The Use of Web 2.0 Technologies in Education


Internet has truly revolutionized the way we do things. It has not only provided us with access to information within a short span of time, but it has also created a medium through which activities are conducted. Web technologies have played a crucial role in developing this medium to be used by all. While much has been written on how web technologies are affecting commerce, business and media, little has been written on its impact on education. The traditional methods of e-learning are cumbersome and expensive and are, often, driven by the needs of the institution rather than individual. However, advancement in web technologies has made it possible for teachers to explore new ways for creating learning opportunities. They are using services like blogs, media-sharing and other social software to enhance the learning experience of their students (O`Hear, 2006).

Blogs
Blogs are increasingly finding their use in education as they facilitate the instant publishing and reviewing of the work of students, online. In addition to this, students use blogs to pose questions and link materials from other websites. An advantage of using blog is that it offers a platform for discussion where both teachers and students can interact with each other from their own comfortable environment combining different voices, such as students, teachers and subject specialist to create a truly democratic learning space.

Podcasting
Podcasting is also becoming a popular way for making students learn. The idea here is to exploit the phenomenon of pod casting by replacing the 'user-generated content' with 'learner-generated content'. That is, the teacher creates the notes and relevant information in the form of a podcast and places it on the college or university website. The students then download the podcast and listen to them through IPods. One advantage of this method is that the information imparted has full concentration of student (Solomon & Schrum, 2007).

Media Sharing
Content sharing sites like Flickr provide a valuable resource for the students and educator looking for images to be used in presentations, materials or coursework. Most of the images found on the website carry creative common license which makes them suitable to be used for educational purposes. The site also has a content tagging feature which makes it easier for students and educators to search for relevant images. Students of photography also use this website to publish their work, allowing teachers to view their work, assess it and provide feedback. Media sites like YouTube are also being actively used as tool to learning. An example that can be quoted is of Pete Fraser, a Media Studies teacher from Cambridge, UK, who has been experimenting with the use of YouTube with his media studies student, as a part of their studies(O`Hear, 2006)……………………………………………………………………..
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