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This article first appeared in TrainingZone on 7 September 2011, but is reproduced here for those who don't have a TZ account. During social learning month, Jane Hart will be providing some weekly articles curating some key resources about social learning. 1. Social learning has become the latest trending concept in the learning world. Although there have been, and there will be, many articles providing a definition of what social learning is all about, I think this article by Dennis Callahan sums it up, and makes it quite clear - social learning is like gravity - it's just there all the time.

There is a growing demand for the ability to connect to others. It is with each other that we can make sense, and this is social. Organizations, in order to function, need to encourage social exchanges and social learning due to faster rates of business and technological changes. Social experience is adaptive by nature and a social learning mindset enables better feedback on environmental changes back to the organization.

"Social Learning is not about using Social Media but how to learn Socially Remember "Group Studies" we did in our school with friends? Well, it isn't important as to what we studied together, but neverthless they were enriching lessons useful for life. Atleast for me, the learning went besides text books that gave me confidence to approach people better. The concept of "Social Learning" exists way back. In India, the dominant form of education referred to as "Gurukul" system passed on knowledge through multiple generations based on this system. If you look closely at "Gurukul" system, it is a group of students getting together in the teachers place (akin to boarding school). They learn not just by sitting in class room but by also by doing daily work and assisting the teacher in various chores."

Do you find that your employer is resistant to incorporating social learning tools to enhance the business?  Maybe, we just need to communicate the value better. First of all, let's get on the same page with what 'social learning' even means. Wikipedia defines social learning as:  learning that takes place at a wider scale than individual or group learning, up to a societal scale, through social interaction between peers.

Social media are talk technologies. They are the means of production in an age of communication. They aid in the production and exchange of knowledge and information and culture, based on human interests. They are media in which people see themselves represented. Their impact is as much psychological and social as it is technical. In recent years, social media have come off the page. Social tools have become more talkative, mobile, and real-time. They have taken a conversational turn. And as these social tools increasingly facilitate relationships and communication, their role in these deeply personal and social dynamics has become a matter for design. The need for a deeper understanding of the fit between tools and social interactions calls for a new design practice. This is social interaction design

The crux of using social media in any endeavor, as Gina Schreck has said, is, "Social media invites and allows interaction from others. How are you inviting that interaction?" The popularity of social media tools means that sooner, rather than later, those of us in the field will need to examine what this means for us. Among other things, as noted by Taleo's Tom Stone, use of social media tools is an excellent means of making learning more transparent. As he says, "It's captured, searchable, and has much greater reach beyond the two people talking in the hallway."

"Social Business" is not about technology, or about "corporate culture." It is a socio-political historical shift that is bigger, broader and much more fascinating. A new perspective is changing how we think about society, politics, interpersonal relationships, science, government and business. New approaches are emerging. Learning and self-expression are exploding. Values are changing. Leadership is changing. The economy is changing. Change itself is changing - it is accelerating and becoming the norm."

Wikipedia defines a learning management system (LMS) as: "A software application for the administration, documentation, tracking, and reporting of training programs, classroom and online events, e-learning programs, and training content." What that means is that the right learning management system can help you better reach your training/education goals whether they are focused on continuing education, eLearning availability, synchronous or asynchronous learning, mobile learning, certification programs, or even eCommerce and more, learning management systems are designed to provide the features you need to make sure your unique learning goals are met and a positive ROI is achieved. An LMS is a branded, secure extension of your organization's training/education effort to deliver content and materials in an easy, professional, managed and accessible manner - for users and administrators. 

Social methods and technologies mesh much better with independent learning, where the student is at the center of the learning experience (learning on their own as opposed to be being taught). They leverage a ring of social, academic, and motivational influences on their way to the goal of knowledge acquisition.

"There are many explanations for today's uncertain economy. But Nobel economist Joseph Stiglitz of Columbia University has advanced an analysis that's starting to resonate. In a recent article, Stiglitz says that our problem is "rooted in the kinds of jobs we have, the kind we need, and the kind we're losing, and rooted as well in the kind of workers we want, and the kind we don't know what to do with." To advance our economy, Stiglitz believes that wrenching, fundamental change is required - no less dramatic than the shifts experienced by an earlier generation during the Great Depression. While Stiglitz and I work in different worlds, I see evidence in all types of organizations that we need to better prepare, train, and inspire successful self-directed learners to meet today's challenges. As I see it, there are two big questions to consider. First, what are the critical 21st century skills that the workforce of tomorrow needs to develop and master today? Secondly, how can we improve our learning methods to enable the self-directed learner to thrive in this new environment?"

Although we learn every day, in everything we do, whether it is in what we read, watch or listen to, or in the conversations and discussions we have with other people, at some time people started believing that the only important learning happens in a formal setting, e.g. in a school classroom or a university lecture hall.

A great deal has changed since the term eLearning first entered the vocabulary in 1999 and since web-based courses and modules started appearing in volume in the early 2000s. We need to rethink eLearning in light of these changes and other changes (like Social Learning) that are only now starting to impact the world of work. I'm sure most of us are aware that the major challenge for learning is no longer about 'content' or 'knowledge' (if it ever were).

The Net, especially working and learning in networks, subverts many of the hierarchies we have developed over hundreds of years. Formal education is one example, as shown in this excellent article by Cathy Davidson:

"The problem with formal learning is that it's inherently abstract: no matter how engaging and dynamic it is, it's always one step away from our everyday reality. When people leave the event and go back to their real lives, real jobs and real pressures, it's always hard to bridge the gap. Whilst workshops can be very enjoyable, drawing the links back to reality is a challenge. Which is where social and collaborative approaches come in."

A nice selection of posts about social learning and social media for learning this week.

"The EU definition of e-learning integrates social learning: « E-learning is the use of emerging Internet technologies, in order to improve learning quality, on one hand by enabling access to resources and services, and on the other hand by distance communication and collaboration »"

Here is this week's round-up of articles and other resources looking at social media for learning and social learning.

"For about five years around the turn of the century most of my days were spent helping clients manage their knowledge. Back in 2000 knowledge management (KM) was really big. Every year I'd head off to Amsterdam for the obligatory industry conference, KM Europe. We even had our own home grown conference, KM UK, with pretty much the same people but with less impressive venues. Then suddenly things went quiet - KM Europe was suddenly cancelled in 2005, KM UK limped along (and is still going today). KM had lost its way. The promises hadn't been fulfilled. Of course KM just didn't disappear overnight - it just degraded gracefully. One client, a very large UK multinational, shed their KM teams and announced that KM was now 'embedded in the business'. KM still goes on but it's likely to be on the margins and not essential for peak organisational performance whereas in 2000 KM really was positioned as a game changer. So what happened? That's a good question and one which this post is my first attempt at exploring why KM failed to deliver on its early promises. And why do this sort of navel gazing now? Because knowledge management appears to be making a comeback but this time it has a shiny new suit and it's called social learning."

"PPT discusses how to use social collaboration to re-energize your workforce and optimize your core business processes with purpose driven collaboration. Learn how to streamline problem solving, execute faster and drive rapid decision making to achieve your core operational and financial performance metrics. Learn how The Transformational Opportunity from Social Collaboration will come from closing Business Loops: - Customer Performance = Traditional CRM + Customer Networks - Talent Performance = Talent Management + Talent Networks - Financial Performance & Risk Mitigation = Financial Management + Performance Networks - Supply Chain Performance = Supply Chain Management + Business Networks "