The conditions of learning in networks

This paper discusses the metaphor of networks in relation to networked learning and how the conditions that apply in networked environments might affect networked learning. The paper considers recent advances in the study of networks and how insights from this work might affect the understanding of networked learning. It focuses in particular on two aspects of networks, the strength of weak links and the place of non-human elements in the network. In terms of networked learning it examines the relationship of network analysis to Communities of Practice, taken as an example of relationships emphasizing strong links, and the relationship of learners to their learning resources when they are distributed in networks.