Page 120 - Educational Technology A Primer for the 21st Century

110 7 Social Learning Perspective of Educational Technology
• Students are actively involved in the learning process. The learner is the center
in a social learning context, so learners own the responsibility for learning. They
are actively involved in the learning process and more likely to be interested in
learning.
• Problem-solving techniques are enhanced. When students work in pairs or small
groups, one person is listening, while others discuss the question under inves-
tigation. All involved are developing valuable problem-solving skills by for-
mulating and discussing ideas while receiving immediate feedback from
co-learners.

Assessment benefits:

• Collaborative teaching techniques utilize a variety of assessments. In social
learning settings, the instructor has more chances to interact with students. Thus,
instructors can assess students based on the quality of interactions in addition to
exams and other artifacts.

7.2.3 Features of Technology in Social Learning

Nowadays, technology plays a vital role in social interactions. Example technolo-
gies include Facebook, Friendster, LinkedIn, MySpace, Ning, Twitter, and WeChat.
These tools involve large-scale networks and the ability to interact in and contribute
to large groups. Blogs and wikis are also used but lack many of the benefits of
social media tools (Spector, 2015).
Social media is beneficial in promoting social learning, such as providing
community platforms, learning resources and contents, and learning activities.
Resta & Laferrière (2007) summarize the features of technology in social learning
as follows:
To promote student collaboration and knowledge creation. Collaboration can be
thought of as the process of shared creation (Schrage, 1990). With the interactive
nature of technology, students can communicate with others conveniently and
represent knowledge clearly, which results in students’ active and deep engagement
in collaboration.
To enhance student cognitive performance or foster deep understanding. Social
interaction is considered as a source of cognitive advancement (Resta & Laferrière,
2007). With the help of technology, students could get smooth communication with
each other. For example, mind management tools and concept maps can help
present ideas clearly to support reflective thinking and deep understanding.
To add flexibility of time and space for social learning. The virtual workspace
has been increasing its popularity in people’s daily life. Students can finish their
work in different place and time; thus, they can overcome the trouble of place and
time. For example, in MOOCs, although students come from different countries,
they can work together because of virtual space provided by the course.