Connectivism and Social Learning in Practice

Cooperative Learning is a powerful instructional tool that changes the dynamics of learning for the individual learners in each group.  It is a way to research, exchange ideas, and synthesize information through applying the subject learning in real-life leaning while working within a team (Orey, 2001).  Cooperative learning is not just group work it is underlined by specific expectations, roles, responsibilities, and often a product is constructed as a result of the learning to share with a larger group (Orey, 2001). 
This week’s learning introduced technology that facilitated cooperative learning in a 21^st century learning environment. This environment entails social networking tools such as Facebook.  This tool can be vital for long distance learning and sharing where students of common interest can communicate and share their learning, questions, concerns, and achievements on an ongoing basis.  This tool also allows for uploading pictures, videos, and links or pages to follow an individual’s favorite sites.  I was most familiar with this tool because I have one of my own though I am not a daily user, I have had it long enough to learn some of its features that also include instant chats and email messaging.
Students could participate in cooperative learning using facebook just the same.  Given an assignment by an instructor they could discuss and assigned individuals or partners to specific research and pull it together and present it within this space.  Unlike with a wiki, they would have to work on the their parts individually or as partners if at the same location and submit their photos or footage to the site to be put together or possible submit it to a voice thread to complete the artifact then provide a link through their Facebook page for the instructor and other students to preview and make comments on their page or voice thread itself.  This could lead to lively discussion within Facebook.  This tools, as are many others, are designed to facilitate group collaboration, provide structure for group task, and allow members of group to communicate without necessarily working face to face (Pitler, Hubbell, Kuhn, & Malenoski, 2007).

 In chapter 7 of “Using Technology with Classroom Instruction that Works,” the example cited how Ms. Ortiz used an advanced graphic organizer to guide students in the process in which they were to work collaboratively.  The organizer also assigned each student two or three responsibilities to complete individually and in pairs within their group.  She also provided a rubric for the students that established the expectations for participation and evaluation criteria.  Many web based resources provided educators with the Framework within which to structure cooperative learning.  Edublog is an online blog site that allows educators to introduce blogging, podcast, posting videos and class newsletters.  Students can engage in a variety of social learning context using this site alone and stakeholders can easily be invited into the learning process by being made aware of the URL address (Pitlier, et al., 2007).

These as well as many of the other technology tools presented this week used in conjunction with cooperative learning model many aspects of social learning theories.  Social constructivism has cooperative learning embedded within its theory in that learning is derived out of the interactive human community which directly affects the social interpretation of things (Orey, 2001).  Connectivism also has that linkage or connection with other human knowledge which creates a global coordination and synergy of the understanding of things (Orey, 2001).  This theory lends itself to the 21 century learning environment that has its creation in the evolution of technology which has created a constant shifting of knowledge due to the input of the collective minds that contribute to its growth and stability causes it to shift rapidly as changes occur in our thinking or new contributions are integrated into it.  Like social constructivism, situated cognition asserts that context and culture are critical in constructing knowledge and understanding the world around us (Laureate, 2010).  Yet, a learner can take on a variety of roles such as the learner, facilitator, or More Knowledge Other (MKO) as in varying roles in cooperative learning structures (Orey, 200).  All of these theories require active participation and result in the construction of knowledge – or meaning-making activities.  In this sense, to have any real meaning they are best situated in authentic experiences in that they inscribe a real-life situation and often result in the construction of an artifact external to the learners themselves as a result of their deepened understanding of the knowledge they have obtained which is incited in social Constructionism (Orey, 2001) .

Work cited:

Laureate Education, Inc. (Executive Producer). (2010). Program Eight. Social Learning Theories. [Webcast]. Bridging Learning Theory, Instruction, and Technology. Baltimore, MD: Author.

Orey, M. (Ed.). (2001). Emerging perspectives on learning, teaching, and technology. Retrieved from http://projects.coe.uga.edu/epltt/index.php?title=Main_Page.

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