Social Learning Theory

This week’s resources presented information on social constructivism. Michael Orey states that when children are engaged in social activities, meaningful learning can occur (2001). One way to ensure meaningful learning is taking place is through cooperative learning. Cooperative learning focuses on having students interact with each other in groups. Orey states, “the purpose of cooperative learning is to actively involve students in the learning process" (2001).

After reviewing the resources from this week, it is evident that technology can be used to support social constructivism. One example mentioned in Using Technology with Classroom Instruction that Works was ePALs. ePALS gives the students the capability to communicate cross-culturally with students from different parts of the world. Essentially, ePALS is like having a virtual pen pal. I feel that this would be a great way for students to interact with one another and be able to compare and contrast each other’s lifestyles. Although this is something I have not used before in the classroom, I am intrigued and wouldn’t mind trying it out next year with my students.

Furthermore, Pitler, Hubbell, Kuhn, and Malenoski discuss the idea of collaborative organizing. This idea allows teachers to collaborate over the Web to share calendars, bookmarks, and Web links (Pitler et al., 2007, pg. 149). The text mentions del.icio.us as a resource. Del.icio.us can help one keep track of websites, music, book and more in one place where they can be easily found. I am sure that many teachers use some form of bookmarking in the classroom. Here a site similar to del.icio.us that was brought to my attention at a reading conference earlier this year. The site is called Symbaloo. Symbaloo is a bookmarking site that allows you to create bookmarks to your favorite websites using symbols. If you have any kind of Apple device you are familiar with the look of app tile, the symbols on this site are fairly similar. It is a very easy collaborative organizing tool to use. It has been very helpful this year working with younger children because the children remember the pictures better than the names of the websites. Check out this tutorial to get an idea of how you can begin to organize your own. Here is my personal Symbaloo I started.

Lastly, I believe the social learning theories are very important for today's students. As an educator it is my job to guarantee that my students are able to communicate and learn with one another. After reviewing the learning resources this week, there are many instructional strategies and technologies that one can use to enhance cooperative learning in the classroom.

References:

Orey, M. (Ed.). (2001). Emerging perspectives on learning, teaching, and technology. Retrieved from http://projects.coe.uga.edu/epltt/index.php?title=Main_Page

Pitler H., Hubbell, E., Kuhn, M., & Malenoski, K. (2007). Using technology with classroom instruction that works. Alexandria, VA: ASCD.