Web 2.0 in Higher Education Ellie Kutz, Professor Emerita of English and IT Faculty Liaison, Umass/Boston
My argument 1. Changes in technology bring 2. Changes in learners—their experiences and expectations 3. Changes in how we reach and teach those learners 4. With new tools that can better support our educational goals and practices. Web 2.0 Technology provides one important set of tools for Higher Education
What is important with any technology of literacy and learning is not just the tools
But the ways in which members of a community use those tools
Once, a few literate scribes hand copying manuscripts Now access for most students to the most current technologies of reading and writing Changes in the technology of literacy
Societal changes from Literacy in hands of a few To Literacy in hands of many
Changes in Social Practices Writing used for royal and ecclesiastical authority Writing by anyone, shared with anyone, anywhere.
Changes in Modes of Interaction From face to face To multi-user electronic environments
Outside of School Students interact with sites that Go beyond providing information Allowing users To add to what’s there To communicate with each other To add images and sound as well as words
In Digital Environments Participants Learn by doing Learn from each other Co-create environments in games and social media
Contemporary literacy is increasingly Interactive Collaborative Multi-modal Unbounded in time and space
Web 2.0 Tools Allow us to create Interactive Collaborative Multi-modal Unbounded learning environments for our classes
Not all technology has these characteristics
Web 1.0 Limited interactivity (hypertext reading)
Web 1.0 in teaching Online site as repository
Web 2.0 Enhances Interactivity Information-sharing
Web 2.0 Encourages Creativity
Web 2.0 Supports Collaboration
Web 2.0 reaches a public audience
Web 2.0 reaches across international boundaries
Web 2.0 Builds Local Community
Different web 2.0 formats offer different potential for interaction, creativity, and collaboration
Using Web 2.0 in Higher Ed can Extend the classroom with online environments Enhance in-class learning Provide tools for collaboration Provide multi-media learning tools
Wikis
Blogs
Teachers use blogs and wikis To support student learning To let students Create pages Compose in multimodal ways, using images and sounds as well as words Interact and collaborate Stay engaged with the work beyond their time in the classroom
Examples of Wikis, Blogs, and other Web 2.0 tools used by university faculty