Digital Tools in Informal Learning Environments
Transforming Learning in the Digital Age: Technology, Neuroscience, and Informal Education, Oğuz Çetin, Editör, ISRES Publishing, Konya, ss.301-321, 2026
- Yayın Türü: Kitapta Bölüm / Mesleki Kitap
- Basım Tarihi: 2026
- Doi Numarası: 10.55549/isres-9786259144917-12
- Yayınevi: ISRES Publishing
- Basıldığı Şehir: Konya
- Sayfa Sayıları: ss.301-321
- Editörler: Oğuz Çetin, Editör
- Gazi Üniversitesi Adresli: Evet
Özet
Informal learning refers to out-of-school
learning experiences—varying by age group—that take place without being tied to
a specific plan or location and are largely guided by the learners themselves.
This process, which is generally based on voluntary participation,
takes place at the individual's own pace, with their own motivation, and
without any authority or guidance. Individuals acquire much of what they learn
through informal learning environments through their own experiences,
observations, and interactions. The family and home environment, peer groups,
play environments, peer and social circles, libraries, museums, science,
culture, and art centers, parks, and other social and public spaces, as well as
hobbies such as sports and art, are the main informal learning environments. In
recent years, digital tools have also become a widespread environment for
informal learning. Today, exposure to digital tools occurs at a very early age.
Many young children begin interacting with digital tools such as televisions,
tablets, and smartphones, which are used to persuade them to eat, while still
in their high chairs. Children who begin consuming media content before they
even learn to walk gain their first experiences of discovering the world
through a digital window. This generation, born and raised in a digital world
and using digital tools such as computers, the Internet, smartphones, and
social media in almost every area of their lives, is defined as "digital
natives." Digital natives have high technological literacy and are
generally proficient in using digital tools and the Internet across their work,
education, social relationships, and daily lives. Digital natives spend most of
their time with digital tools such as computers, tablets, and smartphones,
making these devices their primary informal learning environments. Today,
smartphones are the most widely used digital devices, frequently used by
everyone, and where people spend most of their time. Thanks to advances in
technology, smartphones have become functional devices that can perform many
new functions beyond communication. Smartphones have the potential to serve as
a source for informal learning, both through their hardware and the software
that makes users' lives easier. It can be said that individuals' learning
experiences are not limited to physical environments; various content,
interests, and social interactions encountered in daily life also guide the
learning process. For this reason, media tools are also seen as another new
generation informal learning environment. This chapter examines how smartphones
and media platforms can be used as informal learning environments.