Social:Learn and Empowerment By Christopher Tillman Neal C. 2012 - Second Edition

There is no doubt that new media tools can play an important role in building great accountability centered on Social:Learn and Empowerment. The beautiful relationship of Social:Learn and Empowerment are based on each other, which create a harmonious union to build local capacity. In a sense, a symbiant circle. Empowerment is the process of enhancing the capacity of individuals or groups to make choices and to transform those choices into desired actions and outcomes. Miroblogs like Twitter, knowledge ecologies such as Google+, YouTube and search engines like Google provide a unique platform for users of these tools to engage in mutual exchange of information, collaboration, reciprocity and peer-to peer cooperation. For instance, social capital can be created through these tools, and can be thought of as the framework that supports the process of learning through interaction, and requires the formation of network paths that are both horizontal (across agencies and sectors) and vertical (agencies to communities to individuals). 


Taken one step further, this suggests that social capital plays an important role in fostering the social networks and information exchange needed to achieve collective action. Matter of fact, the article entitled The Wealth of Networks: How Social Production Transforms Markets and Freedom, by Yochai Benkler argues that "information and communications technologies do not simply make the old ways of doing things more efficient, but also support fundamentally new ways of doing things." That is exactly what people need in societies where the suppression of one's voice, dreams, ambitions, thoughts, and ideas are often times suppressed by totalitarian regimes. They not only need practical resources to facilitate their livelihood, but they also need technological resources such as Information and Communication Technologies for Development (ICT4D) to facilitate their innate desire to know, to critically think about ways to build local capacity through cooperative means, and Google Earth has considerable potential to enhance methods for teaching politically-oriented concepts and themes; helping students develop other capabilities. 

In addition, Google reader is capable of reading Atom and RSS feeds online or offline, which can also be an asset to the classroom. Powerful search engines like Google provide individuals from all age's, demographics' and backgrounds with the ability to identify and cite good reasons for their opinions through critical thinking methods. This augments collective intelligence and amplifies enthusiasm amongst esteemed co-learners. Critical thinking fostered in the classroom provides students the opportunity to understand and take charge of their learning and their lives. As a consequence, students will approach the material in a more insightful manner, will be more inquisitive and will participate in the learning process. But more importantly, students will expand the perspectives from which they view the world. Critical thinking skills will help them navigate the important decisions in learning and in life, which “support new ways of doing things” as Yochai Benkler states. By the same token, we cannot forget about the power of Google+, which is an excellent platform to foster collaboration on research projects, and hold Hangout office hours for students. 


Lastly, online platforms like YouTube can speed comprehension and add interest in the classroom and the community. YouTube technology can assist both students and educators with developing effective presentations. Effectively integrating a YouTube video can also assist in audience understanding and comprehension of topics under discussion, and the Khan Academy (http://www.khanacademy.org/) is a good example of this. In addition, an effective use of a YouTube video can also help audience members to understanding complex issues and ideas, and by utilizing intelligence dashboards; students have the ability to facilitate their learning experience by interfacing between their mental and technical filters. With the focus on knowledge based systems and globalization in the 21st century, the aforementioned social networking and social media tools will help facilitate the learning experience in the classroom as well as enrich personal learning networks. Now it's up to us to choose which technologies are practical and useful for Social:Learn and Empowerment, and what others are misleading as well as distracting. More on this topic later!


--
References:

Benkler, Yochai. (2006). The Wealth of Networks: How Social Production Transforms Markets and Freedom. New Haven Conn.: Yale University Press. 

Learn more at Berkeley profile https://cal.berkeley.edu/christopher Peeragogy.org http://goo.gl/O03Rp Howard Rheingold credits http://rheingold.com/credits/ Net Smart acknowledgments http://goo.gl/aigdD Peeragogy Handbook mention http://goo.gl/9lPYy Google + http://goo.gl/AMBbA or follow me on Twitter (@CNealUCB) and LinkedIn http://goo.gl/lyPFA. Go to link http://goo.gl/Aj9Fg to view online curriculum vitae.