10 Social Media Tools For Learning: The eLearning Coach

10 Social Media Tools For Learning
November 16, 2009
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Doyou have a training or information need that could benefit from asocial media strategy? Understanding the universe of options can helpyou match your need to the best approach. Sohere are descriptions of ten applications representing different socialmedia technologies that promote learning. Many of these tools andservices are free or have a free trial period, which can encourageexperimentation.
Each tool fulfills at least one of these criteria: encouragescollaboration; enables user-generated content or input; provides a wayto share; and facilitates informal or formal learning. Be sure to doadditional research and comparison with similar products prior tomaking a selection as this is just a small sampling. (Listing isalphabetical.)
Audacity
Category: Podcasts

Although podcasts are a one-way form of communication, they enablethe creation of user-generated content. Podcasts are fairly easy foranyone to make and with the free downloadable software,Audacity,it becomes an inexpensive option. Podcasts are a great medium fordistributing an organization’s content and expertise because they canbe played on hand held devices and computers.
Users can record and edit audio with Audacity and it runs on mostoperating systems, including Mac OS X and Windows. Key features includerecording through a microphone or mixer, digitizing recordings fromtapes, audio editing, importing and exporting audio files, effects andquality adjustments. For details on how to create a podcast, seeHow to Create Your Own Podcast on About.com.
Dimdim
Category: Interactive Webinars and Live Presentations

The forward thinking folks atDimdimcreated an application that is completely in the cloud. Think of it.Users do not have to download or install software to participate in apresentation or webinar. This flexibility and ease of use couldencourage impromptu learning events and meetings that can be set up ina moments notice, increasing the informal learning opportunities withinand outside an organization. Users can share voice and video, displayonline PowerPoint presentations, documents, share their screen and showweb pages, making annotations along the way. The collaborative featurelets participants get in the act with capabilities for marking updocuments as well using as a shared, multipage whiteboard.
Dimdim has an open source version so developers can integrate itwith other software. For example, there is a Moodle module for startinga Dimdim session directly from within Moodle. It  also integrates witha few open source eLearning tools. There are several pricing models forusing Dimdim, including a free plan with full functionality for smallergroups.
Edublogs Campus
Category: Blogs

Blogging to teach others is common in the public domain, but not so within an organization.Edublogs Campusis hoping to change that. This software provides a way to centralizeand manage blogs within an institution by hosting them all on onedomain. Although Edublogs seems focused on academia, its also ideal forother types of organizations due to its centralized control, privacyoptions, security features, custom branding and support.
In terms of promoting learning, employees could use blogs to writefirst-hand accounts of case studies, lessons learned, projectdebriefings, travel tips and cultural customs. Internal experts couldblog about their areas of proficiency. Blogging could help anorganization’s knowledge quotient explode and is definitely somethingworth exploring.
Elgg
Category: Social Networking Platform

Elgg is a socialnetworking engine and publishing platform for running your own socialnetworking site on a public or private server. It’s a free and opensource application with templates and plugins for enhancements. Elgg isan aggregate of many social media technologies in one platform. Userscan create and join groups, connect with friends, display a profile,blog and microblog (similar to Twitter). In terms of content, peoplecan add pages, upload presentations, documents and multimedia files aswell as tag the pages. This makes Elgg an ideal platform for learningand collaboration.
For example, a large organization with geographically dispersedoffices can use Elgg on an internal server to introduce employees toeach other and to share internal knowledge across offices; employeescan use Elgg to create online study groups; and nonprofit organizationscan build communities of common interest where members learn from eachother.
Google Collaboration Tools
Category: Collaborative Resources

It would be difficult to create a ten-list without mentioning some of Google’s continually evolvingGoogle Collaboration Toolsfor Education and Business. Google has created a compellinginfrastructure for a variety of collaboration tools. Some of the toolsrelevant to collaborative learning include: Google Docs (wordprocessing, spreadsheets, forms and presentations); Google Sites (teamwebsite creation); Google Video (add comments, tags and ratings);Google Conversations (for integrating discussions) and Google Wave(combines email, Instant Messaging, Wikis and photo sharing), which haslimited availability at the time of this writing.
The key advantage to Google Apps is that all the software runs in aweb browser, so that users with permission can view and edit thedocuments. The collaborative environment this creates encourages peopleto share knowledge and learn from each other, to engage in peer reviewand to generate content in a collective manner.
MindMeister
Category: Mind Maps

One way to learn and solve problems more effectively is by visualizing information.MindMeisterprovides a browser-based service for creating mind maps through anintuitive interface. These diagrams can be used during brainstormingsessions, as a way to explain concepts, for information organizationand for creative problem solving.
Mindmeister’s mind maps can be used in a collaborative environment,as well as saved and shared. When two or more users collaborate on thesame map in real-time, all changes are replicated in a color-codedformat so everyone can see updates instantaneously. Mindmeister comeswith several pricing plans, from the basic free plan to a premium planwith enhanced security.
TalkShoe
Category: Talk Shows

Think ofTalkShoeas a way to have your own radio talk show. This is a free web-basedservice in which anyone can create, join or listen to live interactivepresentations, discussions and conversations. Talk shows can berecorded, making them available as podcasts later. Talk show hostscontrol the process and participants can just listen or join in bytalking or via text-chat.
For informal and impromptu learning, you can browse through theirlist of current and scheduled shows. To create your own workplacelearning, you can schedule events on TalkShoe and then publicize them.Would you like a colleague to teach a course with interactive commentsfrom a broader community? Would your organization benefit from aquestion and answer session with an expert, an interview with an authoror a panel discussion using expertise outside of your organization?Then a live talk show may be for you. Hosts have control, but should beprepared to manage participants, who can join from anywhere on theInternet.
VoiceThread
Category: Multimedia Presentations
VoiceThreadis a tool for having discussions around media, such as a presentation,video or image. Participants watch or listen and then comment bytelephone, web cam, microphone, text or by uploading a file. Users canthen delete and re-record a comment, as needed. A small photo ordrawing of the participant is then displayed around the media. Tolisten to comments, click the photos or the Play button. Although thisapproach to discussion does not facilitate real-time conversations, itdoes promote collaboration and threaded discussion. For example,someone could propose an idea or a pilot presentation and solicitfeedback from colleagues. Or a staff member could create a starterlearning event that gets enhanced by the knowledge distributed aroundthe organization, added as comments.
VoiceThread features include control over which comments are shown,embedding the conversation to any web page, drawing on the presentationwhile creating a comment, ability to create groups, privacy options andsupport for most accessibility standards. VoiceThread has aprofessional version for businesses that provides features for securesharing and management of threads for staff and clients.
Wikispaces
Category: Wikis

A Wiki is software for creating and editing interlinked web pages.Wikispacesis one of the more popular wiki applications, with its reputation forease of use and varied pricing models, from free to Private Label.Wikis promote collaborative learning and information sharing becauseanyone with rights can add content to the system. Imagine softwareexperts adding their top tips to an organization’s Wiki after a newsoftware roll out or asking experienced project managers to write up a“lessons learned” page at the end of each project. Wikispaces featuresa WYSIWIG editor, widgets for enhancements to other services, abilityto upload multimedia content, discussions, RSS and email notifications,revision tracking and security options.
If you’re looking for a completely free and open source Wiki for a large installation, check outMediaWiki,which is the downloadable software that supports Wikipedia. And ifyou’re willing to do some comparison shopping, see the amazingWikiMatrix to compare a long list of Wikis.
Yammer
Category: Microblogging

Who would have thought that 140 characters of text could be sopowerful? Yet microblogging has become a revolutionary way ofstreamlining communication. Twitter, the most well-known microbloggingplatform, is highly public—an issue for many organizations.Yammeris a compelling solution to this problem, as it provides a secureenterprise microblogging platform. It’s a simple means for socialsharing within an organization and can become a surprisingly virileform of messaging, collaborating and discussing.
At its most superficial level, Yammer can keep other employeesabreast of the projects on which their colleagues are working. Asparticipation grows and employees post their profiles with job titles,expertise and background, Yammer can develop into a social network withpotential. This could transform an organization of isolated employeesinto a rich network of approachable contacts. As discussions grow toinclude questions, content links and information dissemination, contentcan be searched and serve as an organization’s knowledge base. Yammerseems to be a simple way to engage and to open communication across anorganization.
Related Articles:
Social Media And Learning
Using Wikis For Learning
Using Podcasts For Learning
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