Web 2.0 is basically a buzz word created by the media to encourage the use of the Internet after the fear generated by the dot.com bust in 2001. The term has certainly caught on and is now an active concept. Web 2.0 represents the changing trend in the use of WWW technology from a "read-only Web" to that of a highly interactive "read-write Web". This second generation of web-based services and software is characterized by its user-generated content and educators are now very aware of its capacity for facilitating collaboration and sharing amongst their students. In the past we were primarily consumers of information but Web 2.0 allows us to also be producers of information using tools such as blogs, wikis, and podcasts. Web 2.0 tools allow educators to combine technology with collaboration.Activity 1 - Think about the learners in your classroom or about yourself as a learner
Watch the following video and think about how (or if) it relates to the use of technology in your educational milieu. How do you learn (if you currently are not teaching) or how do your students learn - are you reaching them?
Now for your reactions to this video! Please use the comment box at the bottom of this post to share your thoughts. Are you currently using any of these technologies or are these ideas completely new to you? Could you begin implementing some of the ideas described or would you even want to?
Next week you will be asked to create a web log and then you will be able to journal your thoughts and ideas. For this week we will try out the comment box.
Activity 2: Create a Google Account
Create a Google account (if you do not already have one). This account will be used with a variety of Web 2.0 tools throughout this programme.
- go to Google
- click on "sign in" at the upper right
- click on "create an account now"
- enter an email address to create your account -- this can be any email, but must be the one you will use throughout this programme
- enter and confirm a password
- enter the verification code
- click "I accept" to create account
Congratulations
You have completed the first week of activities and are well on your way to learning more about Web 2.0 technology. Have patience and give yourself time to absorb all this new material.
Optional Readings
Why is Web 2.0 Important in Higher Education - Campus Technology
The web based tools seem inevitable to work with as learning, teaching and general communication media. However, not all learners have the technology and the devices available at hand. Such circumstances may bring challenges as to applying the new technology in such a way that is fair and optimal to all who wish to learn and collaborate.
ReplyDeleteYoung people may be spending 10,000 hours with their 'screens' but most of it is superficial - including video games, chatting, pornography, etc. The fast pace of technology is not spurred on with an interest toward education, knowledge, or even communication, but rather it is marketed to consumers as devices of distraction, pretentiousness, and fashion. Consider all the modern electronics we can't seem to live without, but that do not enrich our lives in any way, or worse - render it more complicated. The Internet offers amazing tools for research and learning, but few of my friends make use of it.
ReplyDeleteI love to do most of my research from the comfort of my home, but the same technology that makes it easy also makes me lazy, and I tend to wander to other apps when I get stumped, instead of staring out the window to ponder my thoughts. And I'm 30! What about the 20-year-olds who have been bred on this technology who are great at multi-tasking but bad at focusing for any length of time?
My 'tech' skills as a Humanities undergrad were confined largely to communication and research, while lectures and seminars were kept face-to-face. Students may benefit from learning at their own pace, but they also need to know how to listen and contribute within a group setting.
So I guess what I'm trying to say is that this incredible technology is nonetheless marketed superficially, and high school- and even junior undergrad students should have to make the distinction between technology for leisure and technology for learning, especially when both aspects are present within the same device. In the upper levels, however, the benefits to students who have acquired a genuine interest in their field of study, are infinite.
I agree that technology is important both as a teacher and a learner (we are always learning). I do not have experience in technoloy but want to learn. I believe it is my responsibility to "keep up with the times' both for my students and my business sake. I am looking forward to this term.
ReplyDeleteIt’s great to ‘see’ some of your thoughts on web 2.0 technology as in the classroom. One of Jared’s comments really made me think about myself, a neophyte when it comes to using technology in the classroom. The comment referred to technology for leisure vs. technology for learning. The former is easy; the latter is perhaps a struggle – trying to find the right balance and the right tools to maintain the pedagogical integrity of a course. The posts attached to the suggested article (Why is Web 2.0 Important in Higher Education) provide much food for thought. I could really relate to a post dated April 16, 2009 by an anonymous writer. The educator found a way to express “emotions so that the emotion felt, and the emotion sent is the emotion received.” This stood out, as I am currently wondering about the way in which to capture emotions sent using a wiki. I am currently team-teaching an interprofessional communications course (5 different healthcare disciplines represented in the class), and sometimes achieving that emotional contact is difficult even when the learners (that includes me) are all in the same place at the same time! The course structure is built on the practices inherent in Team-Based Learning (TBL). The capstone project includes having the student teams use a wiki as the tool for to record all the processes related to their development as a team and for inputting their deliberations related to their ultimate ‘case’ presentation. And I wonder, in advance, if the emotions related to the work will be captured with this technology. Hmmmm
ReplyDeleteDr Najmedden Attabib
ReplyDeleteI agree that the modern technology will help the teacher and the learner to achieve their goals from the teaching process
Iam using some of these technologies and Iam hoping to expand on that
I think that making use of the web tools available to us is a wonderful way to connect with students. I am eager to have a better understanding of these tools and use them to their full potential. Jared makes some great points about the students' need to make the distinction between technology for leisure and technology for learning. It makes me wonder if these technologies will lose their attraction when they are used in an educational setting (especially for students who lack motivation).
ReplyDeleteThe collaborative aspects (and potential) of Web 2.0 can be a great asset to the learning experience... and the need for such a statement only highlights the untapped potential that exists for use in the classroom. I'm looking forward to thinking more deeply at how we can better use this technology to enhance the learning experience.
ReplyDeleteI agree that teaching students in this day and age requires some use of technology to engage students in the classroom settings. As in the video above, two questions that really stood out "Are you reaching your students"? and "Are you engaging your students"? I don't know alot about these technologies at this point ie Wiki, blogs, pod-casts, etc, but I am willing to learn. So, I am looking forward to (and excited)to learn about these new educational/instructional tools over the next couple of months.
ReplyDeleteAs I watched the above video, I couldn't help but think of my 2nd year nursing students that attended my Health Assessment class last Fall each Monday afternoon for an hour and a half. How could I have engaged them more by using these instructional tools? If I had used them, would they have learned more? I would hope to think so!