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Online Learning through Social Constructionist Practices

Education is more than transferring knowledge from one person to another without integrating the information. It requires the building of a sense of community so that students can see themselves in a different light and find support for their goals. A study by Shackelford & Maxwell (2012) helps to define how a sense of community is developed in an online educational environment. Accordingly, they found that introductions, group projects, sharing personal experiences, class discussions, and exchanging resources made all the difference. Of these exchanging resources for learning seemed to be the most important.  Online education is not simply about posting information in a forum. It is about the way in which that information is presented for maximum learning and having students cognitively engage in the process of learning. There are varying aspects of learning that include social reinforcement and mental processes that further the way in which students understand the informa

Social Interaction and Content as Pathways to Paying Customers

Companies are seeking to find ways to draw in customers in a data rich environment. With lots of free content there must be something that differentiates sites to create income streams. Content alone is limited but content with social interaction develops engagement and eventual purchases. By developing social networking, group interaction, and constant new information sites can turn passive users into paying customers. Social computing and networking has taken a more important function in business networks. Social computing power has transferred from organizations to individuals who desire to, “manifest their creativity, engage in social interaction, contribute their expertise, share content, collectively build new tools and disseminate information” (Parameswaran and Whinston, 2007, pp. 753).  It is a process of collaboration and social building.  Commitment to a site and its content is important for overall engagement. Organizational commitment theory indicates that