ABSTRACT
Open world learning gives unprecedented access to information, knowledge, and education and provides support to learners across the globe. However, it is not the technologies themselves that represent the biggest change, but the opportunities for openness that flow from their thoughtful application, in the form of availability of and access to formal and informal learning. The main question of this book is: How can open world learning supported by technology help and/or hinder tackling the global challenges that open and high-quality education faces? This book provides an integrated and cohesive perspective of the affordances and limitations of open world learning by bringing together insights from 387,134 learners, practitioners, and educators working and learning in 135 unique learning contexts. Part 1 of the book contains six chapters on how learners across the globe can use the power of English language to communicate together in an open world. Part 2 contains five chapters on innovative technologies that have been implemented and evaluated in an open world. Finally, in Part 3 we specifically look at the role of educators in supporting inclusive practices in an open world. In the remainder of this chapter, we briefly distil an overview of each of the 19 chapters to provide you, the reader, the opportunity to identify which Part(s) and/or Chapter(s) may be most relevant for you.
