The Social Connection

Social learning theories can be illustrated in many ways. Put simply, social learning is the coming together of different minds in order to create a common product, and therefore a common knowledge base, through group efforts. This can be done without technology, but the use of technology can provide the opportunity for products to reach a much wider audience and for that audience to interact with the group. The group's creation of a product includes elements of constructivism, constructionism, and connectivism (Laureate, 2008).

Of the many ways to create a cooperative learning experience is to utilize collaborative organizing (Pitler, Hubbell, Kuhn, & Malenoski, 2007)"Students and teachers can collaborate over the web by logging on to sites that allow them to share a edit calendars, bookmark and share Web links, and create online learning communities" (Pitler et al., 2007, p. 149). The words "online learning communities" bring together a picture of social learning. By creating a space that is collaborative and owned by groups of people, the role of the student and of the teacher is blurred as each steps into the role of the other. This goes beyond merely sharing calendars and links though. The learning community can include discussion boards, collaborative writing spaces, online white boards, social networking applications, and document sharing. By using all of these tools, teachers can create environments where individuals, small groups, and whole communities can create products that are shared with a broad audience in ways not possible in a traditional classroom setting.

Blogs, wikis, online gaming environments, websites, and other technology tools can create environments where students can interact and build learning webs that help them to deepen their understanding of content as well as their place in a vast social learning network. "To be prepared for the fast-paced, virtual workplace that they will inherit, today's students need to be able to learn and produce cooperatively" (Pitler et al., 2007, p. 139). The world is a much more social place today than it used to be because of the technologies available to vast amounts of people. We must teach our students how to work cooperatively with others as the world moves toward more global interdependence. All of these technologies make it easier, but also more necessary for students to develop their information along with others. Social learning has always been the primary form of constructing knowledge, because nearly all of our higher level processing of information is done through language which is itself a social construction. Now we just have technology that allows that communication to happen with a wider audience and over a longer period of time.

Laureate Education, Inc. (Producer). (2008). Program nine. Connectivism as a Learning Theory [Motion picture]. Bridging learning theory, instruction and technology. Baltimore: Author.

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