Human interaction is one of the oldest learning technologies and the basis of social learning. Social learning can be very simple and effective. I like coffee a lot and usually drink it all day long. That means I meet a lot of colleagues at the coffee machine and have short, interesting and valuable conversations with them when I’m at the office. There is a company that decreased the number of coffee machines and water coolers at their offices to support social learning. With the rise of social media and new social platforms, human interaction changed. And so did social learning. To get the most out of social learning, just ‘playing around’ with coffee machines or implementing a social platform doesn’t do the job, as shown by an interesting situation at aNewSpring not too long ago.
The aNewSpring platform has social learning features. A user called us with a complaint: he created an e-learning program on the platform. After a while, he thought social learning would be a good addition. So he switched on the social learning settings. And then… nothing happened (or so he complained)! Effective social learning is hard work. It starts with intentional design and needs a lot of ‘gardening’ as I like to name it.
In this episode of the Learning Notes, you’ll find some of the best resources from experts explaining how to make the best use of social learning. Please use them as conversation starters. Comment, ask, debate and challenge what you read, and more importantly, share! We need all of you to create the best social learning around social learning.
by Julian Stodd
What’s it about?
Julian Stodd created a true legacy when it comes to social learning. This article is a great and practical overview of his work.
Why read it?
Where to find it?
https://julianstodd.wordpress.com/2017/01/17/10-tips-for-designing-effective-social-learning/
by Petra Peeters and Marlo Kengen
What’s it about?
Marlo and Petra designed and moderated a Social MOOC on social learning with 500+ participants (I was one of them). These very experienced learning pros shared their lessons learned (as they did at the ATD-ICE 2018 stage!).
Why read it?
Where to find it?
https://www.td.org/insights/moderating-a-social-mooc
http://viewer.zmags.com/publication/c492d1b9#/c492d1b9/44
by Jo Cook
What’s it about?
Virtual classroom expert Jo Cook has put Digital Body Language as a rather new concept on the agenda (Great Job Jo!) and explains all of it very clearly in these videos.
Why read it?
Where to find it?
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RsJEZmwujwk
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bTB_FZSz90w
What’s it about?
I recently had the privilege to join a presentation by Alastair and was impressed by the broad knowledge and experience of this man on collaborative learning—see his Slideshare deck here, with tons of good stuff.
Why watch it?
Where to find it?
https://www.slideshare.net/alacre/eadl-2019-collaborative-learning