Learning is a Social Experience!

 According to the Social Learning Theory, our perception of the environment in which we live impacts our behavior as an individual. When we see people doing something to the point where it is the popular thing to do, we tend to do it too. It's how we socialize and show each other that we maintain the same value system, which is rooted in sharing ideals and participating in culturally meaningful and/or important activities in order to achieve desired outcomes within respective context. In turn, our collective behaviors impact the environment greatly - for better or worse. Ultimately, these social activities that we engage in promote a mutual interest and actively influence new members of the community to follow suit. Perception is reality. Popularity is king. The environment is home for the community. The social activity that takes place within the community is how we learn. Knowledge is power, and this power is shared by members of the community through social activities. Thus, if the community is the true agent of learning, should we deduct that social networking is the means to enlightenment?



 Since the birth of the world wide web, the “community” has grown significantly. We are now a global community with people from around the world that are just one click away. Global learning is all the rage these days. Social networking sites, such as Twitter, MySpace, LinkedIn, and of course Facebook, have brought families closer together and reunited long, lost friends. Family and friends certainly represent important members of our community; not to mention the friends to be! So, are social networking sites the “object” that we should use to achieve the desired “outcome”? If so, should we encourage students to learn through the practice of social networking? If not... Why?