Globalisation has brought rapid socio-economic, political, technological, and cultural changes over the last few decades that have led to a rethinking of certain educational coordinates in order to promote networked education. On the one hand, with the development of new technologies, new forms of learning have appeared, which are linked to the construction of knowledge in the network, understood as the internet and social media, as well as new needs where digital literacy has not been able to arrive. On the other hand, education is paying more attention to new ways of building networks in the community fabric, and this is closely linked to learning that takes place in non-formal and informal contexts.
In any case, the different meanings attributed to the term network entail the challenge for education of favouring experiences centred on social interaction and the construction of knowledge by students as the protagonists of their learning. It is on these challenges that the work we review here focuses its analysis in eleven chapters.
In the first part we find different approaches to networked education. Chapter one examines entrepreneurial education from an ecological perspective, recognising the influence of contexts on the configuration of entrepreneurial identity. The second chapter deals with the networked training of education professionals, giving examples of experiences of strategic grouping. Chapter three focuses on the educational possibilities of ICTs, with a series of principles for the consolidation of training with new technologies. The fourth chapter addresses communities of practice, defined as groups of professionals committed to the construction of knowledge, and explores the functioning of these spaces and the advantages they offer. Chapter five discusses the impact of non-formal education on the generation of social capital, as it functions as a support for networking and a promoter of collaborative links in the community. The last chapter of this first part analyses the pedagogical remittances of three historical figures who attached particular importance to networked education.
Shifting the focus of analysis to higher education, the second part of the book begins by examining the foundations of lifelong learning and the changes that need to take place in universities in order to respond to the new needs of society. Chapter eight discusses the importance of networking between universities and other educational institutions, an issue that gained particular interest after the COVID-19 pandemic. The ninth chapter presents a study about the learning ecologies of university teachers, alluding to the role played by new technologies in the training of these professionals. The penultimate chapter describes the European cooperation networks that have emerged to support and promote vocational training for employment. The book ends with a study that investigates the capacity of service-learning for the establishment of collaborative networks between university and community, also demonstrating its effectiveness in promoting networking, the connection of learning with real contexts, and dialogue with students.
We consider, therefore, that this is a suggestive book as it invites to reflect on the new scenario of interconnectedness in which educational practice operates and which has forced higher education institutions to reshape their philosophies and frameworks for action. At the same time, the authors explore new ways to build networks between university and other educational agents, as well as to promote networked learning at the service of educational innovation. It is undoubtedly an attractive read for all those interested in the development of quality educational practices.
Anaïs Quiroga-Carrillo