Technology

= Technology and Social Learning =

//Argument for://
Todays youth prefer to learn within a social context that is multi-focal and problem-based. Technology offers multiple forms of communicating, collaborating and learning from and with each other through chat and social networking.
 * Technology based learning is cool because it provides students with new tools to learn that more more engaging.

The youth of today have grown up learning informally in a media rich world that has provided them with information on a range of topics such as human development, nature, environment, history, story telling, how things work, nutrition and cookery, social behaviour and satire and they all involve literacy, numeracy and oracy. It is little wonder they struggle to sit through lessons that repeat what they often know in a classroom invariably devoid of resources.

Vagio tells us "technology-based education is cool, because it is "fun, fun, fun" (Aczel, 2010). Hurlburt reminds us that students are "remarkably adept at distinguishing between "work" and "fun" " (2009, p.3) and without a specific purpose, i.e. an assessment requirement, students will not naturally engage with web 2.0 tools such as blogs and wikis in class. This of course creates the paradox that because the level of engagement is mandated that this makes student engagement "entirely unnatural because [it is] not spontaneously social" (ibid).

Acknowledging informal learning through engagement with technology is occuring in the workplace, with companies

such as Intel,

Nike and British Telecom, Cisco, Wal-Mart and Google who are using social networking tools "

that facilitates

informal learning and communication in ways that addressed many of the issues holding other companies back"

(Galagan 2009, p.27) ||= media type="youtube" key="KcBxFl-CM2c" height="345" width="420" align="center"

Technology-based Education is Cool
Aczel, 2010 ||
 * //Argument against://**

But are young people actually learning? Ganis argues that '"social learning" should not be used to describe learning platforms which simply include social media capabilities" (2009, p.7), that the provision of web2.0 tools must be linked to the "fundamental principles of social learning theory" (ibid). Developed by Albert Bandura in 1976, social learning theory stresses the importance of learning from others as learners are highly influenced by observing role models. The four principles for social learning are:
 * 1) Attention- concentrating on a topic or task
 * 2) Retention - remembering information for later use often by using imagery and language
 * 3) Reproducing - translating the imagery and language back into action
 * 4) Motivation - reinforcing the behaviour through rewards, punishments, incentives and repetition. (ibid, p.2)

Using this criteria for social learning a teacher struggling to keep students off Facebook would agree they are learning, just not what is on the school curriculum.

Aczel, J., (2011) //Technology Based Education is Cool,// A contribution to the e-learning debate at the Oxford Union, on 6 October, 2010. Animated video [] Accessed 28/8/2011.

Galagan, P., (2009) //Letting Go: Some samples of social media used successfully for informal learning no do come out of learning departments//. American Society for Training and Development, USA. Accessed 30/8/2011

Ganis, F., (2009) //"Social Learning" Buzz Masks Deeper Learning Dimensions//, Gilfus Education Group, Washington. @http://www.gilfuseducationgroup.com/education-market-research/whitepapers/social-learning-platforms Accessed 30/8/2011

Hurlburt, S. (2009). Defining Tools for a New Learning Space: Writing and Reading Class Blogs. 1-11.Department of Foreign Languages and Literature, Whitman College.