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Web 2.0 tech and tools

Web2.0 tech and tools

This session began with a brief introduction by the facilitator Robert Fitzgerald. He spoke about some core ideas and attitudes of Web2.0:
  • Social production and peer learning
  • Anywhere, anytime on any device
  • Web as a platform/Software as service
  • User owned technology (user controlled)
  • Aggregation and Syndication (RSS)
  • Customisable portals (iGoogle)
  • Interpretability across systems
  • The need for machine readability

Process
The group was asked to take about 5-10 to generate 2-3 key issues or questions that broadly relate to Web2.0 and write these on the whiteboard. The whole read through each others points and then were asked to work in small groups to take one issue and consider:

1.    Name: In 2-3 sentences name the issue.
2.    Implications: Identify the key implications that arise from this issue
3.    What next: Suggest a couple of actions that their group (or an individual) will undertake.

Initial Idea Generation: Key issues/questions

  • How do we (the willing) take the coalition of the unwilling along the journey into the world inhabited by our students already (the willing)?
  • Where should we as educators NOT go? Should we leave playspaces alone?
  • What is my role as teacher in this new students-centred world?
  • What is our role in addressing issues of equity in ICT/Web2.0?
  • What are the advantages/benefits? What are the disadvantages/costs?
  • How can Web2.0 maximise students outcomes in diverse environments for particular children?
  • Does the nature of learning vary in web2.0 environments?
  • How does web2.0 technology help learning?
  • What are the security risks and how do we manage them?
  • Does web2.0 mean we need to rethink the nature of curriculum and knowledge?
  • Does Web2.0 change the role of the teachers?

Group Reports

Group A
What will the purpose of universities be in the future?
  • Learning is a collusion with the teacher as expert facilitator.
  • Teacher knows individual students and how they learn best.
  • Teacher as creator of learning facilitators.
  • Students who learn more from peers than teachers.
  • Teachers role is to validate.
  • Is using social networking any different from group work? In what ways?

Group B

What are the advantages/disadvantages of Web2.0?
  • What are trying to achieve through web2.0. We are assuming that web2.0 will be good for education but good for what?
  • Attractive for students so is a hook  to encourage their engagement BUT institionalisation may work to reduce this attractiveness
  • Facilitates collaboration, learning from other students, puts focus on learning rather transmission BUT changes social interaction possible at school/class
  • Focus on reflection rather than accepting source of authority BUT emphasis on search and comparison rather than  critical assessment
  • Allows greater flexibility in assessment and learning BUT some skills/attributes not adequately accredited through web2.0
  • Need to recognise the costs of web2.0 may go beyond osts of adoption and redunacy
  • Allows access to educational experience to more people BUT requires greater diversity in teaching to met perhaps competing objectives
  • Connecting with the students in another way BUT the technology may get in the way of a real connection

Group C

Venn diagram of teacher/learner interactions with web2.0

Group D
Key issues
  • expectation that we share the direction as a community
  • build capacity in your staff
  • funding - provision of resouces (equipment, people with skills/drive/desire to learn)
  • modelling.sharing
  • support to keep it working...tech issues
  • resistors in your organisation
Solutions
  • allowing people to feel safe to experiment in a safe environment
  • use the technology on a personal level first
  • shift from known, traditional means of collaboration with known people, in a known environment...to collaborating with "strangers" & taking risks when sharing
When you have a vision...how do you share it with, and subsequently inspire others, The issues...technophobia, fear feelings of inadequacy.



Starting questions/topics:
  • What is out there?
  • How is it being used?
  • How can we use it in our teaching?

  • Myspace, Facebook

  • Podcasting Blogs (microcontent, Feedster, Daypop, Waypath, PubSub?, Technorati, Blogdex, Memeorandum, Digg, RSS Feeds)

  • Wikis (Socialtext, pbwiki, Writeboard, Writely, JotSpot?, Elgg)

  • Social bookmarking (del.icio.us, shoadows, RawSugar?, Penntags, Harvard's H2O)

  • Skype

  • Instant messengers

  • Flikr

  • Educational value of games

  • Content management systems