Before dwelling deeper into social learning, let us define it. It means trying to grasp knowledge from your current surroundings, which could be the mobile or TV screens, interactions between parents, siblings, grandparents at home, or the behaviour of neighbours.
Today, due to the pandemic, social learning is limited to home, but is also unlimited because of the access to the Internet. Earlier, schools and parents did not want children to be locked to screens, but currently, it is the medium of education. Though the Internet is boundless, it has different aspects and the one that interests students the most is social media. Among the various platforms, Instagram is popular because it caters to the demand of less text and more visuals.
Memes have become teachers. While some teach valuable lessons, yet others send negative messages to an impressionable minds. Pornography and violent content are points of concern, as are religious and other biases. There are also positive stories that offer information, help evoke empathy, and provide entrepreneurial and other opportunities. While it is not always possible to keep tabs on what students are doing, the fact remains that the Internet is today, the biggest school. Social learning, therefore, has changed and will keep evolving. All one needs to do is keep an eye open for the kind of information that will help a student excel and grow, both in terms of his/her education and life.
The writer is CEO and Founder, Notebook
