Application of cutting-edge social media technologies in Constructionist Pedagogy

Abstract

Although the penetration of social media technologies into orthodoxy teaching and learning has been slow, there is an increasing awareness that embedding social media in pedagogy bestows upon students much greater capacity to construct knowledge according to Piaget, co-construct understanding through interaction with others as postulated by Vygotsky; effectively utilizes Brunner's 5E Instructional Model; is consistent with Bloom's Cognitive Taxonomy; applies DeBono's Six Thinking Hats problem solving strategies and creates opportunities for students to learn in their styles as postulated by Howard Gardner's Multiple Intelligences. This paper reports the lived experiences encountered when embedding Google+.Discussion Circles, eFoliospaces and YouTube social media technologies in connectivist pedagogy for doctoral students and 2nd Year B-Education pre-service teachers at a University in Australia. The experiences reveal that the introduction of selected social media technologies into pedagogical practice has potential to shift learning paradigms from Constructivism to Connectivism and from Instructional to ultra-modern Digital Pedagogy.