Education for a Digital World Advice, Guidelines and Effective Practice from Around Globe, 2008a

27 – Social Media for Adult Online Learners and Educators
cator to integrate technology into the learning experience
without relying on the institution or company to
decide to purchase, install and monitor systems. Blogs,
together with wikis, are tools where student-directed
learning can happen with students and educators sharing
their learning responsibility. Blogs are relatively easy
to use where the author can write the content, personalize
the ‘look and feel’ of the blog and carry out constant
updates with minimum hassle and knowledge of webbased
applications.
The wiki coding was developed by Ward Cunningham
in 1994 and he produced the first wiki in the following
year. The word ‘wiki’ was inspired from “wikiwiki”,
the Hawaiian word for quick. A wiki is a website
which enables approved users to edit the content and
lends itself perfectly to collaborative online learning,
especially with geographically dispersed users. Another
great advantage of wikis is the ability to revert back to
previous versions of pages, as they are never lost but
‘stored’. Wikis are therefore ideal for workplace and
learning cultures which encourage collaborative work
but may not be appropriate for all learning environments.
Again, the educator or trainer should assess the
learning context and the learners’ needs first before
choosing a technology or technologies to support the
online learning.
The deployment of social media rich features in an
online learning event implies not only a paradigm shift
between the teacher and learner but also in the consequential
control and usage of the features available
within these social softwares.
As an educator, are you ready for the learners to take
control and become co-teachers? Are you ready to be a
co-learner in the learning process?
Why social media for adult
learners?
“Blogging is using a new medium for what it is
good for—connecting and interacting”. – George
Siemens
The 21st century is compelling adults to become lifelong
learners as they change jobs, and even professions, more
frequently. To keep abreast of their profession, and remain
competitive, they choose to learn, have a clear
knowledge of what they want to learn and why they
want to learn, and are highly motivated learners. Many
adult learners often do not have the time or motivation
to physically attend traditional classes. Learning online
is a practical, speedy, and time-saving approach to satisfy
their needs. They seek ‘just-in-time’ learning rather
than ‘just-in-case’ learning to fulfill these needs.
Adult learners have different expectations, priorities,
and time limitations, as well as fears regarding online
learning from young adults and very young learners.
Security, privacy, ease of technology, and finding the
time to learn are factors to be considered in their professional
and personal lives. The educator must not only
cater to adult learning styles but must be able to choose
an appropriate technology to support this online learning.
Emerging technologies are making this task easier for
educators, but the plethora of new tools complicates the
choice. In the mix of working adult learners who bring
with them their own learning experiences and knowledge
and their own expectations, any chosen technology
must support a learner-centred approach, enabling a
shared responsibility for learning and enabling the
learner to develop their own network of learning.
Blogging, while a well-known concept, is not necessarily
a familiar tool to working adult learners. By creating
a private group within a social network blog,
learners are placed in the centre of their own learning,
without infringing on their privacy and without rendering
their corporate information public. This privacy
and security is particularly reassuring for newcomers to
online learning, and enables learners to develop their
own network of learning in their own time and at their
own pace. Because a blog can be accessed at any time
during the course, and after the course ends, this approach
eliminates the problem of an abrupt end to a
course, allowing distributed learners to continue to develop
their own networks.
Asynchronous learning does not satisfy the learning
styles of all learners, nor does it provide the necessary
human contact, socializing, and real-time communication
which purpose-led working adults require. The
combination of asynchronous and synchronous tools
offers kinesthetic, auditory, visual, and tactile support
for learners. (See general overview, http://otis.scotcit
.ac.uk/onlinebook/otisT102.htm.) E-learning that integrates
social media offers flexibility, convenience, and
sociability for the adult learner.
Education for a Digital World 431