It's been talked about for years, but 'Social Learning' is more recently becoming the big buzz word in learning, and you should probably pay attention because it's being pegged as the next generation of eLearning (heavily debated of course, as is everything in learning). My definition of 'social learning' as I understand it is learning that takes place through the use of a collection of web-based tools like wikis, blogs, and social networks which build community and conversation around a topic encouraging a collaborative knowledge sharing environment. There's a fair amount of literature coming out regarding what it actually means for learning, how effective it is and will be, security considerations and many other interesting arguments for and against.
I've just chosen 5 recent social learning resources /articles to share that I've found really interesting of late (in no particular order):
- Jane Hart of C4LPT on Social Learning
- SLQOTD - Social Learning Question of the Day (read how it works here on the Engaged Learning blog)
- ASDT ISPI Social Learning Workshop - Dave Wilkins
Overcoming the Top10 Objections to Social Learning - Dave Wilkins /Kevin Jones - Effective Knowledge Sharing - Harold Jarche
- A Practical Guide to Implementing Web 2.0 (AKA Social Networking Tools) in Your Organization - Dave Pollard (also What's Next After Knowledge Management for some background on the 'problem' social tools solve)
Social Learning is nothing new. It's been happening at the water cooler, in the employee lunch room, the ladies room, the smoker's break area, and between cubicles for years. I'm not just speaking about gossip, but information about the company culture, how to get along with a testy co-worker or manager, what last month's numbers really mean, or a shortcut for getting the job done, etc. In fact, one of the big drawbacks in telecommuting is the loss of social learning. All of this "social networking" online isn't a new invention, it's just a different medium.
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