Over the past decades a new form of professionalism has emerged,
characterized by factors of fluidity, instability and continual change,
leading to the necessitation of new forms of professional development
that support agile and flexible expansion of professional practice. At
the same time, the digitization of work has had a profound effect on
professional practice. This digitization opens up opportunities for new
forms of professional learning mediated by technologies through
networked learning. Networked learning is believed to lead to a more
efficient flow of complex knowledge and routine information within the
organization, stimulate innovative behaviour, and result in a higher job
satisfaction. In this respect, networked learning can be perceived as an
important perspective on both professional and organizational
development. This volume provides examples of Networked Professional
Learning, it questions the impact of this emerging form of learning on
the academy, and it interrogates the impact on teachers of the future.
It features three sections that explore networked professional learning
from different perspectives: questioning what legitimate forms of
networked professional learning are across a broad sampling of
professions, how new forms of professional learning impact institutions
of higher education, and the value creation that Networked Learning
offers professionals in broader educational, economic, and social
contexts. The book is of interest to researchers in the area of
professional and digital learning, higher education managers,
organizational HR professionals, policy makers and students of
technology enhanced learning.
