The dizzying pace of growth in today’s global society increasingly demands a form of collaborative work in which there is a constant exchange of ideas that allows innovation and cooperation. Furthermore, this trend has been strongly increased since the onset of the pandemic.
On the one hand, the situation has precipitated that we have to face a multitude of pending challenges . On the other hand, in parallel, thanks to technological advances in recent years, we have been able to adapt and experience significant evolution in all professional areas. Among them, of course, also in education.
Faced with this new paradigm, digital tools have been integrated, as far as possible, allowing us to connect and learn from a distance. Which, in turn, has demonstrated the need to guide teaching towards new work models such as networking, so that learning processes can truly benefit. However, for this, schools must rely on computer platforms that connect students and allow them to work and develop projects together.
This aspect, in addition, is especially interesting from an early age . In other words, if this new approach to education is capable of being integrated from the first years of schooling, it would undoubtedly increase its benefits exponentially. However, what advantages can this approach bring to us in education?
- Creation of new networks of relationships . Students can work as a team, in small groups in which each member has a specific role and in a coordinated way in order to achieve certain objectives. In this way, they become the protagonists of their own learning process and acquire new skills to function in various contexts.
- Teaching based on new technologies, which opens up a wide range of possibilities . Among others: it allows access to a large amount of information quickly and easily and from anywhere, the creation of storage spaces to save and share information, the monitoring of the student’s progress in real time at the group and individual level or the possibility perform exercises on automated platforms with immediate evaluation.
- Collaborative learning, which gives a fundamental role to students and becomes a complete educational experience . Students can learn together by doing group activities and projects, which encourages individual and group responsibility, respect, commitment, and self-assessment.
- Promotion of personal communication and intercommunication . Students can work on their communication skills through various practices. Either through writing, in documents, emails or online work groups, by executing online presentations or by video calls.
- Management of new platforms and work tools . Immersion in new programs not only means meeting certain needs, but also adapting to new work models and knowing how to use the most appropriate tools for each situation.
- Development of creativity . These new working methods also unleash creativity, motivate students, spark their interest by learning new things and through ever newer methods, and encourage “learning by learning.”
- International connections . The realization of educational networking activities through online platforms give us the possibility of connecting with centers around the world. This, in addition to facilitating language learning, opens up new opportunities for students and encourages multiculturalism.
- Expansion of goals and objectives . Learning goes further and is expanded through different and unique experiences, which allows students to set more ambitious goals and trace in advance and in greater detail the path they want to follow in the future.
- Practice for real life thanks to the simulation of real cases . Through the implementation of collaborative projects, students face problems and obstacles that could arise in real situations and learn to manage and overcome them together.
- Learning for the future . Networking practices in the educational field, in addition to being an exercise for real life, allow students to prepare for their work and personal future.
With all this, the time has come for schools to rethink strategies and plan collaborative projects for students to carry out networking practices through new digital platforms. Only in this way will students be able to benefit from all the advantages that this new approach entails for their learning.