Reconceptualization of education in the digital era: educominication, learning networks and brain key factors in the current scenarios of construction of knowledge

Abstract

The concept of education requires a re-conceptualization by teachers and students of the challenges of the digital revolution in communicative terms, which have a direct impact on educational processes. A greater degree of agreement between the conceptualization and the current educational reality reduces the chances of frustration, decrease motivation, thus learning and not meeting the expectations of teachers and students. The article presents partial investigative results of the doctoral thesis denominated: "Reconceptualization of education in the digital era. Educommunication, learning networks and brain: a view from cognitive neuroscience to the processes of knowledge construction in digital environments" carried out in the Colombian university educational context between 2012 and 2016. The theoretical foundation of this research is the philosophy and the practice educomunicative and the conectivist approach. This work aimed to analyze the concepts of digital education, educational practices, learning networks and cognitive profiles of a sample of 3643 students and 300 teachers of different programs at undergraduate level, both neophytes in virtual education and evidence if there was some relation to the processes of knowledge construction. The results suggest that preconceptions about the digital educational practices of teachers and students influence significantly the processes of learning, communication, behaviors and coexistence in these environments, but also the quantitative and qualitative evidences support that these preconceptions can change in positive sense, when experiencing pedagogical didactics according to age, cognitive style and with an educomunicative and relational approach. In the conclusions the aspects to improve and the prospective one are presented.