Community and social network sites as Technology Enhanced Learning Environments

Author： Ryberg Thomas Christiansen Ellen

ISSN： 1475-939X

Source： Technology, Pedagogy and Education, Vol.17, Iss.3, 2008-10, pp. : 207-219

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Abstract

This paper examines the affordance of the Danish social networking site Mingler.dk for peer-to-peer learning and development. With inspiration from different theoretical frameworks, the authors argue how learning and development in such social online systems can be conceptualised and analysed. Theoretically the paper defines development in accordance with Vygotsky's concept of the zone of proximal development, and learning in accordance with Wenger's concept of communities of practice. The authors suggest analysing the learning and development taking place on Mingler.dk by using these concepts supplemented by the notion of horizontal learning adopted from Engestrom and Wenger. Their analysis shows how horizontal learning happens by crossing boundaries between several sites of engagement, and how the actors' multiple membership enables the community members to draw on a vast amount of resources from a multiplicity of sites. They show how the members thereby also become (co)producers of such resources, which then in turn become resources for other communities.