Social networks and experiential and informal

learning

Tryggvi ThayerLeapfrog WorkshopUniversity of MinnesotaMay 22, 2010

What is a social network?(boyd & Ellison, 2007)•Social network sites:

▫Illustrates and communicates social networks

▫People already known•Social networking sites:

▫Facilitate establishment of new networks▫Meet new people with similar interests

•Social technology:▫Facilitates various forms of "socializing”▫People not necessarily known▫Not necessarily enduring relationships

Using SNSs in education•Various experiments using SNSs for

education▫Staying in touch▫Communication▫Marketing

•Few coherent strategies for learning•Try to understand what actually happens on

SNSs•How can that fit into a broader learning

framework?

Learning ecologies(Seeley Brown, 1999)•Learning happens everywhere in range of

activities•Systemic view

▫Learning ecology is: “open, complex adaptive system” “shaping chaos”

•Where do SNSs fit in?•How do we combine components for

effective learning?

Social networks and learning•People sharing experiences

•Learning is a communicative activity

•Constructivist approach▫Learning as a result of flows of information▫Meaning-making through mediation

Informal learning•Informal learning is embedded in

experience•Is always in context•Is mostly intangible•Avoid formalizing the informal!

Experiential and informal learning•Focus on the experience

•Focus on the individual

•Allows us to identify or create contexts to accommodate informal learning

Experiential learning: Kolb’s cycle(Kolb & Fry, 1975)

Experiential learning: Jarvis’ model(Jarvis, 1995)

Formulating educational strategies for SNSs•Focus on experiences

•Share experiences

•Mediate meaning-making

•-> Authentic learning in experiential contexts