Blog Post for Connectivism
To sum it
up, (according to me of course) Social Learning stipulates that students learn
better whilst they interact with others. Dr. Orey believes that when students
are creating artifacts with the help of others, they are engaging in a
conversation that will help them understand more. Those others could be teachers, computers, and their friends. Teaching and helping their
friends aids them in developing a deeper understanding of the content they are working with.
The Connectivism that George
Siemens’ speaks of taps into this belief.
He said that learning is the act of forming networks and navigating
these networks for knowledge.
It seems as though my previous post applauds the outcomes of a
constructivist approach, whereas the Social Learning Theories I speak of today
supports the processes and interactions that happen transpire during the construction of a
groups end artifact. From previous
experiences, I think it’s entirely possible to have a large percentage of
students work done socially in class, fine tune it collaboratively using social
network sites like Facebook, Skype, or Tumblr and provide a tangible,
Constructivist guided artifact that they can share with others, possibly on their
Voicethreads account!
All of these theories that we are being reintroduced to or just learning about now are all helpful in the end for us as teachers regardless if we use them or not. It is important that we are familiar with them so that id=f they apply to us we can use them in the classroom. One way or another all of us teachers who have 15 plus years to go until retirement need to be informed with the uses of technology in the classroom to better the learning of our students. Great post Josh!
ReplyDeleteAmanda