Digitally situated knowledge: Connectivism, anthropology and epistemological pluralism. (original) (raw)

The paper proposes that an effective response to the emerging paradigm of digital education entails a transdisciplinary approach, which integrates insights from education with concepts and methods from social anthropology. It argues that certain flourishing models of knowledge production in digital environments (communities of inquiry, communities of practice) can be comprehended by online participant observation and by critically interrogating dominant western models of formal education. It further supports that situated learning can shed light on the processes and dynamics of online collaborative learning in the digital era, in which theories of connectivism tend to overshadow human agency. Acknowledging the historically and culturally contingent character of our epistemologies, the paper introduces epistemological pluralism as paramount for educational research on digital education. 1. Faced with a major paradigm shift It is hard to imagine the educational landscape of the digital era. As we have already begun to experience it, with different speeds and from different entry points, even the digital era itself is rather difficult to grasp. We are evidently going through a crucial transition in human history, one which demands reconsidering certain principles of social action and the concepts with which we think about life and sociality. Consequently, education, as a central pillar of transmitting knowledge and gaining social identity and status in most societies, is rapidly undergoing an internal revolution in terms of scope, content, and pedagogy. Faced with inadequate models of instruction, most international organizations and local institutions at first responded to this transition on the basis of technological solutions and the acquisition of practical skills that would facilitate the process of digital transformation. There is a stated recognition that a modern and more sustainable Europe needs to fit Digital and Green transitions with a specific focus on teachers and trainers. 1 Initiatives such as, for instance, the "European Education Area" have sought to foster cooperation between the EU Member States to further enrich the quality and inclusiveness of national education and training systems with a particular interest in technological infrastructures. However, such ambitious objectives are often impossible to achieve from top-down policies, governmental initiatives, and academic benches that do not adequately account for the experience, needs, and obstacles pertaining to the digital transition(s) of diverse student communities today. The Digital Education Action Plan that run between 2018 and 2020 (European Commission, 2020, p. 25) was structured around three priority areas, which included making better use of digital technology for teaching and learning; developing digital competencies and skills; and improving education through better data analysis and foresight. What is more, the