Places to Go: Connectivism & Connective Knowledge
by Stephen Downes
In the years of writing about Web sites for this publication and for its predecessor, Technology Source, I have
resisted reviewing sites in which I have been directly involved. This issue, however, I will make an exception
in order to introduce the reader to the Connectivism & Connective Knowledge online course that is offered
through the Learning Technologies Centre and Extended Education at the University of Manitoba by George
Siemens and me. The course is part of the program leading to the Certificate in Adult and Continuing
Education (CACE).
The design and content of this course captures some trends that have emerged in recent years in the field of online
learning. As suggested by the concept I have called "e-learning 2.0" (Downes 2005 ), online course offerings
should move away from large, centralized applications and instead make use of a network of connected
applications. Connectivism & Connective Knowledge is not simply about the use of networks of diverse
technologies; it is a network of diverse technologies. One participant in the course captured the network-like
structure of the course in a diagram that shows how the different elements and various technologies are linked
together (Figure 1). Each of the elements described in this review has some place in this image