.Fgure.5):.about,.to.do,.to.be,.know.where,.and.transformng,.as.well.as.our.structures.of.exstence.(see.Fgure.6):.self,.collectve,.organzatonal,.and.socetal ..

Socal.tools.are.emergng.whch.permt.rapd.exchange.of.knowledge,.and.hgh.levels.of.dalogue ..Communcaton.can.now.occur.collabora-tvely.(wk,.onlne.meetngs),.through.ndvdual.broadcast.(blogs,..podcasts,.vdeo.logs),.and.n.shared.spaces.(socal.bookmarkng) ..Knowledge,.when.buffeted.by.numerous.forces.and.factors,.s.under.constant.scrutny.by.the.masses .

Perhaps.we.should.pursue.a.therapy.vew.of.knowledge ..Therapes.create.understandng.only.after.all.elements.(whch.are.constantly.changng).have.been.consdered ..We.must.resst.the.urge.to.gve.shape.too.early ..Ambguty.s.an.unfalng.companon ..Constructs,.and.class-fcatons.represent.only.part.of.the.knowledge.spaceprmarly.those.knowledge.elements.that.have.hardened.(see.Fgure.8) .

In.a.broad.sense,.knowledge.has.hstorcally.been.defned.or.categorzed.along.two.lnes:.quanttatve.or.qualtatve ..We.requre.an.epstemology.that.subsumes.or,.at.mnmum,.extends.these.vewponts.nto.our.world.today ..

Knowng.and.learnng.are.today.defned.by.connectons ...connectivism26.s.the.asserton.that.learnng.s.prmarly.a.network-formng.process ..

We. may. perodcally. ascrbe. ob-ject-lke. elements. to. knowledge,.but.only. for. the.ablty. to.dscuss,.debate,.and.dalogue ..For.example,.research. n. neuroscence. reveals.patterns.that.can.be.presented.and.shared.wth.other.researchers ..The.moment,.however,.that.knowledge.

s. created,. t. becomes. subject. to.the. knowledge. flow. cycle. ds-cussed. prevouslywhere. knowl-edge.leads.to.co-creaton,.dssem-naton,. communcaton,. personal-.zaton,. mplementaton,. and. on-.gong. cycles. of. buldng. and.sharng ..

16

Downes.provdes.connectve.knowledge27.as.the.epstemologcal.foundaton.of.connectvsm:.

A property of one entity must lead to or become a property of another entity in order for them to be considered connected; the knowledge that results from such connections is

connective knowledge.

Connective knowledge networks possess four traits:. diverSity. . . . . Is.the.wdest.possble.spectrum.of.ponts.of.

vew.revealed?. autonomy. . . . . Were.the.ndvdual.knowers.contrbutng.to.

the.nteracton.of.ther.own.accord,.accordng..to.ther.own.knowledge,.values.and.decsons,..or.were.they.actng.at.the.behest.of.some.exter-nal.agency.seekng.to.magnfy.a.certan.pont..of.vew.through.quantty.rather.than.reason..and.reflecton?

. interactivity. . . . . Is.the.knowledge.beng.produced.the.product.of.an.nteracton.between.the.members,..or.s.t.a.(mere).aggregaton.of.the.members.perspectves?

. openneSS. . . . . Is.there.a.mechansm.that.allows.a.gven.perspectve.to.be.entered.nto.the.system,.to.be.heard.and.nteracted.wth.by.others?

We.must.negotate.knowledge.defntons,.as.a.doctor.provdes.therapy.for.a.patent ..Our.knowledge.defntons.and.actvtes.are.dances.of.context.(or,.to.abuse.Wttgensten28,.much.of.the.process.of.knowledge.s.a.context.game) ..We.may.encounter.stuatons.where.tact.and.explct.vews.serve.our.purposesor.where.justfed.true.belef.s.an.appropr-ate.defnton ..Context.and.purpose.often.reveal.the.needed.defnton.(not.the.defnton.formulated.n.advance.and.appled.to.dfferent.stuatons) .

The.context.game.should.reveal.the.nature.of.knowledge.n.each.space ..Some.thngs.are,.and.we.are.most.effectve.when.we.algn.to.what is29..In.other.nstances,.the.nature.of.knowledge.s.vague,.ambguous,.or.chaotc ..Our.treatment.and.approach.must.be.defned.by.the.nature.of.knowledge.we.are.consderng .

17

toarriveatatrue

definitionofknowledge

istorenderituselessfor

diverseimplementation.

A.broad.defnton.s.possble.(much.lke.we.can.ascrbe.broad.char-acterstcs.to.mammals),.and.whle.the.specfc.functons.n.the.larger.whole,.we.must. see. each.knowledge.element/experence/nteracton.for.what.t.unquely.s.(lke.we.ascrbe.certan.characterstcs.to.dogs,.or. catsand. further. provde. detaled. breakdown. of. speces. and.types) ..The.more.precse.the.defnton,.the.less.applcable.n.multple.stuatons .

If.a.fnancal.servces.organzaton.s.seekng.to.mprove.the.ablty.of.employees. to. provde. rapd. loan. approvals,. the. needed. knowledge.cannot.be.defned.n.advance ..Decsons.are.made.based.on.multple.factorseach. carryng. a. dfferent. weght. n. the. fnal. outcome .. The.supportng.processes,.whch.allow.employees.quck.access.to.needed.knowledgecredt.ratng,.debt.ratos.n.dfferent.sectors,.enable.and.foster. decson. makng .. Access. to. knowledge. s. not. enoughthe.mark.of.complex.functonng.s.the.followng.of.a.few.smple.rules .30.Instead.of.defnng.the.construct.of.knowledge.and.decson-makng,.smple.rules,.guded.by.access.to.needed.knowledge,.permt.ndvdu-als.to.make.complex.decsons .

18

Figure 8. Knowledge States

Knowledge.possesses.dfferent.statesalong.a.contnuum ..Hard.knowl-edge.occurs.n.felds.and.eras.where.change.s.slow ..Through.a.process.of.expert.valdaton.and.acceptance.of.the.publc,.knowledge.acqures.sold.states ..Over.the.last.several.decades,.more.of.our.knowledge.has.shfted.to.soft.knowledge ..When.thngs.change.rapdly,.many.knowledge.elements.do.not.have.tme.to.harden.before.they.are.replaced.or.amended ..Manag-ng.hard.and.soft.knowledge.(as.a.contnuum,.not.dstnct.ponts).requres.dfferent.processes ..

We.have.a.dfferent.relatonshp.wth.knowledge.that.has.been.crystallized n.the.form.of.a.book.or.a.journal ..Why.do.we.respect.t.more?.

19

Do.ncreased.nput.costs.of.tme.or.fnances.equate.wth.ncreased.value?.Do.copyrght.and.ownershp.clams.rase.value?.

Knowledge.s.subject.to.numerous.processes.(see.Fgure.9)how.t.s.created;.by.experts.or.the.masses,.structured;.n.preset.contaners.or.clouds.and.networks.of.nebulous.shape,.dssemnated;.one-way.models.lke.books.or.journals.or.soft.two-way.flow.of.the.nternet,.valdated;..by.experts.or.peers,.and.acqured.and.mplemented;.through.content.consumpton,.dalogue,.or.reflecton ..

Figure 9. Knowledge Process/Elements

Each.of.these.processes.s.currently.beng.reshaped.and.changed.as.knowledge.changes ..Technology.s.provdng.new.affordances.for.n-dvduals.to.become.nvolved.n.publshng,.knowledge.exchange,.and..to.access.experts ..

20

Defntons.are.subject.to.numerous.elements.that.reduce.ther.effectve-ness:.language.and.meanng,.context,.culture,.and.perspectve ..We.cannot.defne.a.feld.by.one.defnton ..Instead,.defntons.need.to.be.created.on.a.one-to-one.bass ..Explore.the.entty ..Then.decde ..Do.not.force.the.entty.nto.preformed.contaners .

Organzatonally,.our.challenge.s.to.work with knowledge based on its characteristics, not on our pre-created viewpoints..We.need.to.resst.the.urge.to.make.somethng.famlar.even.at.the.cost.of.destroyng.what.[we.have].found .31.We.can.no.longer.create.our.flters.n.advance ..We.must.learn.to.dance.(engage.and.nteract).wth.knowledge.n.order.to.understand.what.t.s .

Figure 10. Categorization

Knowledge is organization. not Structure.

21

Tradtonal.knowledge.organzaton.conssted.of.farly.statc.her-arches.and.contaners ..Organzaton.today.conssts.of.dynamc.networks.and.ecologesmodels.capable.of.adaptaton.(adjustng.and.reactng.to.changes) ..Structure.s.the.outgrowth.of.organza-ton,.not.the.pre-requste.to.organzaton .

What.we.defne.as.knowledge.s.the.codfcaton.of.nformaton..or.data.n.a.partcular.way ..The.prncples.of.gravty.exsted.long.before.they.were.artculated.n.a.manner.that.could.be.commun-cated,.analyzed,.and.explored ..Seeng.the.pattern.(how.thngs..were.organzed.and.what.that.organzaton.meant),.s.the.resultng.knowledge .

Smlarly,.the.ablty.to.perform.a.heart.transplant.exsted.as.a.theory.before.actual.dong.n.realty ..The.knowledge.to.buld.the.machnes,.procedures,.and.accompanyng.elements.resulted.from.a.partcular.recombnaton.of.nformaton .

Our.cogntve.efforts.are.not.exclusvely.structured.and.herarchcal ...We.explore.nformaton.wth.a.desre.to.personalze.and.patternize.to.translate.nto.knowledge ..

Fgure.11.presents.elements.nvolved.n.the.knowledge.process:. Knowledge.seeker. . Content. .Context. Conduts.(the.medum.through.whch.knower.and.seeker.commun-.. cateand.through.whch.the.known.entty.fnds.expresson). Knower/Expert

Knowledge

Is not

Intended

to FIll MInds.

It Is

Intended

to open theM.

Figur

e 11.

Com

pone

nts o

f Kno

wled

ge Da

nce

22

Knowledge.comes.from.systems.and.ntegrated.structures ..Better.qualty.networks.and.connectons.result.n.better.qualty.knowledge.sharng ..Formng.effectve.networks.s.as.mportant.a.challenge.as.utlzng.the.networks.for.our.knowledge.needs .

Whle.buldng.our.networks,.we.cannot.unearth.knowledge.by.only.focusng.on.one.doman ..To.exclude.socal,.emotonal,.or.sprtual.d-mensons.s.to.grey.the.pcture ..The.wder.the.lens.of.our.percepton,..the.brghter.(and.more.complete).the.mage .

What are trusted sources of knowledge? What.sklls.and.processes.do.we.need.to.work.wth.soft.knowledge..(see.Fgure.8)?.We.have.spent.our.hstory.wth.hard/codfed.knowledge..as.a.product. We.now.need.to.learn.to.work.wth.soft.knowledge.as.a.process ..

How.does.t.happen.today?.How.s.knowledge.vetted.for.valdty.and.authentcty?.The.opnons.and.vews.of.experts.are.augmented.by.trusted.networks.(lke.recommender.systems.n.many.communtesto.valdate.ndvduals.based.on.ther.hstory.and.prevous.actvtes.wthn.a.space) ..Checks.and.balances,.not.herarchcal.structures,.create.vettng.models ..

can a group be as effective as an expert?We.experence.knowledge.n.tme.and.space.allowng.us.to.see.from.only.one.pont.at.a.tme.(we.cannot.hold.opposng.perspectves,.even.though.we.are.aware.of.others) .

A.network.reflects.on.tself ..I.am.a.node.on.my.own.network ..I.can.only.see.and.thnk.from.where.I.exst ..If.I.move,.I.lose.the.ntal.perspectve ..We.cannot.mantan.two.ponts.n.our.network.smultaneously ...Understandng.that.a.dfferent.vew.exsts.s.very..dfferent.from.seeng.the.dfferent.vew .

Learnng.s.the.equvalent.of.openng..a.door.to.a.new.way.of.percevng.and.knowng ..An.open.door.leads.to..corrdors.of.new.thought.and..ways.of.knowng.(or.forgettng) . W

eeX

PerienceKnoW

Ledgeintimean

ds

Pace.

23

Figure 12. Time and Space

The.newspaper.edtor,.the.news.staton,.the.rado.host,.who.s.able.to..promote.and.flter.based.on.certan.vewponts.(poltcal,.phlosophcal),..s.losng.ground.to.the.ndvdual ..Indvduals.can.form.and.create.ther.own.spaces.and.networks.of.news,.nformaton,.and.knowledge.flterng.and.dssemnaton ..

We.do.not.lve.our.lves.n.actve.cognton ..We.spend.much.of.our.tme..n.contaners.that.we.have.created ..insteadofthinking,wearemerelysortingandfiltering.(Or.has.sortng.become.the.thnkng.of.our.era?) ..Even.user-created.networks.resst.actve.cognton.n.order.to.flter.out.contrastng.vewponts ..The.new.spaces.of.knowledge,.whle.conceptually.democratc,.are.subject.to.the.same.quest.for.certanty.and.consstency.that.we.desre.n.other.knowledge.sources ..Wkpeda,.an.onlne.encyclopeda.wrtten.by.numerous.contrbutors,.(not.necessarly.experts.as.tradtonal.encyclopedas.requre),.stll.requres.certanty.and.valdty ..Wkpeda.requres.structure.and.controlthough.of.a.dfferent.nature ..Instead.of.command.and.control.models,.gudelnes.are.created.through.dalogue..and.transparency ..

Our.contaners.of.organzaton.are.crackng ..We.are.enterng.a.new.stage.of.actve,.ongong.cognton ..We.can.no.longer.rely.on.categorzaton.to.meet.our.needs.n.a.rapdly.evolvng,.global.knowledge.clmate ..We.must.rely.on.network-formaton.and.development.of.knowledge.ecologes ..We.must.become.dfferent.people.wth.dfferent.habts .

24

At.the.end.of.the.last.century,.knowledge.began.to.become.the.most.valuable.currency,.lke.land.n.a.feudal.economy.or.captal.n.an.

ndustral.economy ..The.new.scence.of.learnng.should.tell.us.that.knowledge.s.not.just.a.prze.to.be.won.n.some.desperate.test-takng.

struggle.for.places.n.the.contemporary.mandarnate ..Instead.t.s,.lterally.and.not.just.rhetorcally,.our.unversal.human.brthrght ...

. J ..Brockman32

Figure 13. Learning

25

learningThe future of learning is written in the future of knowledge.

StephenDownes33.

Masseducationdesignedfortheindustrialagemeetstheneedsof

neitherthepre-industrialvillagenorthepost-industrialfuture...

indeed,alleducationhastobetotallyreconceptualised.

. Alvin Toffler34

In.Educating the Net Generation35.Dana.and.James.Oblnger.present.an.example.of.todays.youthnfluenced.and.changed.by.technology ..Erc.(the.ndvdual.n.ther.ntroducton),.lves.a.dfferent.realtynot.because.of technology,.but.because.of.affordances.provded.by.technol-ogy ..For.Erc,.connectng.wth.people.and.content.s.a.constant,.ongong,.daly.actvty ..Hs.learnng.s.a.contnual,.network-formng.process ..Ths.model.s.ganng.promnence.n.both.academc.and.corporate.envron-ments ..As.we.encounter.new.resources.(knowledge,.people,.and.technol-ogy.nodes),.we.may.choose.to.actvely.connect.and.create.our.personal.learnng.network ..

Learnng.s.more.than.knowledge.acquston ..Often.t.s.a.process.of.several.stages.wth.several.dstnct.components ..Exploraton,.nqury,.decson.makng,.selectng,.and.deselectng.are.all.preparatory.actvtes.before.we.even.enter.the.learnng.experence.(the.learnng.experence.beng.defned.as.the.moment.when.we.actvely.acqure.the.knowledge.that.s.mssng.n.order.for.us.to.complete.the.needed.tasks.or.solve.a.problem) ..

Durng.(and.followng).the.learnng.experence,.evaluatons.and.assess-ments.are.occurrng.that.measure.f.the.learnng.needed.has.occurred ..Each.stage.has.dfferent.requrements ..Preparatory.learnng.reles.more.on.nformal.tools;.the.learnng.experence.most.lkely.utlzes.structured.content.and.dalogue.wth.gurus;.the.evaluaton.stage.requres.nformal.dscusson,.reflecton,.and.self-expresson ..One.tool.or.approach.does.not.adequately.address.the.entre.process .

26

We.need.to.ensure.that.we.do.not.talk.about.learnng.n.ts.entrety.when.we.are.really.only.referrng.to.a.certan.stage.or.a.certan.type.of.learnng ..For.example,.f.I.was.to.say.learnng.communtes.are.great.for.learnng,.but.fal.to.specfy.that.I.am.referrng.to.the.preparatory.stage.of.learnng.n.order.to.foster.nnovaton,.my.ambguty.makes.t.dffcult.to.dalogue.wth.others.on.the.concept.(we.wll.address.ths.phenomena.as.context.games.n.the.next.chapter) ..The.lstener.may.have.a.dfferent.focus.of.a.partcular.learnng.stage.or.learnng.type.and.wll.attempt.to.engage/refute.my.comments.from.her/hs.own.perspectve ..

We.end.up.talkng.past.each.other ..When.we.talk.learnng,.we.need.to.state.the.stage,.the.type,.and.the.process.to.whch.we.are.referrng ..Ths.dscus-son.s.smlar.to.the.knowledge.dscusson.presented.n.the.frst.two.sec-tons.of.ths.book ..Defnng.the.entty.tself,.not.mplementng.our.pre-defned.processes,.s.crtcal .

Learningisapeertoknowledge..To.learn.s.to.come.to.know ..To.know.s.to.have.learned ..We.seek.knowledge.so.that.we.can.make.sense ..Knowledge.today.requres.a.shft.from.cogntve.processng.to.pattern.recognton .

Our.metaphors.of.thought.over.the.last.century.nclude:

ourmindisaBlacK Box. . . .We.can.not.fully.know.what.goes.on ... Instead,.we.focus.on.the.behavor.. the.observable.manfestaton.of... thought.and.cognton . ourmindislikeacomputer. . . .We.accept.nputs,.manage.them.n. short-term.memory,.archve.them.n... long-term.memory.(and.retreve... nto.short-term.memory.when... needed),.generatng.some.type.of... output .ourmindconstructsourreality. . . .We.engage.n.actve.constructon.. of.our.realty.through.the.deas.and... resources.we.encounter .

These.establshed.metaphors.fall.short.n.an.era.defned.by.rapd.knowl-edge.development ..Our.mnd.s.not.lke.a.computer ..Neuroscence.has.revealed.that.the.computer.model.s.wholly.naccurate ..Our.mnd.may.have.been.a.black.box.to.researchers.a.century.ago,.but.we.now.under-stand.many.of.the.functons.of.dfferent.areas.of.our.bran . . .

27

we.are.slowly.llumnatng.the.box ..Constructon,.whle.a.useful.metaphor,.fals.to.algn.wth.our.growng.understandng.that.our.mnd.s.a.connecton-creatng.structure ..We.do.not.always.construct.(whch.s.hgh.cogntve.load),.but.we.do.constantly.connect ..

We.need.to.break.false.modes.of.thnkng.n.relaton.to.knowledge ..

Ourmindisanetworkanecology.Itadaptstotheenvironment.

We.cannot.thnk.of.new.drectons.whle.we.are.n.battle.wth.the.boundares.of.exstng.thought.and.context ..Our.thoughts.exst.n.tme.and.space.(as.neural.ponts.n.an.ntegrated.network) .

How.we.create.corporate.polces.(how.we.desgn.our.knowledge.flows).should.be.n.lne.wth.how.we.learn.and.thnk ..Cold.logc.does.not.serve.an.organzaton.well ..Nether.does.untamed.emoton ..

Holstc,.mult-faceted.vews.of.learnng,.knowledge,.corporate.actvtes.are.requred ..Gan.dverse.perspectvestest/plot/expermentnurtureselectand.amplfy ..Meyer.and.Davs.reduce.the.concept.even.further:

Seed, Select, and Amplify. test many diverse options, and reinforce the winners. Experiment, dont plan.

. Chris Meyer and Stan Davis36

learning.(see.Fgure.14).s.defned.by:

ChaoTiC Dverse.and.messy,.not.necessarly.neatly.packaged.and.arranged .

ConTinual Ongong.n.development.and.communcaton ..The.model.of.go.to.a.course.s.beng.replaced.wth.learnng.and.knowledge.at.the.pont.of.need .

Co-CreaTion Instead.of.content.consumpton.(or.passve.learners.nvolved.n.knowledge.acquston),.experts.and.amateurs.are.now.co-creators.n.knowledge .

ComPlexiTy Learnng.s.a.mult-faceted,.ntegrated.process.where.changes.wth.any.one.element.alters.the.larger.network ..Knowledge.s.subject.to.the.nuances.of.complex,.adaptve.systems .

28

ConneCTed sPeCializaTion .Complexty.and.dversty.results.n.specalzed.nodes.(a.sngle.entty.can.no.longer.know.all.requred.elements) ..The.act.of.knowledge.growth.and.learnng.nvolves.connected.specalzed.nodes

ConTinual susPended CerTainTy .We.know.n.part ..An.atttude.of.tolerance.for.ambguty.and.uncertanty.s.requred ..Certanty.s.for.a.season,.not.a.lfetme .

Figure 14. Traits of Learning Today

29

Figure 15. Learning as Network Forming

Learnng.s.the.process.of.creatng.networks ..Nodes.are.external.enttes.whch.we.can.use.to.form.a.network ..Or.nodes.may.be.people,.organza-tons,.lbrares,.web.stes,.books,.journals,.database,.or.any.other.source.of.nformaton ..The.act.of.learnng.(thngs.become.a.bt.trcky.here).s.one.of.creatng.an.external network.of.nodeswhere.we.connect.and.form.nformaton.and.knowledge.sources ..The.learnng.that.happens..n.our.heads.s.an internal network (neural). Learnng.networks.can..then.be.perceved.as.structures.that.we.create.n.order.to.stay.current.and.contnually.acqure,.experence,.create,.and.connect.new.knowledge.(external) ..And.learnng.networks.can.be.perceved.as.structures.that.exst.wthn.our.mnds.(nternal).n.connectng.and.creatng.patterns..of.understandng .

networkformation:addingnewnodes,

creatingnewneuralpaths

30

Not.all.nodes.wthn.a.learnng.network.contnue.to.reman.relevant ...As.an.ntellgent.network,.our.mnd.contnually.reshapes.and.adjusts.to.reflect.new.envronments.and.nformaton ..Corporatons.undergo.a.smlar.process ..Nodes.that.are.no.longer.valued.are.weakened.wthn.ths.envronment ..

Weakenng.can.occur.n.many.ways,.but.the.most.obvous.s.a.loss.of.connectons.wthn.the.network ..For.example,.f.I.beleve.n.the.Loch.Ness.monster,.ths.belef.can.exst.as.an.unobtrusve.node.because.t.does.not.generally.mpact.my.daly.actvtes ..As.a.result,.the.node.s.largely.gnored.(nformaton.and.deas.are.not.routed.through.ths.node) ..As.I.encounter.new.sources.of.nformaton.crtcal.of.the.concept.of.the.Loch.Ness.monster,.I.may.eventually.weaken.the.node.suffcently.to.elmnate.ts.relevance.n.my.neural.network ..

A.learner.who.contnually.encounters.new.nformaton.and.knowledge,.wll.dynamcally.update.and.rewrte.hs/her.network.of.learnng.and.belef ..If.on.the.other.hand,.the.node.tself.s.crtcal.(that.s,.t.s.a.hub.or.s.heavly.connected),.weakenng.wll.only.happen.over.a.long.perod.of.tme.or.through.sesmc.shfts.across.the.entre.network ..Such.cross-network.shfts.assume.that.the.emotonal.nodes,.whch.route.nformaton.crtcal.of.belefs,.permt.fludty.of.new.deas,.nstead.of.smply.usng.new.nformaton.through.the.perspectve.of.exstng.belefs .

Connectvsm.s.a.theory.descrbng.how.learnng.happens.n.a.dgtal.age ..Research.n.tradtonal.learnng.theores.comes.from.an.era.when.net-workng.technologes.were.not.yet.promnent ..How.does.learnng.change.when.knowledge.growth.s.overwhelmng.and.technology.replaces.many.basc.tasks.we.have.prevously.performed?

Connectvsm.s.the.ntegraton.of.prncples.explored.by.chaos37,.net-work,.complexty38,.and.self-organzaton39.theores ..

Knowledge.and.learnng.are.processes.that.occur.wthn.nebulous.envronments.of.shftng.core.elementsnot.entrely.under.the.control.of.the.ndvdual ..Learnng.(defned.as.knowledge.patterns.on.whch.we.can.act).can.resde.outsde.of.ourselves.(wthn.an.organzaton.or.a.database),.s.focused.on.connectng.specalzed.nformaton.sets ..The connections that enable us to learn more are more important than our current state of knowing.

Connectvsm.s.drven.by.the.understandng.that.decsons.are.based.on.rapdly.alterng.foundatons ..

31

New.knowledge.s.contnually.beng.acqured ..Drawng.dstnctons.between.mportant.and.unmportant.knowledge.s.vtal ..The.ablty.to.recognze.when.new.knowledge.alters.the.landscape.based.on.decsons.made.yesterday.s.mportant ..When.busness,.or.academc,.envron-ments.change,.adjustments.need.to.be.made.n.our.own.thnkng.and.assumptons.to.ensure.that.we.are.basng.our.decsons.on.an.accurate.foundaton ..

principleS oF connectiviSm:

. . Learnng.and.knowledge.requre.dversty.of.opnons.to.present..the.wholeand.to.permt.selecton.of.best.approach ..

. . Learnng.s.a.network.formaton.process.of.connectng.specalzed.nodes.or.nformaton.sources ..

. . Knowledge.rests.n.networks .

. . Knowledge.may.resde.n.non-human.applances.,.and.learnng.s.enabled/facltated.by.technology .40

. . Capacty.to.know.more.s.more.crtcal.than.what.s.currently.known ..

. . Learnng.and.knowng.are.constant,.on.gong.processes.(not.end.states.or.products) ..

. . Ablty.to.see.connectons.and.recognze.patterns.and.make.sense.between.felds,.deas,.and.concepts.s.the.core.skll.for.ndvduals.today ..

. . Currency.(accurate,.up-to-date.knowledge).s.the.ntent.of.all.connectvst.learnng.actvtes ..

. . Decson-makng.s.learnng ..Choosng.what.to.learn.and.the.meanng.of.ncomng.nformaton.s.seen.through.the.lens.of.a.shftng.realty ..Whle.there.s.a.rght.answer.now,.t.may.be.wrong.tomorrow.due.to.alteratons.n.the.nformaton.clmate.affectng.the.decson ..

Byobsolete,Imeanthatourhighschools

evenwhentheyreworkingexactlyasdesigned

cannotteachourkidswhattheyneedtoknowtoday.

trainingtheworkforceoftomorrowwiththehighschools

oftodayisliketryingtoteachkidsabouttodayscomputers

ona50-year-oldmainframe.Itsthewrongtoolforthetimes.

. BillGates41

32

Know.where.and.know.who.are.more.mportant.today.that.knowng.what.and.how ..An.nformaton.rch.world.requres.the.ablty.to.frst.determne.what.s.mportant,.and.then.how.to.stay.connected.and.nformed.as.nformaton.changes ..Content.s.dependant.on.the.rght.condut.for.expresson.and.communcaton.(the.nternet,.a.book,.a.text.message,.an.emal,.a.short.vdeo.clp) ..

Learners.n.a.physcal.space.should.strve.to.enrch.ther.own.network.wth.onlne.tools.and.resources ..Network.creaton.enables.learners.to.contnue.to.stay.current.n.the.face.of.rapdly.developng.knowledge ..The.ppe.s.more.mportant.than.the.content.wthn.the.ppe.(smply.because.content.changes.rapdly) ..

Figure 16. Know Where

Knowledge is of two kinds: we know a subject ourselves, or we know where we can find information upon it.

Samuel Johnson42

Our.changng.knowledge.and.learnng.contexts.are.axomatc ..We.see.t.n.many.formsfrom.newspapers.to.rado.to.TV.to.the.nternet ..Everythng.s.gong.dgtal ..The.end.user.s.ganng.control,.elements.are.decentralzng,.connectons.are.beng.formed.between.formerly.dsparate.resources.and.felds.of.nformaton,.and.everythng.seems.to.be.speeding up..

33

the achilles heel of existing theories rests in the pace of knowl-edge growth. All.exstng.theores.place.processng.(or.nterpretaton)..of.knowledge.on.the.ndvdual.dong.the.learnng ..Ths.model.works.well.f.the.knowledge.flow.s.moderate ..A.constructvst.vew.of.learnng,.for.example,.suggests.that.we.process,.nterpret,.and.derve.personal.meanng.from.dfferent.nformaton.formats ..What.happens,.however,.when.knowledge.s.more.of.a.deluge.than.a.trckle?.What.happens.when.knowl-edge.flows.too.fast.for.processng.or.nterpretng?

Once.flow.becomes.too.rapd.and.complex,.we.need.a.model.that.allows.ndvduals.to.learn.and.functon.n.spte.of.the.pace.and.flow ..A.network.model.of.learnng.(an.attrbute.of.connectvsm).offloads.some.of.the.processng.and.nterpretng.functons.of.knowledge.flow.to.nodes.wthn.a.learnng.network ..Instead.of.the.ndvdual.havng.to.evaluate.and.process.every.pece.of.nformaton,.she/he.creates.a.personal.network.of.trusted.nodes:.people.and.content,.enhanced.by.technology ..The.learner.aggregates.relevant.nodes . . .and.reles.on.each.ndvdual.node.to.provde.needed.knowledge ..The act of knowing is offloaded onto the network itself. Ths.vew.of.learnng.scales.well.wth.contnued.complexty.and.pace.of.knowledge.development .

A.smple.example:.the.age.of.solitary skilled professionalss.gvng.way.to.team-based.functonng ..The.ncreased.complexty.of.our.world.today.does.not.permt.any.one.ndvdual.an.accurate.understandng.of.the.entre.scope.of.a.stuaton,.feld,.or.subject ..We.now.rely.on.connect-ed specializationwhere.we.ncrease.our.competence.by.addng.spec-alzed.functonalty.to.our.network ..Buldng.an.arplane,.performng.a.complcated.surgery,.or.analyzng.foregn.market.trends.are.nvolved.tasks.that.requre.knowledge to be offloaded to a connected network of specialists. No.one.ndvdual.has.the.competence.to.buld.an.ar-plane,.perform.an.nvolved.surgery,.or.comprehend.market.trends ..The.network.(or.web).of.connectons.s.the.structure.whch.holds.the.knowl-edge.of.ndvduals.n.a.holstc.manner ..

We.forage.for.knowledgewe.keep.lookng.untl.we.fnd.people,.tools,.content,.and.processes.that.assst.us.n.solvng.problems ..Our.natural.capacty.for.learnng.s.tremendous ..We.overcome.many.obstacles.and.restrctons.to.acheve.our.goals ..The.problem.rests.largely.n.the.vew.that.learnng.s.a.managed.process,.not.a.fostered.process ..When.learnng.s.seen.as.a.functon.of.an.ecology,.dverse.optons.and.opportuntes.are.requred ..

34

Learnng.has.many.dmensons ..No.one.model.or.defnton.wll.ft.every.stuaton ..context iS central.

Figure 17. Learning and Knowledge Domains43

transmission learning s.based.on.tradtonal.vews ..The.learner.s.brought.nto.a.system,.and.through.lectures.and.courses,.s.exposed.to.structured.knowledge ..Ths.doman.s.useful.for.buldng.core.knowledge.elements.of.a.feld.or.dscplne ..The.model,.however,.s.expensve.to.mplement.(one.nstructor,.twenty.students).and.s.at.odds.wth.how.much.of.our.learnng.happens.(socal,.two-way,.ongong) .

emergence learning nvolves.greater.emphass.on.the.learners.cogn-ton.and.reflecton ..The.learner.acqures.and.creates.(or.at.mnmum,.nternalzes).knowledge ..Ths.doman.s.effectve.for.deep learning,.and.can.foster.nnovaton.and.hgher-level.cognton ..The.model.s.hard.to.mplement.large.scale,.as.t.requres.competence.and.crtcal.thnkng.n.each.learner,.as.well.as.hgh.famlarty.wth.the.subject.matter ..

35

The.acquisition domain.of.learnng.s.exploratory.and.nqury-based ..The.learner.s.n.control.of.defnng.the.needed.knowledge,.and.actvely.enters.the.process.n.order.to.assuage.personal.motvatons.and.nterests ..Pure.self-drected.learnng.can.be.a.concern.n.some.organzatons,.especally.when.the.learner.s.expected.to.meet.clear,.defned.outcomes ..Too.often,.lack.of.structure.s.equated.wth.lack.of.focus ..Self-drected.learnng.(whch.s.often.the.bulk.of.our.learnngwe.are.constantly.pursung.subject.matter.and.knowledge.whch.s.of.personal.nterest.or.related.to.our.competence.n.our.work.places).s.vewed.as.beng.too.loose .44

The.fourth.doman,.accretion learning,.s.contnuous ..As.a.functon.of.the.envronment,.the.learner.forages.for.knowledge.when.and.where.t.s.needed ..Real.lfe,.not.theory,.drves.ths.learnng.type ..As.an.ongong,.natural.process,.learners.and.organzatons.are.apt.to.devalue.or.deem-phasze.accreton.learnng ..Accreton.learnng.s.the.constant.actvty.of.our.work.and.lfe ..We.gan.new.nsghts.from.conversatons,.from.a.workshop,.or.an.artcle ..We.gan.experence.through.our.reflecton.on.faled.(or.successful).projects ..We.connect.and.brng.together.numerous.elements.and.actvtes,.constantly.shapng.and.creatng.our.understand-ng.and.knowledge .

In.learnng,.we.usually.focus.on.what.we.are.ncludng.n.our.reasonng.(learnng.and.knowledge.acquston.are.often.seen.as.smlar.concepts) ..We.generally.assocate.learnng.wth.ganng.somethng ..There.s.value.n.determnng.the.role.of.excluson.n.learnng ..What.we.choose.to.exclude.n.order.to.learn.may.provde.as.much.nformaton.as.what.we.actually.nclude .

evenrevolutionariesconserve;allculturesareconservative.thisissobecauseitisasystemicphenomenon:

allsystemsexistonlyaslongasthereisconservationofthatwhichdefinesthem.

HumbertoMaturanaromesin&PilleBunnell45

Learnng.flters.through.some.type.of.framework ..Ths.framework.s.an.aggregaton.of.personal.belefs,.networks,.experences,.exstng.knowl-edge,.and.emotonal.ntellgence ..As.an.example,.(f.we.can.brefly.utlze.stereotypes.for.llustraton.purposes).conservatves.are.usually.perceved.as.busness.focused,.whereas.lberals.are.perceved.as.people.(or.socal.ssue).focused ..These.poltcal.worldvews.shape.and.nfluence.the.type..of.nformaton.that.penetrates.nto.our.actve.regon.of.thnkng.and.delberaton ..

36

Often,. we. exclude. from. thought.those. concepts. whch. are. strongly.antagonstc. to. vews. we. already.hold ..Back.to.the.stereotypes.of.con-servatves/lberalswhen. these. two.groups. engage. n. dalogue,. they. are.largely.speakng.past.each.other ..In-stead.of.embracng.each.other.n.an.attempt.to.understand.what.s.really.beng. sad,. the. debate. centers. on.what. each. party. has. included. n.ther. thnkng . . .whle. focusng. on.what.the.other.party.has.excluded.n.ther.thnkng ..

The.conservatve.promotes.the.value.of. busness,. the. lberal. the. value. of.socal. structures .. The. conservatve.crtczes.the.lberals.lack.of.busness.focus;. the. lberal. crtczes. the. con-servatves. lack. of. socal. focus .. We argue our points of inclusion and criticize the points of exclusion in the reasoning of others. Smlarly,.we. are. unquely. susceptble. to. log-cal.fallaces.n.domans.n.whch.we.have. strong. belefs .46. The. stronger.our.belefs,. the.more.susceptble.we.are.to.fallaces .

.The.process.of.excluson. s.a.vtal. learnng.process ..We.cannot.possbly.consder. every. facet. of. a. new. dea .. We. exclude. n. order. to. move. to. the.pont.of.actve.cognton.on,.or.nteracton.wth,.an.dea ..Excluson.occurs.durng.the.flterng.process ..What.we.choose.to.gnore.speaks.to.our.larger.worldvew.(belefs.and.values) ..When.we.are.tryng.to.nfluence.the.values.of.others.(for.example,.n.helpng.students.learn.about.other.cultures),.we.spend.our.tme.tryng.to.get.the.learner.to.acqure.new.mndsets ..

By.analyzng.what.we.exclude.n.our.own.reasonng,.we.are.able.to.gan.a.better.understand.of.our.own.learnng.process ..It.s.unrealstc.to.regularly.evaluate.our.core.belefs.and.values,.but.a.perodc.evaluaton.may.provde.the.ablty.for.more.effectve.learnng.n.general ..What.we.gnore.n.learnng.can.be.a.valuable.tool.to.ensure.that.our.perspectves.are.properly.balanced.(and,.at.mnmum,.acknowledge.the.exstence.of.vewponts.contrary.to.our.own) ..Sometmes,.the.ablty.to.step.out.of.our.thought.corrdor,.and.nto.a.dfferent.corrdor,.can.lead.to.deep.nsght.and.understandng ..Not.all.learnng.(or.cogntve.actvty).s.logcal ..The.choce.to.nclude/exclude.nformaton.may.be.the.pont.where.emotonal.ntellgence.(how.we.handle.ourselves.and.our.relatonshps47).exerts.ts.greatest.nfluence .

reLevance.s.tHe.requrement.for.adopton.or.use.of.vrtually.anythng ..If.somethng.s.not.relevant,.t.s.not.used.(ths.can.be.a.concern.when.we.overlook.knowledge.that.s.not.relevant.today,.but.may.be.a.key.element.n.developng.our.competence.tomorrow) ....

37

reLevancecanbestbedefinedas.the.degree.to.whch.a.resource.or.actvty.matches.an.ndvduals.needs ..The.closer.the.match,.the.greater.the.potental.value .

What then does it mean for knowledge to be relevant? Is it a function of being current?

Or tightly linked to the task at hand?

A.learner.must.be.able.to.see.relevance ..If.relevance.(determned.by.the.ndvdual).s.not.ascertaned,.motvaton.wll.not.be.enacted ..Lack of motivation.results.n.lack of action.

Relevance,.however,.s.not.only.about.the.nature.of.content ..The.process.of.ensurng.currency.of.content/nformaton.s.crtcalto.manage.knowledge.growth.and.functon.effectvely.n.a.dmnshng.half-lfe.of.knowledge.envronment .

Some.nsttutons.are.begnnng.to.explore.alternatve.models.of.content.delveryfor.learnng.and.sharng.knowledge ..Elearnng.ntally.focused.on.smply.duplcatng.classroom.actvtes,.so.content.was.generally.created.n.lnear,.course-szed.chunks ..In.order.to.learn,.an.ndvdual.needed.to.devote.a.large.amount.of.tme.to.explorng.content ..Alteraton.n.sze,.manner,.and.pont.of.content.delvery.(rather.than.a.course,.learnng.can.be.delvered.n.smaller,.ndvdual.objectves . . .n.a.varety.of.formatscomputer,.paper-based,.cell.phone).enables.knowledge.to.be.expressed.contnuously,.rather.than.n.structured.courses ..The.content.needs.to.be.findable.at.the.learners.pont.of.need,.as.compared.to.learnng.beng.provded.just-in-case.

The.more.closely.the.content.s.postoned.to.the.pont.of.dong/need,.the.more.effectve.the.learnng.process ..Addtonally,.t.s.mportant.to.ack-nowledge.that.learnng.s.much.more.than.exposure.to.content ..Socal,.communty,.and.collaboratve.approaches.to.learnng.are.mportant ..

The.second.crtera.for.relevance.n.todays.envronment.s.for.nsttutons.to.ensure.that.content.s.current ..Ths.s.a.sgnfcant.challenge ..By.nature,.a.course.or.tranng.s.prepared.months.n.advance.of.delvery,.and.s.then.modfed.as.needed.based.on.new.nformaton ..courses.are.farly.statc ..Knowledge.s.dynamcchangng.hourly,.daly ..Content.desgners.re-qure.an.understandng.of.the.nature.of.the.half-lfe.of.knowledge.n.ther.feld.and.ensure.that.they.select.the.rght.tools.to.keep.content.current.for.the.learners ..

38

Admttedly,.currency.of.content.requres.far.more.thnkng.and.plannng.than.descrbed.here ..Content.management.systems,.aggregators,.ntellgent.search,.and.other.tools.are.part.of.the.overall.structure.of.ensurng.content.s.up.to.date ..Current.learnng.formats.are.antagonstc.to.the.evolvng.nature.of.knowledge ..We.need.to.augment.our.vew.of.what.t.means.to.be.current.n.our.felds . . .and.how.we.propose.to.tap.learners.nto.a.larger.structure.that.contnues.to.provde.value.well.beyond.the.close.of.a.course .

Our.organzatonal.vews.of.knowledge.need.to.be.expanded ..Knowledge.s.not.only.a.productt.s.also.a.process ..It.does.not.functon.and.flow.as.physcal.goods.dd.n.the.ndustral.era ..

The.paths.that.create.knowledge.run.through.valleys.of.learnng ..We.often.equate.knowledge.acquston.or.creaton.wth.formal.learnng ..But.we.fnd.knowledge.n.many.ways:.nformal.learnng,.expermentaton,.dalogue,.thnkng,.and.reflecton .

Learnng.happens.as.we.lve.lfe.n.our.current.knowledge.economy ..In.fact,.nformaton.comes.at.us.constantlyTV.program,.newspaper.artcle,.a.workshop,.or.a.problem.we.solve.on.our.own ..We.ncorporate.many.of.these.ponts.n.how.we.see.the.world.and.how.we.do.our.work ..

Ths.concept.of.networked learning.answers.many.questons.about.how.we.acqure.much.of.our.knowledge.(even.elements.that.contradct.each.other) ..When.we.exst.n.a.knowledge.clmate.(or.network),.we.constantly.scan,.evaluate,.and.select.for.use,.elements.that.answer.questons.wth.whch.we.are.strugglng ..Some.elements.of.learnng.wll.relate.to.our.values,.atttudes,.and.belefs,.others.wll.relate.more.concretely.to.how..we.perform.our.work ..In.an.electon.season,.poltcans.rely.heavly.on.teaching.the.electorate.through.a.network.mbued.wth.ther.message ..

If.the.electorate.s.unwllng.to.accept.the.message.drectly,.perhaps.t.wll.accept.the.message.when.embedded.n.our.exstng.learnng.network.(an.unpalatable.concept.s.more.attractve.when.t.lnks,.even.f.naccurately,.to.our.exstng.values.and.lnes.of.reasonng) ..

The.learnng.system.n.many.organzatons.s.stll.largely.based.on.the.schema.that.the.learner.s.an.empty.contaner.that.we.fll ..We.talk.about.dynamc,.learner-centered.nstructon ..Often.those.words.deny.the.realty.that.our.nsttutons.are.prmarly.set.up.to.fill learners..We.promote.em-powerment.for.knowledge.workers,.yet.we.expect.them.to.functon.n.a.manner.at.odds.wth.how.knowledge.s.created.and.how.t.flows .

39

What should our structures look like?. oPen. . . . anyone.able.to.speak.nto.the.process. governance. . . . by.those.represented. fostered. . . . not.only.structured. conducive. . . . to.knowledge.flow,.wth.barrers.and.. obstructons.elmnated

Our.soluton.les.n.seeng.the.whole ..Monochromatc.one-model,.one-approach.vews.do.not.work.n.complex.spaces.lke.learnng.and.knowledge ..Shades, continuums, and blurred boundaries are our new reality.

Figure 18. Learning Ecology

40

table1. typeS oF learning in a learning ecologytool For What Why? good for drawbacks..

formal courses structure, initiating WhenlearningLearning Programs serve learnerswho at the point degrees stakeholders, arenew of need . -definedby focused (foundation isrequired established building) knowledge -structure imposedby expertsin advanceof learning

experience/ Problem- experiential Life iffoundationsgame Based (learningas challenges arenotinplace Learning aby-product (orthelearning ill-defined ofother experience[as learning activities) games}needs targets toprovide userdefines foundation) processand space adaptive, flexible

mentor Personal accelerate Personal, foundation guidedand personal relevant forming, facilitated performance knowledge/ high . by expert learning bandwidthPerformance Learning Pointofneed, short, developingsupport atthepoint competence, focused foundations ofneed assistive learning ofa canrelyon discipline otherlearning approaches

self-learning meta- Learningfor exploring Howdo cognition pleasure, areasof learners Learning personal personal knowwhat aboutlearning competence interest theyneed Learningthat toknow? ispersonally driven

community- diversity createmulti- dialogue, foundationalbased Wisdomof facetedview diversityof high time Learning thecrowds ofaspaceor perspective requirement . social/ discipline dialogue

informal conferences serendipity, continual, chaotic,notLearning Workshops constant, ongoing, alwaysvalued, colleagues ongoing, multifaceted scattered. . in the stream

41

We.often.have.a.msmatch.between.tool.and.process ..Learnng.s.not.a.clear,.structured,.un-drectonal.process ..Learnng.s.messy.and.chaotc ..As.a.smple.analogy,.f.our.man.goal.s.to.travel.somewhere.fast.(our.ntended.functon/process).and.we.opt.to.walk.(even.when.a.vehcle.s.avalable),.we.are.beng.foolsh.(agan,.assumng.that.our.man.goal.s.fast.travel,.not.envronmentalsm) ..In.our.organzatonal.technology.and.learnng.structures,.we.often.gve.vendors.control.of.learnngdue.to.ther.control.of.tool.ntegraton ..Ths.creates.an.envronment.where.the.tool.drves.what.we.are.able.to.do.(rather.than.our.learnng.and.com-muncaton.goals.drvng.the.technology) ..Unverstes,.colleges,.and.corporatons.often.use.learnng.management.or.e-portfolo.systems ..The.functonalty.(how.employees.and.students.wll.learn).s.drven.by.the.tool.selected ..Where.we.desre.multple.optons,.the.tool.often.presents.lmted.functonalty ..Too.often,.we.bend.our.pedagogy.to..the.tool .

Fosterng.learnng.requres.rethnkng.the.tools.used ..Do.the.tools.work.n.the.manner.n.whch.people.learn?.Who.has.control.of.the.tools?.Who.benefts.most.from.mplementaton.of.the.tools.(admnstrators,.educators,.learners)?.What.are.the.metrcs.of.success.(return.on.n-vestment,.learnng)?.Do.the.tools.represent.how.the.learners.wll.be.functonng.n.real.lfe?

Determnng.the.tool.and.approach

. Intended.outcome. Nature.of.the.learnng.task.. Match.task.wth.approprate.medum. Consder.profle.and.needs.of.learners. Meta-learnng.elements.requred... (are.we.tryng.to.teach.content.or.process?). Dverse.tools/spaces/ecologes

Our.technology.medated.spaces.are.becomng.adaptve.(speech.recognton.software,.or.smart.agents.that.learn.from.our.actvtes) ..The.envronment.n.whch.we.functon.learns.from.our.actvty.(strengths/weaknesses,.test.results,.nteractons) ..After.the.envronment.knows.us.as.learners,.t.adapts,.or.respond.to,.our.actons ..Instead.of.

It is not about controlling. It is about fosteringand guiding.

42

one-way,.same.content.for.all,.the.system.provdes.personalzed.content.reflectve.of.our.true.learnng.needs ..Currently,.ths.s.prohbtve ..Few.organzatons.can.afford.an.mplementaton.of.ths.level ..The.task.of.creatng.an.ntellgent.agent.capable.of.reactng.to.learner.competence.and.provdng.personalzed.content/nstructon/nteracton,.s.smply.too.expensve.for.anyone.but.select.research.nsttutons.and.corporatons .

If.technology.s.not.able.to.provde.affordable.adaptablty,.and.educators.are.constraned.by.desgn.and.tme,.what.s.the.opton?.The.more.com-pletely.we.exst.n.multple.domans.of.knowledge,.the.more.effectve.the.knowledge.exchange ..

Conversaton.s.the.ultmate.personalzaton.experencewe.ask.ques-tons.and.offer.vews.based.on.our.own.conceptons ..We.personalze.our.knowledge.when.we.socalze .

As.we.add.socal.dmensons.to.our.cognton,.we.can.create.an.adaptve.model.that.learns.based.on.the.actvtes.of.all.members.n.a.space ..Consder.a.class.wth.30.learnerscommuncatng.n.transparent.waysexposng.ther.thoughts.and.deas.for.others ..When.we.aggregate.ther.combned.voces,.we.are.able.to.see.how.they.are/are.not.gettng.the.content ..Ther.knowledge.needs.wll.most.certanly.not.be.fully.met.by.the.work.of.the.nstructor ..As.voces.of.learners.are.aggregated,.knowl-edge.gaps.wll.emerge.permttng.the.gurus.of.the.space.to.supplement.mssng.areas ..Instead.of.a.canned.course.on.Macbeth,.we.can.provde.a.learnng.experence.that.adapts.to.learners.needs.based.on.how.they.nteract.and.learn ..The.entre.ecology.of.learnng.s.the.accurate.whole ..

the learner iS the teacher iS the learner.Connectons.provde.the.greatest.value.when.they.generate.a.certan.type.of.content.for.the.learner ..It.s.not.content.n.general.that.we.want ..We want content that is current, relevant, and contextually appropriate. Connectons.are.the.devces.that.enable.ths.to.occur ..Consder.an.employee.who.s.workng.on.ste.and.needs.to.access.a.product.manual.(current,.relevant) ..The.contextually.approprate.format.(cell.phone,.laptop,.PDA).makes.the.content.more.useful ..Contrast.ths.wth.trad-tonal.knowledge.sharng ..A.manual.(or.tranng.classroom).rarely.meets.the.crtera.of.current/relevant/contextually.approprate ..Much.of.a.corporatons.knowledge.provson.to.employees.occurs.n.advance.of.need.(whch.s.useful.n.formng.mndsets,.but.not.too.effectve.for.skll.transfer),.and.presents.content.n.a.statc.point-in-time.manner ..

43

Knowledge.has.to.be.accessble.at.the.pont.of.need ..Contaner-vews.of.knowledge,.artfcally.demarcated.(courses,.modules).for.communca-ton,.are.restrctve.for.ths.type.of.flow.and.easy-access.learnng .

It.s.also.worth.consderng.what.happens.when.we.create.connectons.between.contentwe.create.a.network.or.aggregaton.of.dfferent.deas . . .whch.adds.meanng.(pattern.recognton).to.the.ndvdual.voces ..Connections change content. Content.s.mbued.wth.new.meanng.when.stuated.n.a.network.(or.s.t.more.accurate.to.say.that.the.network.acqures.new.meanng.when.new.content.s.added?) ...Ether.perspectve.valdates.the.mportance.of.creatng.connectons..over.content ..When.the.network.s.suffcently.large.to.account.for.dverse.perspectves,.t.acheves.a.certan.level.of.meanng.that.s.reflectve.of.the.combned.force.of.ndvdual.elements .

Our.relatonshp.to.content.has.to.change.when.content.creaton.accelerates ..We.can.no.longer.consume.all.relevant.content.tems ..

The capacity to stay current is more important than any individual content element.

Currency.of.knowledge.s.the.functon.of.a.network,.and.rasng.the.value.of.sklls.of.network-makng ..The.network.becomes.a.separate.cogntve.elementt.processes,.flters,.evaluates,.and.valdates.new.nformaton ..If.content.has.a.short.lfespan.(as.new.nformaton.s.acqured),.then.t.would.logcally.mply.that.our.educaton.and.tranng.systems.should.not.be.about.content.n.partcularthey.should.specfcally.be.about.current.content ..

In.a.connectvst.approach.to.learnng,.we.create.networks.of.knowledge.to.assst.n.replacng.outdated.content.wth.current.content ..We.off-load.many.cogntve.capabltes.onto.the.network,.so.that.our.focus.as.learners.shfts.from.processng.to.pattern.recognton ..When.we.off-load.the.processng.elements.of.cognton,.we.are.able.to.thnk,.reason,.and.functon.at.a.hgher.level.(or.navgate.more.complex.knowledge.spaces) .

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We.have.treated.the.learner.and.the.content.as.one.entty ..We.fll.the.learner.wth.content.and.release.them.nto.the.corporate.world ..As.ther.content.runs.low,.they.attend.evenng/contnung.educaton.classes.n.order.to.refill ..Ths.model.works.farly.well.when.the.half-lfe.of.knowl-edge.(how.long.t.takes.for.knowledge.to.lose.relevance).s.long ..

When.we.stop.seeng.knowledge.as.an.entty.that.s.possessed.wthn.a.person.and.start.to.cast.t.as.a.functon.of.elements.dstrbuted.across.a.system,.we.notce.a.dramatc.mpact.on.the.educaton.process:.the.educator.becomes.a.supporter.(not.the.center),.the.content.s.not.as.crtcal.as.the.connectons,.learners.fnd.value.n.ther.aggregated.perspectves,.learners.become.content.creators,.and.learnng.s.contnu-ous,.exploratory,.and.sustaned.(not.controlled.or.fltered.by.only.one.agent) .

In.todays.world,.knowledge.lfe.s.short;.t.survves.only.a.short.perod.of.tme.before.t.s.outdated ..Most.ndvduals.need.to.spend.an.enor-mous.amount.of.tme.n.contnung.educaton.classes.to.stay.current ...It.s.not.good.for.busness,.and.t.s.not.good.for.an.employees.santy .

We.need.to.separate.the.learner.from.the.knowledge.they.hold ..It.s.not.really.as.absurd.as.t.sounds ..Consder.the.tools.and.processes.we.cur-rently.use.for.learnng ..Courses.are.statc,.textbooks.are.wrtten.years.before.actual.use,.classrooms.are.avalable.at.set.tmes,.and.so.on ...The.underlyng.assumpton.of.corporate.tranng.and.hgher.educaton.centers.on.the.noton.that.the.world.has.not.really.changed .

But.t.has ..Employees.cannot.stay.current.by.takng.a.course.perod-cally ..Content.dstrbuton.models.(books.and.courses).cannot.keep.pace.wth.nformaton.and.knowledge.growth ..Problems.are.becomng.so.complex.that.they.cannot.be.contaned.n.the.mnd.of.one.ndvdu-alproblems.are.held.n.a.dstrbuted.manner.across.networks,.wth.each.node.holdng.a.part.of.the.entre.puzzle ..Employees.requre.the.ablty.to.rapdly.form.connectons.wth.other.specialized.nodes.(people.or.knowledge.objects) ..Rapdly.creatng.connectons.wth.others.results.n.a.more.holstc.vew.of.the.problem.or.opportunty,.a.key.requrement.for.decson.makng.and.acton.n.a.complex.envronment ..

How.do.we.separate.the.learner.from.the.knowledge?.By.focusng.not.on.the.content.they.need.to.know.(content.changes.constantly.and.requres.contnual.updatng),.but.on.the.connectons.to.nodes.whch.contnually.flter.and.update.content ..

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Ths.model.s.not.wthout.controversy ..Many.dsparage.the.work.of.Wkpeda.as.nformal,.unprofessonal,.and.lackng.authentcty ..Whle.a.vald.complant.n.many.stuatons,48.t.s.mportant.to.recognze.that.the.functon.of.emergng.knowledge.tools.s.to.match.knowledges.pace.and.adaptablty ..To.be.completely.accurate.n.one.nstance.s.to.be.naccurate.completely.when.core.elements.change ..to be adaptive is to be perpetually current. Wenberger.states.that.some.knowledge.s.smply.good.enough,.and.as.an.object,.t.s.socalas.flawed.as.we.are .49

connectivism,.as.a.staged.vew.of.how.ndvduals.encounter.and.explore.knowledge.n.a.networked/ecologcal.manner,.follows.the.followng.path.(begnnng.wth.the.basc.and.moves.to.the.more.complex):

. awareness. . . . Indvduals.acqure.basc.sklls

. andreceptivity.. for.handlng.nformaton.abundance,have.access.t.o.resources.and.tools ..

connection. . . . Indvduals.begn.to.use.tools.and. forming and.understandng.acqured.durng.level.one.

to.create.and.form.a.personal.network ..They.are.actve.n.the.learnng.ecology/space.n.terms.of.consumng.or.acqurng.new.resources.and.tools ..Selecton.(flterng).sklls.are.mportant ..Affectve/emotve.factors.play.a.promnent.role.n.decdng.whch.resources.to.add.to.the.personal.learnng.network .

contributionand. . . Indvduals.are.farly.comfortable.wthn. involvement.. wthn.ther.self-created.network.(though.

experts.may.contnue.to.gude.and.drect.ther.access.to.valuable.resources) ..The.learner.begns.to.actvely.contrbute.to.the.network/ecologyessentally,.becomng.a.vsble.node ..The.learners.actve.contrbuton.and.nvolvement.allows.other.nodes.on.the.network.to.acknowledge.hs/her.resources,.contrbutons,.and.deascreatng.recprocal.relatonshps.and.shared.understandngs.(or,.f.socal.technology.s.used,..collaboratvely-created.understandng) ..They.should.also.be.capable.of.choosng.the.rght.tool.for.the.rght.learnng.task ..For.example,.the.learner.may.opt.to.take.a.course,.attend.a.conference,.solct.a.mentor,.

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or.subscrbe.to.news.feedsall.based.on.what.they.needs.to.know,.do,.or.beleve ..Selectng.the.rght.element.wthn.the.learnng.ecology.s.valuable.n.ensurng.the.effcency.and.effectveness.of.the.learnng.process .

Patternrecognition. . . Indvduals.are.network.aware.and.competent .As.dynamc.partcpants.n.the.ecology,.they.have.moved.from.passve.content.consumpton.to.actve.contrbuton ..Tme.n.the.network.has.resulted.n.the.learner.developng.an.ncreased.sense.of.what.s.happenng.n.the.network/ecology.as.a.whole ..Havng.mastered.the.bascs.of.beng.a.partcpant,.they.are.now.capable.to.recognze.emergng.patterns.and.trends ..Experence.wthn.the.network.has.resulted.n.an.understandng.the.nuances.of.the.space.(onlne.or.physcal) ..The.longer.an.ndvdual.spends.n.the.learnng.space,.the.more.adept.she/he.wll.become.at.recognzng.new.patterns.or.changing winds.of.nformaton.and.knowledge .

. meaning-making. . . . Indvduals.are.capable.of.understandng.meaning. What.do.the.emergng.patterns.mean?.What.do.changes.and.shfts.n.trends.mean?.How.should.the.learner,.a