The virtual classroom is constantly evolving. The tools and software programs that you use in every course is constantly updated and developed. One of these is social learning.
According to a research published in 2016 by the Brandon Hall Group, social or any collaborative tool is at the top of the list of priorities for Learning and Development professionals. They understand that social learning plays a very important role in teaching anyone. Regardless if it is for academic purposes or in the workplace, the majority of what we learn is done through social connections.
That being said, you have to keep careful tabs when it comes to any developments done on social learning tools. With the popularity of social networking sites, these are bound to come up with sophisticated tools and programs that will make learning quite interesting and engaging. Of course, social learning is more than what social media can offer.
Some of the intended developments for social learning may not necessarily come into completion in 2018. However, it is possible that it will affect virtual learning in a huge way.
So what are these changes that can possibly impact the elearning industry?
Virtual reality
This is actually something that is affecting a lot of areas in elearning. Social learning will also benefit from VR technology. Apparently, a lot of investment is going into this development and it is possible for elearners to share common scenarios through this technology. Being able to share virtual environments will make the learning experience more profound and memorable. This will be a huge thing in learning – especially when there is a need for practical demonstrations.
Games
Social learning games will continue to thrive and make an impact in the virtual classroom. The truth is, games are social activities in itself. These games can impact social learning significantly. We all know how games can be very engaging and not only that, will bring a whole new appeal to learning. It is apparent that developers are still coming up with ways to integrate gamification into social learning. It comes with varying levels of engagement. Learners can team up or simply exchange information to progress to the next level of learning. Or they can compete with each other. It really depends on the objectives of the course. Come up with a game that will help the learners develop the skills that they need to have after the completion of the course.
Knowledge sharing
The truth is, social learning is all about learners learning from each other. This is basically knowledge sharing. But this time around, technology will play a big role in the way people share their thoughts. Imagine doing it using virtual reality? Or having real experts linked to the lesson and giving their opinions? Everything is possible as long as we have the technology to support it. This is something that may not see completion in 2018, but we can hope to see developments nevertheless.
As you can see, using social learning in the virtual classroom might just change the overall learning experience. Of course, this will only happen if you can implement this new development properly. So try to keep up with the updates and the new tools that you can use. Social learning is one of the methods that will really make an online course effective.