From Classrooms to Clouds: The Evolution of Knowledge Sharing in Digital Learning Platforms

Abstract

Digital learning platforms have shifted knowledge sharing from classroom-bound explanation to persistent, searchable, networked, and increasingly intelligent cloud-mediated exchange. This paper examines the evolution of knowledge sharing in digital learning platforms through a conceptual-analytical study titled "From Classrooms to Clouds." The study develops an original CLOUD-SECI framework that integrates community presence, learning design, open access, user trust, data-informed feedback, and Nonaka's socialization-externalization-combination-internalization knowledge conversion logic. The methodology uses a transparent author-developed analytical rubric rather than fabricated participant data. Five platform generations are compared: classroom-centered learning, early learning management systems, Web 2.0/social learning, cloud-collaborative platforms, and AI-enabled adaptive cloud learning. Results are presented through original figures, tables, matrices, and diagrams that map the movement from one-way knowledge transmission toward co-created, persistent, multimodal, and analytics-informed knowledge ecosystems. The findings suggest that digital platforms improve access, artifact persistence, collaboration, and personalization, but these gains depend on governance, pedagogical quality, digital literacy, privacy protection, inclusion, and teacher facilitation. The paper argues that cloud-based knowledge sharing is not automatically better than classroom learning; it becomes educationally valuable only when technology strengthens human interaction, feedback, critical inquiry, and equitable participation. The proposed framework offers practical guidance for educators, universities, instructional designers, and platform developers seeking to improve digital learning environments without reducing education to mere content delivery.