Exploring
Web 2.0 to support online
learning communities: where technology meets pedagogy
Giselle Ferreira, Wendy Fisher, Karen Kear & Jon Rosewell
Aims:
Content:
Much has
been said and written about ‘Web 2.0’ as outlined by Tim
O’Reilly in 2005. Indeed, in the few years since then, the
development of Web-based tools for communicating, creating and sharing
has been
nothing short of phenomenal.
Government
agendas provide strong support for the use of ICT tools in all sectors
of
education, but in practice this is not a straightforward proposition.
In such a
fast-paced environment, how are educators to deal with curriculum
requirements,
institutional and professional accreditation standards and, last but
not least,
ever changing student perceptions and expectations?
In this
workshop we would like to explore, together with colleagues, some of
the
benefits and issues related to the use of Web 2.0 tools for
collaborative
learning. Drawing upon our own experience in online teaching and
learning, we
propose a hands-on, practical session in which to explore opportunities
and
challenges related to incorporating Web 2.0 tools in our teaching
practices.
Questions
to be addressed include:
Target group:
Knowledge expected of
participants:
No special knowledge is
needed, beyond computer literacy. Some experience in using social
networking
sites (e.g. Facebook or Ning) would be an advantage but is not
essential.
Workshop activities:
A brief introduction by the
workshop presenters will be followed by a series of hands-on activities
using
computers in groups and/or individually. Every activity will be
followed by a
short debriefing discussion. Participants’ own laptops are most
welcome.
The Presenters:
Giselle Ferreira
is a Lecturer in the
Department of Communication and Systems of the UK OU. She is an
experienced
course developer and tutor providing online support using asynchronous
and
synchronous communication tools. Giselle has been conducting research
in the
area of Open Educational Resources, with particular interest in their
impact on
boundaries including teacher/learner, formal/informal learning and
content/presentation. She is currently engaged in ATELIER-D, an
action
research project investigating the pedagogical, subject-specific and
broader
logistic implications of using Web 2.0 tools in the area of Design
Education.
Giselle was part of the Academic Team of OpenLearn, the UK OU’s Open
Content Initiative, and she has been a Fellow of COLMSCT, the university’s
Centre for Open Learning of Maths, Science, Computing and Technology.
Wendy Fisher
is a Staff Tutor in the Department
of Communication and Systems of the UK OU. She has extensive experience
in
supporting staff to develop and support online communities using
asynchronous
and synchronous communication tools such as FirstClass and Elluminate.
Her
approach to the development of communities is experiential, and this
has proven
to be a powerful way of recognising that the take-up and use of
technology in
teaching and learning is deeply embedded in a practitioner’s pedagogic
beliefs. This is informed by a recent study into student engagement
with
lecturers’ hand-written digital feedback. Wendy has also been a Fellow
of
COLMSCT.
Karen Kear is a
Senior Lecturer in the Department of Communications and Systems of the
UK OU.
Karen has a PhD in educational technology and is a Fellow of
the
Jon Rosewell
is a Lecturer in the Department of Communication and Systems Department
of the
UK OU. He has extensive experience of designing and teaching distance
education
courses in a range of subjects, and has designed and implemented a
number of
innovative Computer-Assisted Learning projects. His current research
areas
include looking at patterns of participation in online forums, and
mobile and
informal learning in the context of a citizen science project (iSpot.org.uk and OpalExploreNature.org).