‘Web
2.0’ is the term, originally coined by O’Reilly Media, to define an improvement
in the way the web is used. Previously
the web primarily delivered data and information. With the advent of ‘Web 2.0’ the user was
given a voice. Simon McIntyre states,
“Web 2.0 is a term that encompasses the way that online media tools are
enabling us to communicate, collaborate and generate dynamic content in a
social network” (McIntyre cited in COFAonlineUNSW, 2007). Web 2.0 technologies include: Blogs, Wikis,
Podcasts, photo sharing sites, social networking and interactive websites that
can be adapted by the user. These
technologies are freely available on the net.
A few examples include sites such as: Blogger, Wikispaces, Ipodder,
Podbean, YouTube, Flickr, Facebook, MySpace, Twitter, Google Earth, Google Maps,
Digg, Pinterest and Delicious. These
applications may be used to engage students in learning through activities that
involve students as co-developers with a collective intelligence. Students decide what is and is not important
to include on the web (O’Reilly, 2005, p.8).
Three of these applications will be looked at in greater detail: Podcasts,
Wikis and Google Earth.
Podcasting
is simply broadcasting that may take the form of a video or audio recording
that is uploaded to the Web. Podcasting
enables students to broadcast to a community, or the world. King refers to podcasting as “a new
superstructure of communicating” (King cited in Hutcheon, 2006). It may be used in the classroom as an
exciting alternative to a written report (Anderson, 2005a). Students could work in groups to make their
own recordings on a topic, comment on their peers’ performance, upload their
podcasts onto Wikis or public sites such as YouTube, and judge a podcast’s
success by its title and /or the number of viewings. This technology,
with the teacher’s guidance, also has the capability to teach “ethical aspects
such as respecting copyright and how to use the medium responsibly” (Hutcheon,
2006). Students learn not only the
content of a topic but also how to make value judgements - about what is, or is
not appropriate to include on a public domain.
Integrating Podcasting into the classroom:
Podcasting in the classroom:
A
Wiki is a website created on a specific topic that includes a collaborative
element. A teacher may author a site and
enable the children access to the site to upload information on a set
topic. Uploaded information may include
such things as: podcasts (both audio and video), photos, maps, constructed
reports or graphs. Users may: make
comments on information posted, question the validity of information and offer
opinions content. For example: the
Australian Curriculum Year 6 History topic, Migrants, could be set up as a Wiki
site (ACARA, 2012). Research groups, set
up in the class, could work together on different inquiry questions such as:
Where did they come from? How did they get to Australia? How were their
cultures different? The Wiki, used in
this manner, has the potential to ignite participation. It may encourage children to seek expertise
beyond the classroom, as they prepare for an audience both in and outside the
classroom (Harriman, 2006). An added
feature of the Wiki is its ability to empower students to teach each other
through their contributions. Anderson
states, “You remember 10 percent of what you hear, but 90 percent of what you
teach” (Anderson, 2005b). With Wiki, the
student for a time becomes the teacher.
A teacher shares how she has used wikis in the classroom
Web
2.0 is not only about collaboration and sharing but also about contributing to internet
applications and websites. Google Earth
is an example of one such application.
Students may use Google Earth to: record tours anywhere in the world,
add audio tracks and markers to tours, and email or link sites to the tour they
have created. Again this application has
the potential to be joined with other Web 2.0 applications such as Blogs and
Wikis. For example, students could plot
the route taken by migrants to Australia, record a migrant’s impression of the
journey and link the tour to a Wiki.
For ways educators can use Google Earth to enhance lessons click on the link below:
Web
2.0 has the potential to change the face of learning. It is up to educators to keep up with
expanding technologies such as Blogs, Wikis and web applications, like Google
Earth, so that students may be encouraged to have “a voice”. As Campbell states, “there is magic in the
human voice, the magic of shared awareness” (Campbell, 2005). Web 2.0 is there for the taking; there to
facilitate the magic of collaboration and the joy of learning!
References
ACARA.
(2012). Australian Curriculum History. Retrieved from http://www.australiancurriculum.edu.au/History/Curriculum/F-10#level=6.
Anderson,
L. S. (2005a December). Podcasting: Transforming Middle Schoolers Into 'Middle
Scholars' [Electronic version]. THE Journal. Retrieved from Avondale
College Moodle, EDUC32400, Issues in Educational
Computing: Podcasting_Transforming_Middle_Schoolers_Into_Middle_Scholars
(1)
Anderson,
L. S. (2005b December). Podcasting: Transforming Middle Schoolers Into ‘Middle
Scolars’ [Electronic version] Retrieved from Avondale College Moodle, EDUC32400, Issues in Educational Computing: Podcasting_Transforming_Middle_Schoolers_Into_Middle_Scholars_Part_2
(1)
Campbell,
G. (2005 November/December). There's Something in the Podcasting in Education
[Electronic version]. EDUCAUSE. Retrieved from Avondale College Moodle, EDUC32400, Issues in Educational Computing: podcasting (2)
COFAonlineUNSW
(Producer). (2007 February 22). Teaching with Web 2.0 technologies: Twitter,
Wikis & Blogs - Case Study [video file]. Retrieved from http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=V5tSSgBJq2s
Harriman,
S. (2006). Online Projects: What's So Remarkable? - Students' Experiences of an
Online Project in NSW Schools [Electronic Version]. Retrieved from Avondale
College Moodle, EDUC32400, Issues in Educational
Computing: ict_resource26_Online_Projects (2)
Hutcheon,
S. (2006 November 8). YouTube course is a class act [Electronic version]. Sydney
Morning Herald. Retrieved from Avondale College Moodle, EDUC32400, Issues in Educational Computing:
YouTube_course_is_a_class_act_-_web_-_Technology_-_smh.com.au (1)
O'Reilly,
T. (2005, 30 September). What is Web 2.0 Design patterns and Business Models
for the Next Generation of Software [Electronic version]. O'Reilly.
Retrieved from Avondale College Moodle, EDUC32400,
Issues in Educational Computing: Retrieved from
O_Reilly_Network_What_Is_Web_2.0 (2)
Books of Interest
http://ecx.images-amazon.com/images/I/51sUmGxMGIL._SL500_AA300_.jpg
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