Learning goes social too

I have been talking recently about KM going social and the concept of KM2.0. Well its not only KM that Web 2.0 tools and technologies are impacting - its learning too. This is really not too surprising as "learning" is one of the main objectives and outcomes of "knowledge sharing" and at times the two concepts are synonymous.

Ray Sims recently blogged on this and quoted from a paper by Mohamed Amine Chatti, Matthias Jarke, and Dirk Frosch-Wilke.

To have a chance of success, LM and KM approaches need to recognize the social aspect of learning and knowledge and as a consequence place a strong emphasis on knowledge networking and community building to leverage, create, sustain and share knowledge in a collaborative way, through participation, dialogue, discussion, observation and imitation.

Source: The Future of e-Learning: a shift to knowledge networking and social software.

I have recently updated the Learning category page on my website to include a tentative definition of Learning 2.0 adapted from a blog post by Denise Withers.

Learning 2.0 is an emerging approach to learning that turns away from teaching as something that is “done to learners” - and instead, embraces methods in which learning becomes “an on-going and participatory process of transforming information and experience into knowledge".

Credit: Adapted from a definition by Denise Withers.

Another guy you might like to check who has a lot to say about this is Stephen Downes. And take a look at this blog post from Dina Mehta on Social Learning.

This is why I attach so much importance to conversation and my knowledge cafes?