Last updated: 13 January 2010
APPLYING SOCIAL MEDIA TO LEARNING
Accidental & Serendipitous Learning

Accidental & Serendipitous Learning is when individuals learning without consciously realising it as a result of doing other things(aka incidental or random learning).  Although this kind of learning is not generally of interest to organisations as it can't be identified and measured, individuals often like to take advantage of the possibility of serendipitous learning through social media.

Using social media

• Using a micro-blogging service - as individuals can find out about things they would otherwise have missed or to learn completely new things
• Browsing photo-sharing, presentation-sharing and video-sharing sites - to find new things
• Browsing social bookmarking sites - to find links to resources that can help prompt ideas and creativity
• Joining social networks - by communicating with colleagues, friends and family - they will generally learn about new things