Groups vs. Networks

Stephen Downes, one of the foremost elearning scholars today, was among the first to draw a distinction between groups and networks in online learning environments. He developed this diagram at a conference he was participating in to initially brainstorm his ideas and illustrate the contrasts between groups and networks in online learning environments.



Click here to view an enlarged version of the diagram.

Click here to view original diagram and comments.

Here's a short video explanation (8 min. 24 secs.) of the diagram.



As we consider learning communities and the use of technology to build learning communities, do you disagree with any of the categorizations of groups or networks that Downes has identified? Are there additional characteristics that you can think of that further distinguish groups from networks today that were omitted from the diagram and explanation? In what ways would a learning community in the form of a network be superior to the learning community in the form of a group? And, what advantages might groups have over networks?

Leave a comment with your thoughts!