Well Informed 2.0: Learning 2.0

 Discussion:
Seemingly, our whole lives take place on the internet in today's world, so it seems only fitting that a large part of our learning would happen online as well. Tutors are available to students from just about anywhere around the world, and they can connect via online social networks. Networks such as Skype allow teachers and students to connect no matter where they are. Learning with the assistance of a social network can make it easy to apply visual learning aids, and immediate assistance from a tutor or teacher. Websites such as Khan Academy, can be used virtually as a replacement for a whole course. Through Khan Academy, a student is able to watch videos, read text, and participate in discussion with other "classmates" who are also enrolled in the online course.

There is an article on Gigaom about 5 tutoring startups.
The article can be found here: https://gigaom.com/2013/03/19/tutoring-2-0-5-startups-bringing-one-on-one-instruction-to-the-web/
It basically just talks about the growing want for online tutors, and some of the companies that are providing to those consumers. These social networks make learning more accessible to those who might not have the means, transportation, or other opportunity to take part in learning.

On a non-formal educational note, social media sites such as Youtube and Pinterest provide Do-It-Yourself videos or tutorials for just about any topic. These DIY websites are a way that people from around the world can connect, share creative ideas, and teach each other how to do things.

Position:
I think that the ability to utilize online resources for learning is one of the greatest benefits of the internet as a whole.We literally have just about all of the world's knowledge at our fingertips. I think that it's definitely something we take for granted. If I could go back in time and tell my grandfather that I have a device in which I can plug in any question, and receive immediate answers, he would be shocked. He would be even more shocked to see that I use this magical piece of technology to play angry birds, take photos of my breakfast, and watch stupid 6-second Vines. One critique that I have of learning online is that literally ANYONE can write basically whatever they want, and present it as fact. I remember back in middle school, I had a class in a computer lab, and the boy next to me would hop onto Wikipedia when the teacher wasn't looking and edit the information on various pages. I think that it's really important to check and validate sources when attempting to learn something online, because there is so much inaccurate information out there. I think we see huge problems with this especially when people use websites such as WebMD to self diagnose illnesses, or research other fragile things on the internet like at-home medical care. In certain situations, this is completely okay, but in others, harm can occur if we're not careful. As a whole, I think that learning over the internet, and especially through social media has the potential to help society grow, and gain knowledge. It's all in how we use it.