These theories emphasize the importance of developing knowledge in a social context of a community. Social theories of learning, beginning with those of Vygotsky, treat learning as a social phenomenon. Under this view, a person learns by first observing and listening to others. Then, with the help of others, the learner begins to internalize, use, and apply the knowledge where they could not do so unaided. The values and practices of the community support the learning and knowledge-use of the individuals within that community.
Computer technology has much to contribute to inducing social learning.
The Internet was originally built to link research communities nationwide. We believe new interactive multimedia technologies that combine video, audio and images, can produce a better collaborative tool. Specifically, we hope to use multimedia to create an interface that encourages reflective discourse, engages users, and helps people build knowledge in social context. Our goal was to design an interface to encourage learning through community discussion. This should occur through exploration and participation in an asynchronous electronic discussion.