Social Learning In Practice
Cooperative Learning absolutely coincides with social learning. Cooperative learning entails having students interact with each other in order to enhance their learning. The social learning theory focuses on individuals being engaged in constructing meaning through conversing with others. By academically socializing with others, concepts become more concrete and it allows students to gain a deeper understanding. Cooperative learning also builds communication and trust between group members, and teaches responsibility and conflict resolution skills.
Technology can play a vital role in the social learning theory. “Technology allows members of groups to communicate even if they are not working face to face. It can help us realize the hope of schools as places that serve students anytime, anywhere and facilitate their growth into lifelong learners” (Pitler, Hubbell, Kuhn, & Malenoski, 2007). I think this is so important to understand. By using certain tools of technology, students can work collaboratively and collectively on a project in and out of the school setting. For example, individuals who are engaged in a wiki can work together to progress towards the final product. However, they do not have to be physically together to do this. You can work separately to create various pages and then edit them as you see fit. Although, constant communication while creating the wiki is a necessity. Blogging is another great way to engage in social learning. You are able to gain insights and perspectives on topics from others around you as well as obtain a plethora of websites that might be of interest to you. Pitler, Hubbell, Kuhn, and Malenoski (2007) made a great point. “The web has become much more than an electronic reference book; today, it’s a thriving medium for collaboration in business, education and our personal lives.” The future lies with technology. As educators, we need to ensure that our students are ready to embrace the unlimited resources that technology programs have to offer.
References
Pitler, H., Hubbell, E., Kuhn, M., & Malenoski, K. (2007). Using technology with classroom instruction that works. Alexandria, VA: ASCD.
About Me
- Meghan Charles
- I am currently a 4th grade teacher in a Maryland Public School. I have been teaching for 7 years. I recieved my Bachelor's Degree in Elementary Education with a Minor in Early Childhood Education from Shippensburg University (located in central Pennsylvania). I am currently working towards earning my Master's Degree in Technology from Walden University. My husband and I have been married for 5 1/2 years and I am a mother of a 2 year old daughter named Maya and an 8 month old son named Avante'. I look forward to sharing my ideas with you and learning from all of you as well.
My Family - Alix, Maya, and Avante'
Maya and Avante'
My Blog List
Subscribe To
Posts
Comments
Amber,
ReplyDeleteI had a class Blog this week about the book they are reading, Number the Stars. Each student created their own Blog. It was confusing but exciting. I told them to check their Blog from home and respond to others. So far only two girls have done so. I see this class once a week. I keep up with what chapter they are on by visiting with their classroom teacher who has absolutely NO interest in the Blogging exercise. Our email service Gaggle.net, provides and easy safe community Blog place for our school. I tried to ask the teacher to let the student check their Blogs in the classroom and she was not receptive at all. She said they can check in my classroom once a week, which they can, but it just breaks my heart that other educators do not see the benefit of this type of collaboration. One of the students, who is absent quite a bit and is somewhat of a behavior problem, thrived in the exercise and could probably keep up with school work from home by using such tools as a Web blog. I will just keep trying and hope it starts catching on more at home.
Meghan,
ReplyDeleteI like the way you discussed using wikis and blogs as a type of communication tool. I didn't think about this until I read your blog, but using these technology tools will appeal to both the social learners and the independent learners. The social learners are allowed to interact with others, while the independent learners don't necessarily have to "work beside" others when contributing to a blog or wiki. I am an independent learner, but really find enjoyment in responding/contributing to wikis and blogs. Have you used either one of these in your classroom?
I have done both. The students blogs are in the early stages, but they really have enjoyed responding to mine. I have tried to encourage them to blog from home, but so far only a handful have done so. Wikis have been very interesting. It is very easy to edit others work so students go in and "fix" things. Then the students who original work was "fixed" gets offended. It is a great opportunity to teach collaboration. If a teacher does not stay on top of the edits and rewrites, a miniature war begins. It is silent but oh so deadly with hurt feelings.
ReplyDeleteJenn and Sonia,
ReplyDeleteRegretfully, I haven't had the opportunity to use a blog or Wiki in my classroom. This is not by choice, but by restrictions in my county. I feel that this is unfortunate because students can learn so much from these 2 applications by way of technology exploration and through their peers. When I was introduced to these technology tools a few courses ago, I was very nervous about using them because they were something new. However, after exploring them, I loved it. I can really see the enrichment that the students could benefit from in using wikis and blogs. I definitely could imagine some hard feelings when projects are revised by their peers on the wikis. I suppose when or if I have the chance to use these applications with my students, I will need to express the purpose of each. I will have to convey to the class how important collaboration and teamwork is in order to produce an effective wiki.
Thank you for sharing you ideas and thoughts with me!
Meghan
I have used wikis in my class to teach conic sections, and it was really wonderful. My students separated the work by each section, and they put together some impressive pages. After the page was developed, each student had to right a paragraph describing what they learned about each section. I did this to ensure that the students worked together and explained to each other. It was pretty nice, and it also taught me some new things about how students communicate during these projects.
ReplyDelete