Social media tools are used to visualize resources especially. However, there is a limited range of created content in social media, instructors and students have a tendency to use shared materials rather than edit an existed material or create a new material. However, this does not change the situation of social media in education, it is proved that social media improves teaching and learning process. Therefore, researchers stressed that instructions should consider supporting academic staff with technical and pedagogical guidance as the academicians do not meet the requirements of digital native students. Their web self-efficacy and digital competencies should be improved (Manca & Ranieri, 2016a; Manca & Ranieri, 2016b).
TopConstructive Learning Theory
Constructivism is a learner-centered educational approach which emphasizes that learner constructs his or her own knowledge by connecting new information to the existed ones (Henson, 2003). Information is not transferred from environment passively; in contrast, it is formed in individual’s mind actively (Duffy & Jonassen, 1991). That is, the information does not exist on the outside; it is constructed by human brain. Learning is defined as the creation of relationship between new knowledge and prior experience rather than simply storage of the transferred knowledge by teacher, according to constructive learning theory (Balım, İnel & Evrekli, 2007). Students meet their learning needs, reach their learning goals and solve problems with the guidance of teacher, variable resources and tools by supporting each other as a group (Wilson, 1996).
Hence, active participation is required for the construction of knowledge in constructive learning theory model. Instead of acquiring messages from environment, students construct meanings through correlating, comparing and interpreting their perceptions. Students’ correlations, comparisons and interpretations are affected by prior knowledge constantly (Mayer, 1999)
Learning is a collaborative effort spent by solving problems related to the actual design, assigning in independent, unrepeated tasks in the process of problem-solving and creating social environment by forming groups as stated in constructivist approach. Rather than how much information is learned, how information is learned is important, so development of learning-teaching and thinking strategies is crucial. Instead of memorizing information, constructing their own knowledge is a demanded outcome for individuals (Moussiaux & Norman, 2003).
The preliminary information of learner should be aroused by teacher before teaching new knowledge and concepts because new concepts and information stay more permanent if they are correlated with the old ones (Persall, Skipper & Mintzes, 1997).
Information does not exist without individual and human brain cannot be perceived like a blank sheet in any stage of learning, as stated in constructivist theory. Instead, information is controlled by human and is made up from reconstruction by comparison of old and new ones.
Constructive learning theory is examined under two main sections; one of them is cognitive constructivism pioneered by Piaget and Bruner, the other one is social constructivism pioneered by Vygotsky (Özden, 2003).