8/15/2023 0 Comments Happenstance social![]() ![]() Technology employed in the social learning tools allows physical and cognitive learning through the interactions between the people who use the tool and interactions with the software. It creates a learning environment more truthful to today's society. Social learning tools bring a different approach to the traditional way of learning which affects the learner and his/her support circle. These connections form dynamic knowledge networks. Social learning tools may mediate in formal or informal learning environments to help create connections between learners, instructors, and information. Social learning tools allow an interaction between users and/or the software which can bring a different aspect to learning. The idea of setting up “social learning tools” is to make education more effective, enhance the teaching-learning process, but also to make education more widespread in terms of communication and collaboration with the broader public ( Smith, 2012). Joosten (2012) defines social media as technological systems related to collaboration and community, thus also including social networking sites. Social learning tools are tools used for pedagogical and andragogical purposes that utilize social software and/or social media in order to facilitate learning through interactions between individuals and systems ( Smith, 2012). Specific social learning tools support the social learning theory, as accordingly explained. Cognition, environment, and behavior all mutually influence each other to enhance the learning process ( Smith and Smith, 2008). The learner is not a passive recipient of information. ![]() In this sense learning involves observation, extraction of information from those observations, and making decisions about the performance of the behavior (observational learning or modeling). The theory departs from the understanding that learning is not purely behavioral but rather a cognitive process that takes place in a social context. Social learning theory integrated behavioral and cognitive theories of learning in order to provide a comprehensive model that could account for the wide range of learning experiences that occur in the real world. It states that learning is a cognitive process that takes place in a social context and can occur purely through observation or direct instruction, even in the absence of motor reproduction or direct reinforcement ( Smith, 2012). Social learning theory is a theory of learning process and social behavior which proposes that new behavior can be acquired by observing and imitating others. The social learning theory ( Bandura, 1977) refers to learning through social media settings, focusing on observation as an important aspect of learning, that model the behavior of learners accordingly. The notion of sustainability facing our contemporary society calls upon pedagogies and forms of learning that enable leaners to deal with accelerating change, increasing complexity, contested knowledge claims, and inevitable uncertainty ( Lotz-Sisitka et al., 2015). Introduction on Social Learning Theory and Supportive Social Learning Tools Finally, the paper drew on the perspective of the educator, in reflecting on the challenges, but also scope, to include social learning tools as part of higher education teaching-learning. It identified the preferences of the Generation Z learners in terms of social media tools, and the trends thereof, during a 10-year period (2011–2020). The paper aimed to investigate if social learning tools can positively impact the learner experience in the contemporary classroom based on longitudinal data. The empirical investigation was based on the reflections from Generation Z learners who were introduced to a range of social media tools. This research is based on the educational theories of constructivism and social learning, in attempt to reflect on social learning tools employed in a third year Urban and Regional Planning module at the North-West University (South Africa). ![]() Limited research has considered social learning tools and preferences of the Generation Z learner from a higher educational perspective. 2Faculty of Design, Architecture and Building, University of Technology Sydney, Broadway, NSW, Australia.1Unit for Environmental Sciences and Management, North-West University, Potchefstroom, South Africa. ![]()
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