014221 Learning in the Digital Age

014226 Leading Innovative Practices – Session 2 2022 Wrap up

I have instigated innovation from the moment I commenced working. I have always seen opportunities to improve service, create new products, do things differently, for better engagement with internal and external stakeholders and have always looked at triple bottom line outcomes, as part of these ideas. I was the Chair of the Ideas Committee at the Melbourne Convention and Exhibition Centre early in my career and this experience taught me the importance of due diligence, engagement, insights over ideas, partnerships, collaboration and motivations. The committee delivered a number of initiatives around products and services plus explored the importance of team engagement, having a voice, learning how to develop and idea into an innovation and celebrating the achievements.
I have experienced change in many organisations and sadly very few organisations create a culture of aspiration and discovery. My experience generally is lots of bells and whistles at the launch of a new innovation and then poor execution of ideas with minimal collaboration. I’m curious to know why this happens and maybe it starts with limited evaluation and engagement with key stakeholders from the get go or poor knowledge of BAU so the innovation is too far removed from what people are doing day to day that it’s difficult for them to embrace the change (maybe it’s too abstract??).

WHAT I LEARNT:

The importance of the Empathy Interview. I knew this was important but didn’t have a label or process to support my innate understandings of engaging with users to ensure an innovation is relevant, considered and ideally designed to go through a number of iterations. All too often the innovation gets clouded by ego – a new CEO wanting to put their brand on things, a new Director wanting to make swift changes to justify their appointment. The reality is that the people doing the work – whatever this might be – have so much valuable knowledge that can help define a new innovation.
I was not working at the time of this subject so reached out, with the help of the lecturers, to the cohort I was studying with. What I discovered by doing the empathy interviews was greater insight into who the cohort are and what alignments there were. We also discovered there were common goals amongst the four of us.

Motivations for learning and collaborating varied. Some people are wanting to learn about different sectors from different perspectives rather than their area of expertise. Takes them out of their workplace into a new space to explore concepts more creatively.
The informal coffee catch up or beer at the pub was important to calvinize the connection with students and made the online collaborations much easier. So I was tasked with how do we create the more intimate conversations to encourage open, easier discussions when online. Having a project objective that is clearly defined but informal creates this connection – i.e. these Empathy Interviews. Builds trust and confidence to reach out further and explore ideas. My experience of the empathy interviews was enlightening and a privilege. To understand from fellow students their insights and struggles was a gateway to recognizing the commonality of experience. If we want to make the critical shift from solipsism (self-centredness) to collective consciousness, don’t we need something like empathy (Sean Illing, 2017).
The importance of the MVP. I worked for a co-working space called Stone & Chalk last year and was engaged with startups in emerging technologies. The lean startup philosophy adopting agile practices, a flatter structure and embracing ambiguity was part of our BAU. Interestingly the notion of the Minimal Viable Product was touted but, in my view, not practised as well as it could’ve been. Sometimes the agile processes were too rushed and ensuring that the testing was conducted incrementally and built results that helped hone the development of the product or process, were sometimes missed in the last minute frenzy to meet deadlines. One of my short-term goals is to adopt agile and MVP practices into future roles. As a manager I have suffered from taking on the responsibilities of BAU and innovation with a perfectionist focus. I have, however, always been an advocate of working-groups and have created many in my working life. Adopting the tools learnt in this course will allow me to trial and fail (MVP)– starting small – and only scale with learnt insights (using the case study below as inspiration).
The most significant learning for me has been to challenge my assumption to come up with the solutions before engaging with the users. So I’ve adopted a more traditional business and operational plan approach. I have led a number of innovation projects, often related to funding opportunities, and have been required to have affirmed that the innovation is legitimate and valid before any user testing has taken place. I think this is a flaw in some of the education institutions processes as it doesn’t allow for experimentation but rather favours time-consuming planning and big design upfront development. The failure to get these innovations off the ground impacts morale and can quash creativity within organisations. Encouraging a more agile approach, building the product iteratively and incrementally, and with quicker turnarounds could ensure that incremental change is encouraged and even celebrated within education organisations, alleviating disappointment and the subsequent ‘it’s too hard’ excuses that can arise after an innovative concept has been rejected.

Subject Learning Goals for Learning in the Digital Age:

Having just completed Leading Innovation Practices I am keen to use the learnings to support how emerging technologies use tools – traditional (PEST analysis for example) and innovation (lean startup methodologies) and what works from 1). business model perspective; 2) HR perspective and 3). A triple-bottom-line perspective.
I would also like to explore the three innovations I developed to further identify how we manage the constraints of the digital age ensuring DEI is adopted. My innovation idea: How might we improve online collaborations with postgraduate students, and more specifically how can the use of collaborative technology such as software and social media platforms help with the communications. I would like to also explore computer self-efficacy and DEI amongst the student cohort, and how we can share this more meaningfully as part of our course leaning.
How successful is the Flipped Learning methodology. This pedagogical development of the past 10 or 15 years was little more than a theory, in my experience when working as a VET Education Manager, until the pandemic impacted face to face teaching and both educators and students were forced to teach and learn online. What I found fascinating about this was the diversity amongst educators in their use of technology. Some took to it like ducks to water and continued to grow and create whilst others simply talked on Zoom – not embracing any of the features, breakout rooms, whiteboard, student-led shared screens/video tours etc. The idea of flipped classroom is to have short/sharp revisions of online learning when on campus and to focus majority of the time on the practical skills required by industry to work in a garden, on a farm, in a kitchen etc. Unfortunately this didn’t always happen and all too often the old PowerPoint presentation was resurrected when back on campus instead of the plethora of student and industry led projects that should have been explored, to make sense of the online theory learnt.
How can we humanise the digital experience? I know this is an obvious and perennial issue but I would like to dig deep and explore the affordances and constraints of learning in the digital age. I’ve always advocated for videos with educators introducing topics (like the UTS model). We have a person engaging with us from the get go – and I think it’s really important. I think there could be less formal opportunities shared by students, and lecturers, to build trust and empathy. See innovation idea below:

Getting to know you…….

I believe that there is an appetite for more holistic and robust sharing of personality traits and professional experiences, plus an interest in DEI, by both students and teachers.

I have done a practice ‘getting to know you’ video asking three questions:

Why are you studying?
What is one of your vulnerabilities?
Why is DEI important to you?

Ultimately, I would like to see what groups are represented in the videos, survey the student cohort to establish if they appreciated the sharing and did they appreciate learning more deeply about each other, and if this impacted their understanding of DEI.

I sent this via email and text message to students and lecturers asking for the following questions to be answered:

Would you feel comfortable sharing a video like this? Can you share one with me?
From 1 – 5 (1 being the lowest and 5 the highest) how would you rate the content in relation to your learning. i.e. do you think knowing fellow-students more completely enhances the learning experience?
Have you learnt anything new about DEI? If so what did you learn?

I’m really looking forward to this subject, so much to contribute and so much to learn!

TOPIC 1, MODULE 1

“The number one benefit of information technology is that it empowers people to do what they want to do. It lets people be creative. It lets people be productive. It lets people learn things they didn’t think they could learn before, and so in a sense it is all about potential.”

Steve Ballmer

The challenges and benefits of technology-enabled learning:

CHALLENGES

Doesn’t replace the F2F interactions that allow for the development of soft skills needed to communicate effectively in the workplace.
Teenagers already spend too much time on devices.
Teachers don’t necessarily embrace the creative aspects of technology to enhance the learning experience.
How do we ensure engagement?

BENEFITS
Accessible – geographically, culturally but maybe not economically. Can everyone afford a laptop for example.
No bias – more equitable interactions.
Access to fellow students’ thoughts about topics and able to access information from a number of subject matter experts.

Donald Clark’s TEDTalk

Clark’s (2012) TEDx talk is now almost 10 years old. Do you think Clark’s analysis holds true? I think his notion of challenging the pedagogy experienced in schools and universities is fair. The evidence does suggest the content of an hour lecture will not be retained easily afterwards. A second-bite of the cherry via access to a recording, student-led forums to ideate beyond the lecture content and using technology to enhance all of this is definitely still true today.
The 10 year period has had businesses like Facebook more exposed for their connection to DataAnalytica and the potential for fraudulent data access that could skew an election – not good and not people we want shaping our children’s education. The impact on young people – the FOMO and the increase in anxiety has been connected to Facebook and other SM platforms.
The figures do speak for themselves though – more than 2 billion people accessing the internet/search/open source/peer review. Perhaps better content on social platforms will allow for some flipped learning for example – a dance class using TikTok for kids to practice their dance steps; an apprentice course in building using YouTube to demonstrate making a chair. We all do this and it is been used in teaching – this analysis is based on a TED Talk on YouTube….
What’s your own experience as a learner in the digital age? I love the fact that it opens up opportunities for people in all locations (like the developing world) and at any time. The downside is the use of propaganda and societies pre-occupation with celebrity culture that is very influential but often very vacuous and superficial.
I’ve done courses and qualifications using digital and some are done well and some are not. Developing teachers/lecturers/industry practitioners capability in the digital space is really important and this is something I have been supporting and advocating for for for almost 10 years. You can’t introduce an innovation like Flipped Learning without ensuring 1). Teachers understand it and are trained to do it well 2). Students are given the right digital resources to hone their curiosity about a subject or skill and bring questions willingly to a class.
Be gone chalk and talk…..please!

Dr Cal Newport

What do you think about Newport’s (2016) views on social media including on developing our capacity for ‘deep work’ or deep learning in the 21st century? I agree with Dr Newport’s view. I know the constant distraction of checking LinkedIn/FB/Insta is not just related to your social status but is often tied into work success. For example did that Unicorn respond to my reach out to have him as a speaker? Have they liked my post on LinkedIn – did it give them the exposure they were after? There is additional pressure to use Social Media in your traditional marketing strategy – this is a new layer of work and expectation and whilst I know YouTubers, bloggers, vloggers etc are rising I think the quality of content is now always improving. This I’m afraid is what Newport is referring to – the inability to do DEEP work. I know I have had to really discipline myself to focus on assessments and get through all the readings/sharings/watchings to ensure I’m doing the deep work and getting a healthy perspective on the subject-matter.
YouTube, Instagram, Twitter and LinkedIn help learners. I don’t think Facebook does. I think there needs to be better guidelines of how the social platforms work and more transparency around altruistic and commercial motivations.

TOPIC 2

The private sector continues to invest in disruptive technologies to get ahead of the competition. Companies adapt their business models to meet ever-increasing customer expectations. The pace of change continues to blur the boundaries of the physical and digital worlds. It is redefining traditional industry sectors and the way we live and work. Emerging technologies, growing amounts of data and smarter ways of getting insights are changing the way people, businesses and governments interact. There is a growing emphasis on micro-credentials, gamification and social learning aimed at improving learner experience, building a culture of collaboration and sharing to improve learner experience across disciplines, ages and organisational sectors.

7 Trends in Emerging Technology
Emerging Technologies will impact teaching in the VET and Higher Ed sectors because of the rapid adoption and the need for students to understand how and when to use different technologies.
Data is king – understanding it and using technology to find it and report it is going to be a part of nearly everyone’s work life so machine learning and AI will be part of our every day. I do believe the ability to tell the data story is not a skill that can be done using tech – I believe a person’s ability to interpret empirical data and compare it with anecdotal data will be important for organisations to insist on.
Robotic Automation will impact how trades are taught and the skills in different vocational sectors will need to keep pace with this.
Blockchain is an interesting one because it’s consensus-driven (is it a cult?) is it giving it to the man? I’m not sure but I’m not convinced it’s safer, better option to manage your data.
CyberSecurity is here to stay – as tech changes so too do the security requirements – how sad…
Cloud Computing – it’s here – I’m not sure if servers are even used anymore? Do I understand how it works? Not really…

LOVE this quote:

“As technologies evolve… educators and institutions must continue to reflect on the extent to which established pedagogies and teaching approaches need to evolve. Further, whilst technologies such as AI and Machine Learning can make new learning tools and services possible, we might also want to take a step back and question what we are aiming to achieve. After all, just because something is technically feasible, it does not necessarily mean it should be done or that its effects will be overwhelmingly positive.”

(Bonfield et al., 2020)

Contemporary learning theories

Principles of connectivism

Learning and knowledge rests in diversity of opinions.
Learning is a process of connecting specialised nodes or information sources.
Learning may reside in non-human appliances.
Capacity to know more is more critical than what is currently known
Nurturing and maintaining connections is needed to facilitate continual learning.
Ability to see connections between fields, ideas, and concepts is a core skill.
Currency (accurate, up-to-date knowledge) is the intent of all connectivist learning activities.
Decision-making is itself a learning process.
Choosing what to learn and the meaning of incoming information is seen through the lens of a shifting reality.
While there is a right answer now, it may be wrong tomorrow due to alterations in the information climate affecting the decision

Sociomateriality is a theory built upon the intersection of technology, work and organisation, embracing the view that technology and human interaction with technology are interlinked. Examines the social and material aspects of technology and the organisation, but also emphasises the centrality of materials within the communicative constitution of organisations.

We will explore this theory further in Module 3 when we investigate the significance of learning spaces.

Behaviourism – Older theories – Pavlov’s Dogs – ring a bell to remind dogs of a treat; dogs would salivate when the bell was rung – responding to the routined instruction.

Behaviourism, cognitivism and constructivism are all used in digital designed learning. The Connectivism is the peer to peer engagement, and building upon ideas and innovations, via blogs, social platforms and open source platforms. To ensure integrity in the learning I think relying purely on connectivism would be wrong. Connectivism should however be explored more fully in all learning environments. Encouraging the curiosity, openness and enquiry.
I have just accepted a new role at a University and will be managing online micro-credentials, short courses and industry courses. The theoretical orientation is a combination of all 4 theories with the educator working more as a facilitator, with other industry professionals providing context for the subject-matter. The learner is also the educator (in small student-led forums); the pedagogical design is project-focused and collaborative with defined modules of learning and a combination of online course work and project work forming the assessment. Technology is at the core of the design of these courses because they are delivered, predominantly online.

Module 3 – Re-imagining the learning space

The notion of “learning space” has changed significantly in the past ten years. As we have embraced an increasingly diverse range of technologies and resources, learning and communication have become untethered from traditional understandings of fixed physical places such as the workplace office, home or classroom. Globally, education sectors are integrating innovative flexible opportunities and digitally connected learning spaces for learners to engage across a range of synchronous, asynchronous and non-fixed time frames and locations (Taylor-Hill & Janabi, 2019).

The contemporary understanding of learning has also embraced metaphorical notions of learning archetypes, providing different opportunities for learners to collaborate, network and share ideas, reflect and demonstrate understanding as a deliberately integrated aspect of design (Thornburg, 2014).

Looking at the learning spaces – because most of us are delivering online courses – is a bit bland and uninspiring. One student shared their drama class – with students drawing on a blackboard floor – it looked so engaging and the students looked engaged in what they were doing.

With knowledge now being a property of the network I fear that what is available online does not have any peer scrutiny and vetting so we have teenagers more influenced by YouTubers than people who are making a difference to the world/or planet. Open source is good, to a point but with the knowledge of teenage children and what influences them, even with global travel, many opportunities to engage in art and culture, trite and trivial of popular culture holds precedence for them.

WORKSPACES: When considering workspaces, experts on the future of work says that “It’s time for leaders to get real about hybrid” (McKinsey (Links to an external site.), July 2021). The next industrial revolution, sped up by the COVID-19 pandemic is changing how we live and work. Specifically, where we can, we are transforming our traditional physical-only offices into spaces that allow us to work “anywhere and anytime”. This is turn is transforming how we learn. While initially digital, virtual and blended learning was a response to the pandemic, it’s becoming the norm and another way to provide modern workers with even more flexibility to learning “anywhere and anytime”.

MAKER SPACES An example of a maker space:A UTS example of a maker space that brings people together to solve complex problems is The TD SchoolLinks to an external site. that houses the Faculty of Transdisciplinary Innovation. Here “world-class teachers and expert industry, government and community partners” along with “our students and researchers discover new ways to tackle problems together”.

GLOBAL LEARNING SPACES like galleries and university digital courses that can be accessed anywhere and any time.

Denmark – teaching with no walls forces teachers to challenge traditional pedagogy – because their activities cannot be chalk and talk. Student-led project work but with the teacher still monitoring progress, to ensure they’re on track, via the computer – SMS. This helps minimize sound in a school that has few private areas.

Pre_K – 12 Schools – EDHub – engaging with the community to ensure students have a well-rounded education – with the latest technology but also the latest design. School designed around innovation hub – biotics, TV studio; tools. Building, creating, designing, constructing and creating – collaborating with each other and their teachers.

WISE – World Innovation Summit Enterprise; Portugal schools teaching students food traditions and security.

BLURRING OF THE BOUNDRIES – TIME, SPACE AND SPACE

interstitial spaces.

So in a way the third space is a network that connects individuals inside and outside the physical constraints that have traditionally bounded connectivity and learning. The Third Space is a metaphor for something that we know exists but it is difficult to actually “see”, although we can observe individuals interacting fluidly within that space.

Learners in any sector or context, can engage in learning activities, synchronously, asynchronously and polysynchronously (across many synchronous and asynchronous connections, perhaps at the same time), using the devices they have available. Individuals can communicate globally, connect to subject matter experts, network, search for additional information and find relevant resources across a range of locations and time zones.

FOCUS areas for Assessment #2

Using virtual reality to improve understanding of neo-natal critical and intensive care
Using the flipped learning approach to develop greater learner agency and authenticity in remote health-care
Creating videos to enhance community learning about teens with epilepsy
Using data gathered in the LMS to identify areas for improvement in corporate learning programs
Creating “maker space” collaborations in corporate learning

Future-focused technologies

The Deloitte 2020 Digital Consumer Trends report (Links to an external site.) shares that 92% of Australians have access to a smartphone, 79% have access to a laptop and 58% have access to a smart television. Additionally, as policies and permissions evolve, more and more people are accessing technology for health care such as phone appointments and video appointments.

Future TECHNOLOGIES – the Internet of Things

Research data shared across nations – for medical research.

Scanning of taxi or Uber number plate – for tracking for safety purposes.

Communicate with apprentices at work – send reminders via their smartphone for evidence of participation.

Safety – sensor lights in carparks. Program cooktops to turn off for older or disabled people – have a time-limit so they don’t leave things on.

Augmented Reality – active learning through technology – connecting the disconnected workforce; bite-size learning content that can be experienced in asynchronous timeframes; practising employee customer relations; onboarding new staff; energising face to face training sessions; process visualisation (replicating hands-on experience)

Self-paced online learning courses

I was really impressed with these courses. They were imaginative, with the learner required to delve right in and engage with the learning. I have experienced dozens of online courses, as part of mandatory training, and none have been as engaging as this.

LEARNING ANALYTICS

Can we tell from a digital profile if you are learning? Learning product must have a dashboard. Code Acts in Education. The big difference between knowing and measuring. The measure in the analytics can be quite political. Do not take into account other achievements of an individual or their personal circumstances. Natplan results…..we need to speed up the feedback loop.

GAMIFICATION

“Game based learning or gamification, put simply, is the process of adding game-like elements to things that typically aren’t considered “games” to engage learners in ways that aren’t traditionally seen as learning.”

Larson (2021)

Gamification applies game elements or a game framework to existing learning activities.
Game-based learning designs learning activities that are intrinsically game-like.
Simulations enable learners to apply their knowledge and skills in a simulated environment to create engaging problem-based learning experiences, where learners can live out the experiences, as they would in the real world.

Theatre or role play; Embedded gaming strategies can include drag-n-drop, sequencing, matching, trivia, etc. In collaborative games, players work in collaborative teams to share knowledge, make decisions and compete against other teams.
Is a Hackathon a gamification?? Febfast? DryJuly? Feedback element fundamental. Motivated to earn points. Intrinsic and extrinsic motivation.

LEARNING EXPERIENCE WITH DUOLING.COM

I’ve used apps like this before – to improve mental arithmetic and grammar and spelling. I have squeezed this in during a break at work so was maybe not fully focused. I like the fast-pace aspect; the prompts and the fact that there is audio and visual plus the animation to keep you engaged. I’m not surprised it has taken off globally and love their intent to improve global communications – such an important skill in cultural awareness and empathy.

Module 4 – session 3

A learning technology ‘stack’ is used in corporations to describe the mix of technologies used in their professional learning programs. This mix includes the choice of device, levels of accessibility to training both internally and externally of the physical premises, and the choice of programs and learning strategies employed. The fact is, the more we have access to a range of options for our technology stack, the more we can tailor our learning to our learners’ needs. However, this also necessitates a deeper understanding of our context in order to ensure that the needs of the organisation and its employees and stakeholders are accommodated in the best possible way.

Reflect on the following points:

How well do you understand your learning technology “stack”? What do you need to add or subtract from it? What new forms of learning need to emerge?
When was the last time you reviewed your learning technology “stack” (what you have available)? How has the current environment changed your view of it?
How does your organisational learning strategy need to change as we are learning in this time of disruption?
How does your model for staffing the learning organisation change?
How do you build the business case for change?
How do you engage learners in this new “normal”?

Workplace activity systems

Yrjö Engeström and his team in Learning, Culture and Interventions (LECI) at the University of Helsinki, Finland, have been instrumental in researching workplace activity systems across many different sectors. Much of this research has focused on the interaction between people and technologies in workplaces.

Engeström developed the Activity Theory Model as a way of analysing activities in workplaces and identifying how the interactions between the components of the model serve to support or constrain the outcome of workplace activities.

Engeström, Y. (2001). Expansive Learning at Work: Toward an Activity Theoretical Reconceptualization. Journal of Education and Work. 14. 10.1080/13639080020028747.

CHANGE MANAGEMENT

By outlining the goals and outcomes of successful change, the ADKAR Model enables leaders and change management teams to focus their activities on what will drive individual change and therefore achieve organizational results.

The PDSA Cycle (Plan-Do-Study-Act) is a systematic process for gaining valuable learning and knowledge for the continual improvement of a product, process, or service. Also known as the Deming Wheel, or Deming Cycle, this integrated learning – improvement model was first introduced to Dr. Deming by his mentor, Walter Shewhart of the famous Bell Laboratories in New York.

The Diffusion of Innovation

Early adopters get excited by the potential of new technology, are quite quickly being willing to “give it a try” and begin imagining how the technology could be used in learning activities or daily use.

Alternatively, an individual might prefer to let others “pave the way” and do the testing so that by the time they start to integrate the technology into practice, much of the experimentation has been done, with pitfalls and shortcomings identified.

Finally, the perspective some stakeholders in the learning context might bring is one of wariness, lack of confidence or reluctance to engage in the use of the new technology. These perspectives are demonstrated in the Diffusion of Innovation curve (Rogers, 1962) which you can see below.

Drivers of changes example:

No-one can truly predict the long term impact of Covid-19. However, it is already transforming the way we use technology, particularly amongst those who may have been slow to innovate but are now adopting new platforms and products quicker than ever.

Everett Rogers has modelled the Diffusion of Innovation, demonstrating how new technology gradually reaches those less open to new ideas. Covid-19 is dramatically accelerating this ‘diffusion’. Late Adopters and Laggards, who typically represent around half of a given population, are suddenly trying new forms of communication, entertainment and working.

I am a risk averse innovation but probably sit in the Early Adopter phase. I have worked with a team of educators who sit between late adopters and laggards, even with the immediacy and urgency to adopt new technology due to the COVID-19 pandemic and remote teaching.

Don’t believe the HYPE or do believe it?

The promise of some new technologies fizzled and/or led to questionable improvements in teaching and learning (Selwyn, 2016; Castañeda & Selwyn 2018).

Gartner Emerging Technology Roadmap – 2021 – 2023

Emerging technologies that enable democratized delivery
are becoming increasingly important for I&O leaders.
This year, 82% of I&O leaders either agree or strongly agree
that enterprise leaders outside of IT influence emerging
technology adoption decisions across all technology
domains evaluated. Furthermore, 85% of respondents either
agree or strongly agree that they have metrics in place to
track customer experience before and after technology
adoption. To enable self-service delivery, I&O functions are
establishing several “as-a-service” technologies.

. I&O leaders are creating distributed platforms, supported
by cloud technologies, that can enable an “anywhere
operations’’ model for employees. To allow the smooth
movement of work environments and information between
physical and virtual locations, organizations are investing
heavily in creating a strong hybrid cloud base, supported by
several multicloud technologies.

Thank you to the lecturers – who are tirelessly supportive and positive, even when we are battling personal challenges – kudos.

The subject is relevant for all of us but I was particularly interested in the uptake in digital offerings like augmented and virtual reality in education settings. I think it’s important to evaluate digital options carefully however I love the startup mindset to share, trial, change and encourage agile practices in all education environments. Some environments I have worked in move at a glacial pace and this can impact engagement and morale. I got a bit bogged down in change management because I believe creating an inclusive engagement, particularly with tech, is super important to the success of a digital strategy.
I was also interested in the commentary about Social platforms and whilst there is definitely relevance I don’t think they are essential to positive learning, unless moderated. For instance I was a mentor for the Humanitarian Hackathon with the University of Sydney last year and Slack was brilliant for the 3 days of this event, but it was the nominated platform for everyone was engaging equally and essentially, so it worked. FB can be good for events and LinkedIn for employment opportunities.
I liked reading about Cal Newport’s theories on Deep Work and how important it is to apply oneself to deeper thinking/learning (I know I need to!). I worked in a startup environment for 12 months and there was an element of kids in a candy store – what platform can we use next?! I think a considered approach should always apply and code of conduct and terms of use should also be considered. For example if an organisation decides they’re going to use Slack or WhatsApp as part of their internal comms strategy but don’t advise that it will apply to informal commentary or ideas/solutions/tips and tricks or celebrations/wins and the teams start sharing project work on it – even though Asana or another platform was nominated, it can get very choppy and difficult to consolidate all discussions around a topic.
I love tech and I’m excited about the possibilities (Duoling.com – Italian anyone?) but I do think deep thought still applies and this quote sums it up nicely:

TOPIC 1, MODULE 1

Contemporary learning theories

Module 3 – Re-imagining the learning space

Future-focused technologies

Workplace activity systems

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