From TLRP-TEL 2008 Report, Education 2.0? Designing the Web for Teaching and Learning,
‘What are web 2.0 technologies and why do they matter?’ by charles cook
Web 2.0 technologies are those which provide the tools for colloboration and sharing over the internet; leading to not just a change in technology use but a fundamental shift in perspectives. It is broadly speaking user generated. It has become a prominent and possible aspect of the internet due to the massive increase in internet users, the increase in hardware storage space and broadband width and the minutiarisation of compatible devices and wifi (meaning the internet is always on); and has resulted in many sites (such as Wikipedia) being in 'perpetual beta'. In point of fact students expect the products to be constantly upgradeable (which would be impossible if students received hardcopy books, etc. The increases in hardware capabilities coupled with the increase in users has led to the virtualisation of communication.
Cook suggests web 2.0 matters because they reflect pre-existing human dispositions in a virtual way: the playful, the expressive, the reflective and the exploratory. He suggest Web. 2.0 strengthen fundamental aspect of learning (incidently referring to traditional modes of learning: Collobration, Publication, Literacies, and Inquiry).
Educational Hopes and Fears for Web 2.0 Neil Selwyn
This articale strikes a balance between the pessimistic and the optimistic views of the impact of Web 2.0 technologies. Some of the critics of Web 2.0 is that they distract rather than orgment students learning experience. Eg checking friends Facebook updates instead of listening to lecturers; as well as more general fears about alienation, disengagement and the detrimental effect on traditional literacies. I would have to agree with this. It certainly distracts me when i am trying to study and is especially difficult since most of my study is online now.
yet on the one hand
'There are strong links between web 2.0 and socio-cultural theories of learning, which see active and authentic learning taking place best where knowledge can be constructed actively by learners who are supported in communal social settings'.p10but on the other
One popular contention is that schools, colleges and universities are unable to deal with the challenges posed by web 2.0 technologies for a number of structural reasons. These include the many formal and informal systems of regulation and control that characterise the organisation of education institutions, as well as the continued reliance on ‘broadcast’ pedagogies and linear hierarchical relationships to facilitate access to knowledge and learning.
Learning and Virtual World by Diane Carr
Second life could be used to overcome the lonliness of Web 2.0 technologies. By creating an avatar and an online persona this would allow virtual interactions which mirror human interactions and help learners feel part of a community,
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