ABSTRACT
Organizations are quickly learning to adopt social networks and learning systems as a means of building new ideas. When Paul Romer first introduced his theory, which would later often be called "knowledge economics", he understood that one of the most profound implications was that this highly valuable resource had very different characteristics than did physical resources. Davidson-Hunt talks about the enhancement of indigenous knowledge systems of native communities in the United States. Social network theory explains how people spread knowledge, information, ideas and thoughts through networks-especially using new media. The very essence of the new knowledge age is not so much schooling or learning in the traditional sense, as it is collaboration, sharing, creativity, openness and interdependence. Although schools will likely have a role in this new world of learning, one of the major stumbling blocks is to overcome the old definitions of education embedded in the "educated" elites from when they built educational institutions.
