Class organizers and teachers should pay increasing importance to social media and include it in the everyday learning schedule. Why should educational institutions encourage the using of social networking sites in the classroom? According to industry experts, social media results in social learning where students have access to a common platform to share new ideas and communicate with the global audience in order to develop a better learning environment.
Experts believe social learning can happen anywhere – in the classroom, at home or via the web. Teachers create an activity, ask the students to participate in it and then gather feedback and questions, if any. Social learning actually gives the instructors the chance to decide what, when, and how learning is to take place.
I Informal social learning can take place at home or at the workplace where you discuss news, your thoughts, and ideas with family members or with colleagues. However in schools, colleges or universities, teachers encourage students to create accounts on various social networking websites – Facebook, Twitter, Google+, etc. to participate in an ongoing dialogue between members of a specific group or via commenting on a blog post that is quite relevant to the topics being taught in class. Social learning basically includes sharing and the collaboration of different learning materials and useful information for personal and intellectual development of the students.
Exchange Two-way Information
Social media, including social networking sites, blogs, wikis, and podcasts offer an excellent platform to students in order to share knowledge and engage with their peers for an extended learning scope. They get to read, write, and share relevant texts, images, website links, and video clips with each other overcoming geographical boundaries and time constraints.
Facilitates Effective Communication
Social learning leads to effective communication with people from diverse backgrounds and professors. It is no longer limited to talking with the institution teachers or students only. Social media sites, blogs, etc. enable a person to chat, discuss, and debate on different topics and learning spheres with likeminded individuals studying in some other university in some other country. You get the golden opportunity to connect with people you have never met before.
Personalize the Learning Experience
Social learning allows a student to initiate learning in two-ways. It helps the student gather the exact information he is looking for; plus create content to share with like-minded peers. Furthermore, on the successful completion of a project, students can upload their assignments on their personal blog to gather feedback and suggestions from their classmates. In this way, they can improve upon their existing project before submitting the assignment for evaluation.
