A virtual classroom can gain a lot of benefits from social learning this year. Since online learning is deprived of physical contact, you need to make sure that there is some form of social activity to keep the learning experience from becoming too boring or isolated. You want to make sure that the learners can have sufficient interaction because it enriches the learning activities during the course. After all, we are social beings. We learn more from each than we do by staring at a computer screen.
Social learning will go through a lot of improvements this year. It makes sense to get to know these so you can take advantage of their benefits for your online learning initiatives. These developments will help you decide on the form and elements that you can include in your virtual classroom.
Here are the prominent changes and improvements in social learning that you can utilize this year.
- Microlearning. Bite-sized learning is gaining popularity – specifically when it is presented in social media platforms. People nowadays are leading busy lives. Not only that, the Internet made information readily available. People do not have as much patience as they did in the past. You can only keep their attention for so long. Using a microlearning strategy in your virtual classroom, specifically one that is done via a social networking site is quite effective. You should only keep the material short – around 10 minutes or less.
- Gamification. We all love playing games. It is a great tool to make virtual learning fun and exciting. If you want to boost engagement, you may want to focus on gamification. There are a lot of games nowadays that allows learners to compete with each other. You have word games, board games, and even simulations. A game makes the learning experience memorable. Since games usually require focus, learners will be able to absorb more from the course than they would in a normal session with discussions and slideshows.
- Social media sites. A virtual classroom can also use social media sites in learning. In fact, it is a growing trend to use Facebook, Twitter, and YouTube in online learning. It is a great place for learners to interact with each other. You can assign certain activities that will take place in social media sites. Discussions can also happen here.
- Mobile devices. If you want to give social learning a boost in your online classroom, you have to make sure that the course utilizes mobile devices. It makes the learning process more flexible and accessible. It allows learners to practically study anywhere. If you have activities that will happen on social media sites, you have to assume that the learners will access it using their personal mobiles. That means the course or activity should be optimized for mobile devices.
All of these will help make your virtual classroom more entertaining, interactive, and engaging. Social learning is a great way to increase the value of the learning experience. If you succeed in giving learners a great time while learning, they will fall in love with it. They will seek out more learning initiatives on their own.
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