Connecting Informal and Formal Learning Experiences in the Age of Participatory Media: Commentary on Bull et al. (2008)

The recent editorial in this journal by Bull et al. (Vol 8, Iss 2) discussed the challenges of bridging formal learning practices and informal learning opportunities within the context of today’s Web-enhanced world. In this commentary I first summarize key points in the article, addressing what I see as its central questions. Next, I offer three recommendations for bridging the gap between informal and formal learning and address the constraints the authors identify, which I hope will fuel further discussion. The Bull et al. editorial stated that we are in the midst of a “renaissance stimulated by the World Wide Web, ” where youth, especially, are creating more, sharing more, advocating and communicating more in their online everyday lives. The cognitive surplus is a concept attributed to media scholar Clay Shirky to describe the collective mental energies of society, which were once masked and consumed by, for example, passively watching television. Today, he says, this cognitive surplus is unmasked and made apparent in the emergence of hundreds of “special cases ” of people excitedly pooling their time, effort, and knowledge into the making of new potentially beneficial online resources (e.g., Wikipedia)