Web 2.0 and PBL-processes – The web has been updated. Have our theories and practices followed? PhD student Thomas Ryberg e-Learning Lab Department of Communication and Psychology, Faculty of Humanities, Aalborg University This work is published under a Creative Commons license: Attribution-ShareAlike 2.5

Outline Web 2.0 – core points and demonstration of “Web 2.0” services Emerging trends within online learning The Aalborg Model (PBL/POPP) Widening and Supporting Student Participation - empowering students through innovative use of ICT

Web 2.0 What’s the fuzz?? BWeb 2.0 refers to a second generation of services available on the internet that let people collaborate, and share information online. They often allow for mass publishing (web-based social software). The term may include blogs and wikis. To some extent Web 2.0 is a buzzword, incorporating whatever is newly popular on the Web (such as tags and podcasts), and its meaning is still in flux. Adapted from: May be a lot of buzz – but it’s buzz that’s supported and developed by Google, Yahoo and Microsoft… It could be a generational shift in how we conceptualise knowledge, sharing and ownership – however: Dark side: Promoting networked capitalism, Maximisation of Personal value rather than solidarity, privacy issues!

“Web 1.0”  “Web 2.0” OfotoFlickr AkamaiBitTorrent mp3.comNapster Britannica Online Wikipedia Personal websites Blogging Web services publishing Participation Content management systems Wikis Directories (taxonomy) Tagging ("folksonomy") Stickiness Syndication (RSS, XML) Web 1.0Web 2.0 Some Examples: Matrice above adapted from:

Some metaphors and “movements” on the internet Individual user: browsing centrally defined web-pages, or constructing such a webpage Communities: With strong relations/ties and common goals/enterprises – usenet, online communities (Communities of Practice) – Soap Opera, Computer Games etc. Networked Individualism: Constant traversing of different types of networks with strong and weak ties. Constructing an individual, but deeply relational network, through blog-rings, tagging, sharing links, aggregating or distributing news via RSS – social networking sites have become increasingly popular: Hi5.com, Friendster, MySpace, Arto.dk

Some web-trends From communities to networked structures From centrally defined content and static pages to user driven content (Blogs, Wikis, Flickr, Wikipedia) – democratisation of Knowledge Potential Democratisation, de-centralisation and anarchy – “back to the future” – the original idea of the Internet e.g. Creative Commons alternative copyright licences, The Open Source Movement Distribution, Aggregation and tagging of various media and content – from hierarchical directories and central ownership to distributed, user driven “folksonomies” and media aggregation ‘Collaborating’, sharing, aggregating and distributing – the Patchwork or Tapestry of micro-content – Blog posts, pictures, videos Increasing complexity of inter-linkage and ‘social’ relations – the mixture of weak and strong ties From consumers to producers: a recent study from PEW internet research concluded that 57% of American teens are producing content for the web of various nature (blogs, fan-fiction etc.)

Network Society (Castells) – not entirely new, but intensified trend. In a sense same phenomena but changed focus: From ”Social bounded” spaces to fluid networks and relations between actants in the network Same phenomenon?

2 “exaggerated” views of learning and institutions The top-down view: Ministry: National curriculum University Faculty Department Education (e.g. human centred informatics) Lecturers Student or groups of students There is a well-defined body of knowledge that should be passed on to students through the educational food- chain – from ministry plans to the student – National strategies, material databases, learning objects, curriculum. Knowledge view: “Delivery or transmission of knowledge”

2 “exaggerated” views of learning and institutions The dispersion model There is an ill-defined and massive body of knowledge that no individual or institution in itself can handle. Knowledge construction can be seen as diffusion of knowledge between different types of nodes in networks, where some nodes are more central than others. Knowledge is created, through transgressing boundaries, collecting, distributing and aggregating ”bits” of knowledge into regimes of competence Knowledge view: “Chaotic diffusion of knowledge”

Trends within theories of learning It seems that the general ‘unit of analysis’ is on the move in socio- cultural theories of learning BCultural Historical Activity Theory: From single activity systems to multiple interacting systems featuring on-the-spot constructed relations BApprenticeship Learning: Identity as participation across contexts, knowledge transformation as changed participation in multiple settings BSocial Theories of Learning: Identity formation through trajectories and multi-membership, boundary-crossing BNexus analysis and MDA: Nexus of practice rather than CoP BNetworked learning: Promoting connections and ties between people and various resources In all theoretical accounts there is a movement away from a single practice, community or activity system – rather the focus is on movements, transformations, boundary crossing, cross-context participation (school, home, work, leisure time, online/offline etc.).

POPP/PBL – The Aalborg Model A semester consists of both course work and project work (50/50) The students define their own projects within a “thematic framework” e.g. “Cultural Analysis” Problem formulation and problem setting (enquiry) Exemplary and interdisciplinary Participants control Project based Action learning Long time collaboration – all semester – 4-5 months This in a sense builds on a sort of bottom-up view of learning processes or diffusion…BUT… Technological infrastructures are hierarchical

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Technological infrastructures are hierarchical Though there is no overarching LMS at AAU our local implementations are to a large extent built on the hierarchy of the institution: HCI  Semester  Course  Groups Faculty Education Course Group Students’ worlds and lecturers’ worlds are not visibly connected e.g. difficult for students to know about research networks of the lecturer – difficult for the lecturer to know about students ”non-course” activities Relation between different courses may not be immediately visible – even at the same semester Relations to other organisational actants are largely invisible (e.g. between faculties) – this doesn’t suggest they don’t exist but that they’re difficult to see Texts are given by the teacher – sharing and exchange between students happen but is largely invisible

The disconnected and separated identity – No PLE Person, identity and resources over time not represented – organised around semesters and non-connected project groups – no personal environment that glues together over time the students interactions and interests No intersections with other aspects of life – social book-marking, subscriptions to blogs, news, jobs out side university, no visible connections other faculties/educations No PLE Wider World

Alternative? - Itineraries or trajectories of participation for a person Semester Group work Course Blogs Society Friends Course Job PLE

Widening and supporting students participation What would learning systems look like if: BThey took their departure in students’ and lecturers’ networks, interest groups and research projects rather than being constructed around subject matter and courses BIf students and lecturers could display a wider variety of their interest and relations to different networks and enterprises – one can be both a lecturer, mother, vivid WoW player, socialist and interested in quiliting – AND that this was represented over time! BWhich types of identity and relations would emerge and how could this bridge and enable relations between different disciplines, environments and people? BHow would learning technologies if they were genuinely based on the metaphor of networks and intersections of weak and strong ties – how can we prepare for youngsters used to social networking sites? BHow would social networking sites, collaborative tagging, link sharing, wikis and blogs affect the knowledge construction environment of the university?