Technology and Social Learning

When I think of social learning my mind links it to cooperative learning groups of four students with established roles and individual accountability. Cooperative learning has been around for years but has been brought into focus for me through my graduate course resources on social learning while, at the same time, being expanded to embrace computer technology. Adding this dimension expands the definition of a group to include the computer as a group member in the role Orey calls a “knowledgeable other”. (2001) Students today can create and publish more accurate, thorough projects than ever before with the world wide web of information at their fingertips. The ‘smart kid’ in the group is now the computer.
Online web 2.0 tools are becoming prevalent in more classrooms today as savvy teachers create discussion groups online. This is another aspect of social learning. Wiki pages or class web pages can facilitate the exchange of knowledge and expression of opinion in a social way that allows teachers to monitor all conversations. Students in the 21st century may even be more comfortable with these methods.
Reference: Orey, M. (Ed.). (2001). Emerging perspectives on learning, teaching, and technology. Retrieved from http://projects.coe.uga.edu/epltt/

Teachers Share Your Ideas for Using Technology

I have created and published my first ever Voicethread presentation on the topic of using computer labs in school. view it here http://voicethread.com/share/661269/

Constructing Learning Using Computers

Computers have changed so much in education; they have even changed education itself. Why learn and recite facts on a test when you can always look them up in a few seconds? The last time you actually performed long division was in what decade?
When we decide to use computers as tools for learning in the classroom, we can provide our students with valuable opportunities to construct knowledge for themselves and for others in unique ways. "(T)he computer can be seen as a cognitive tool to learn 'with' as opposed to learn 'from'". (Robertson, Elliot, & Robinson, 2007) Add in the ability to connect this learning to concrete experiences and the requirement of self-reflection about students' learning and the results can be powerful.
Given the right resources, students can use computers to collect data, retreive data from others' work, sort data, and present data. Information on the entire world is available online today on the internet. Any 'artifact' or project they create from this information forces students to think about the information they are choosing to include, assign it significance, and relate it to other facts. Beyond research online, students can use other computer applications to analyze their findings. They can create projects to present what they've found beyond the limits of their memory or communication skills, beyond their capability to spell or calculate, and beyond their talents of drawing, graphing or even organizing. The process of creating can completely engage the learner.

Reference:

Robertson, B., Elliot, L., & Robinson, D. (2007). Cognitive tools. In M. Orey (Ed.), Emerging perspectives on learning, teaching, and technology. Retrieved October 1, 2009 from http://projects.coe.uga.edu/epltt/