Connectivism and Social Learning in Practice (APP 5 for EDUC 6711)

Social learning theory puts forth the idea that people learn primarily from what they observe other people doing. As children, we learned from our parents, siblings, teachers, and peers. Even as adults, we may often learn how to act in a certain situation or environment based on our observations of others. Creating a classroom where social learning theory is practiced means lots of cooperative learning. While constructionist learning theory has an individual creating an artifact, social learning theory has students working together to create the artifact. Given the incredible wealth of technology and Web 2.0 tools available to many people, it is now possible for collaborative learning to occur both with peers in the classroom and around the world.

In their book, Using Technology with Classroom Instruction that Works, Pitler, Hubbell, Kuhn, and Malenoski (2007) list several ideas for integrating technology into a cooperative learning setting (pgs. 141-154). The first way they suggest is to have students create a multimedia presentation. This can be a high interest and motivating activity for students. The authors note that this is a complex activity that requires a lot of attention to detail and would require students to work effectively in the collaborative environment. The second suggestion they offer is to use Web resources. Web resources allow students to communicate with peers from around the country or world. This communication can be used for further collaboration or a learning exercise. Sites such as ePALS and Keypals Club International help in setting up correspondence from students around the world. Other Web resources include WebQuests to focus students’ learning on the information instead of finding it, and Web site creation tools such as iWeb (for Macintosh operating systems), Publisher, TOWeb, and Cool Page.

Collaborating over the Web also gives teachers and students the chance to organize data and share resources. Shared bookmarking sites such as del.icio.us allow users to collect all their favorite Websites and resources in one location and then share them with others. Teachers can also set up blogs and wikis through sites such as Edublogs and Wikispaces to collect the group’s information.

One of the fastest growing aspects of the Web today is social networking. Sites like Facebook have entered into mainstream culture. It is almost certain today that most of our students are already using resources like this to collaborate and communicate with friends. While many of them do this as a form of entertainment, social networking can be a powerful tool that people can use to find jobs, relationships, and more. Regardless of our feelings towards using these tools, our students need to learn how to use them in a responsible and useful way. Used correctly, these tools will be essential to our students’ future as a member of today’s global workforce.

Resources

Pitler, H., Hubbell, E., Kuhn, M., & Malenoski, K. (2007). Using technology with classroom instruction that works. Alexandria, VA: ASCD.