How can educators use learning networks?

As Jan Van Dijk states in "The Network Society", networks are the nervous system of our society. The global information society we have been evolving into, with its emphasis on information processing and exchange, creates an interesting situation where both competition and collaboration are allowed to flourish. The emergence of learning networks allows educators from around the world to collaborate, share, and learn from each other and contribute to ever growing body of knowledge. One question on the minds of innovative urban educators is how can tap into this resource to benefit our learning communities.