The Informal Learning Characteristics And Mechanism For The College Students Based On Microblog Virtual Community

With the rapid rise and development of Web2.0 technology, the informal learning has attracted wide attention, and there have been many tools to support informal learning, thus the forming virtual learning community becomes one of the important places for people informal learning. The virtual community based on Micro blog provides a convenient support for college students’ informal learning, also becomes one of the typical forms of informal learning. But what’s the status and feature of informal learning under microblog virtual community? Whether or not the online learning actually takes place? How to effectively use the microblog for informal learning? These problems are worth considering and exploring. The paper is an attempt to answer these questions.The study aims to explore the informal learning characteristics and mechanism for the college students based on micro blog virtual community.Then in the phase of empirical research, the paper selects five sina micro blog communities as research objects to track them for a period of one year, and describes the characteristics of college students’ informal learning within micro-blog virtual community according to the specific situation of the development and changes of the micro-blog community. In the case of "mathematics kingdom micro-blog community",the paper thoroughly analyzes the interaction relationship characteristics and the process of knowledge exchange transformation of college students’ informal learning within micro-blog virtual community using social network analysis method and content analysis method. On the basis of combining with interview, the paper summarizes the characteristics of college students’ informal learning within micro-blog virtual community and the main problem.To explore the effective ways of informal learning within microblog virtual community, the research created a microblog virtual community called "PS lovers exchange group" for informal learning and communication, and studied college students’ informal learning activities based on micro-blog community by intervention. The research found that there is a support system in micro-blog virtual community to back college students’ informal learning by pulling, pushing and supporting, and to ensure the effective implementation of informal learning within the community; at the same time,found that the Vicarious Interaction learning, incidental learning, autonomous learning and collaborative learning are the main ways of college students’ informal learning within microblog virtual community;the process of college students’ informal learning within microblog virtual community is the process of knowledge creation and transformation in situation. The focal point is the model of college students’ informal learning mechanism based on the microblog community, including three factors: support conditions, learning styles, learning process.