RSA #3: Integrating Web 2.0 tools into the classroom: Changing the culture of learning

URL: http://cct.edc.org/sites/cct.edc.org/files/publications/Integrating%20Web2.0.PDF

The article “Learning, Teaching, and Scholarship in a Digital Age: Web 2.0 and Classroom Research: What Path Should We Take Now?” explains the difference between Web 1.0 and Web 2.0, reasons Web 2.0 tools should be included in the classroom and expresses a need for researchers to further investigate how to incorporate these tools effectively into the classroom. Formerly the Web was something people used, whereas now the Web is something people can interact with; for example through social networking sites. The article points out that students are familiar with Web 2.0 tools and are using them in their personal lives, and teachers need to become more savvy with these tools to incorporate them into the classroom. Students have created online lives, and the skills they are using could be used in the learning process as well. Finally, the article explains that more educational researchers need to take part in Web 2.0 tools to better determine how they could be used successfully in school, because in the future students may need these skills for more than social-networking.

The article, Integrating Web 2.0 tools into the classroom: Changing the culture of learning describes research done on the use of Web 2.0 tools in classrooms, the types of tools used and their success in helping students learn. The researchers found that the teachers they came in contact with used tools that could be broken into four main categories: tools that create or support a virtual learning environment, tools that support communication and cultivate relationships, resources that support teaching and learning, and tools enabling students to create artifacts representing what they are learning. The article explains that Web 2.0 tools can be used in a positive way in the classroom as long as teachers take the time to choose appropriate tools and they fit the instructional goals.

Both articles point out the great possibilities for Web 2.0 tools in the classroom as well as the need for more research; in the online article, the researchers make conclusions about their findings, but state they are only hypotheses because of the need for further research. The articles are also similar in their mention of a need for Web based extensions of the classroom. While the online article provides more examples of possible Web 2.0 tools, both provide an argument for teachers to investigate the possibilities for these tools in their classrooms.

References

Greenhow, Christine; Robelia, Beth; & Hughes, Joan E. (2009). Learning, teaching, and scholarship in a digital age: Web 2.0 and classroom research: What path should we take now? Educational Researcher, 38(4), 246-259.

Light, Daniel; Polin Deborah. (2010). Integrating web 2.0 tools into the classroom: Changing the culture of learning. EDC Center for Children and Technology.