University Students’ Self-Motivated Blogging and Development of Study Skills and Research Skills

This chapter presents and analyzes an empirically grounded investigation into the self-motivated course-related blogging activities of undergraduate and Master’s-level students, and research-related blogging of doctoral students. It focuses on how blogging may help students to develop their study skills and research skills. Analysis of students’ blogs and semi-structured interviews with the participants shows that writing in the public domain can encourage networking, commitment to goals, articulation of research ideas, development of confidence in writing, and facilitation of critical and reflective thinking skills. The blog can be a useful repository of ideas and resources, and can be a public platform for the synthesis of ideas. Blogging can facilitate the creation and membership of an online community where academic events are flagged, resources are shared, research is advertised, and ideas and comments are exchanged. The authors conclude with a discussion of the ways in which blogging can support the development of key study and research skills, such as time management, academic writing, and effective communication. It is hoped that the findings will help in guiding students, educators, and institutions considering the use of blogging in university education.

Learner-Generated Contexts

In this chapter the authors present the concept of Learner-Generated Contexts as a potential framework through which the more effective use of technology to support learning might be supported and engendered. In particular, they concentrate on the theoretical grounding for consideration of Learner-Generated Contexts as a context-based model and organizing principle for designing learning and as a means of elucidating what institutional practices might support or retard their development. In so doing, the authors offer a model for the learning–teaching process based upon the Russian concept of “obuchenie” and a reconsideration of pedagogic design based upon a combinatory model termed the “PAH continuum.”

Catering to the Needs of the “Digital Natives” or Educating the “Net Generation”?

In this chapter, the authors explore perspectives on the notion of “digital natives” and present a case in which Web 2.0 technologies were introduced to students. They discuss studies critical of the generational metaphor, and argue that it should not be uncritically assumed that there is a generation of digital natives, but that young people may need to develop skills often associated with the digital natives. The authors present a case reflecting these pedagogical aims, involving an online Web 2.0 learning environment called Ekademia. The findings of the case reflect a gap between the researchers’ intentions and the actual outcomes. In particular, the learning environment failed to provide sufficient scaffolding for the students, who needed more support than was assumed. It is therefore suggested that educational use of social software technologies should have stronger connections to curricular activities, involve a more concerted pedagogical effort, and be supported by a higher degree of institutionalization.

Teaching and Learning Information Technology through the Lens of Web 2.0

Recent advances in Internet technologies, combined with a society that relies upon them, have brought about a new toolset for working and sharing on the World Wide Web. The term “Web 2.0” suggests an updated version of the Web, but really names a new genre of web applications, along with the technologies they rely on and the social content contain. Web 2.0 marks the evolution from a “one-way” Web filled with static content to a dynamic “read/write” Web that has become a platform promoting collaboration and communication, linking people as well as the digital information they share. This chapter applies a connectivist learning approach to creating authentic learning spaces for teaching Web 2.0 concepts in a first-year college information technology course. It suggests best practices for fostering learning by using Web 2.0 tools to create connections with people, ideas, and technology.

Stepping over the Edge

This chapter considers the impact of Web 2.0 technologies on education and, in particular, how these new technologies are changing learning and teaching practices. It considers their fundamental characteristics and looks at the implications for learners, teachers, and institutions. It argues that the impact on practice can be both positive and negative, and that as a consequence, educational institutions need to develop new policies and strategies. The chapter concludes with two approaches to making sense of and harnessing these new technologies. The first is an example of applying Web 2.0 approaches to facilitating greater dialogue and sharing of learning and teaching ideas, through a social networking site for design. The second argues for greater use of metaphors and other forms of meaning making as a mechanism for understanding Web 2.0 technologies in an educational context.

Back to the Future

This chapter provides a developmental perspective on Web 2.0 and social software by tracing the historical, theoretical, and technological events of the last century that led to the emergence—or re-emergence, rather—of these powerful and transformative tools in a big way. The specific goals of the chapter are firstly, to describe the evolution of social software and related pedagogical constructs from pre- and early Internet networked learning environments to current Web 2.0 applications, and secondly, to discuss the theoretical underpinnings of social learning environments and the pedagogical implications and affordances of social software in e-learning contexts. The chapter ends with a social software use framework that can be used to facilitate the application of customized and personalized e-learning experiences in higher education.

Meeting at the Wiki

This chapter introduces the use of wikis and written and voice web applications as supporting tools for collaborative writing. It reports on a study examining the processes advanced Spanish foreign language learners engage in while working collaboratively using wikis and chat to complete a writing assignment. Through analysis of students’ essays, wiki-based drafts, chat transcripts, and questionnaire responses, it was observed that students maintained an interest in their essays’ accuracy as well as a focus on global rather than local aspects. In addition, the combination of wikis and chat provided students with an environment in which to state a clear thesis, provide supporting evidences, and refine the organization of the essay in a manner often missing in individual work. The authors expect that the benefits observed when using social web applications while working collaboratively will provide more evidence for pedagogical shifts that will help students become better writers in their second language.

Mobile 2.0

Many practitioners are looking for ways to bring the vitality of Mobile 2.0—for example, social networking via a mobile phone (cellphone), or photo sharing on a mobile blog—into formal learning and teaching. But they face a complex and even paradoxical challenge: how can they harness that vitality without stifling its most distinctive feature—the fact that it is user led? This chapter begins with an analysis of that paradox as a foundation for understanding the challenges that practitioners face now and in the future. Drawing on data from interviews with six experienced tertiary practitioners, the authors describe and analyze a number of examples that point to the particular power of mobile devices to blur formal and informal activity in people’s lives. The aim is to look beyond the hype around innovations in mobile devices and connectivity to focus on the opportunities for practitioners to bend the arc of Mobile 2.0 to the needs of their learners.

Using Wikis in Teacher Education

This chapter reports on the use of online open content software as a learning resource for students enrolled in an initial teacher-training program at a British university. It features a study undertaken to support the development of professional practice in teacher education for undergraduate and postgraduate students using wikis. The 14 cohorts of student teachers in the program (n = 237) approached the activities in blended format, using a wiki as both a repository to store and retrieve their work, and as a discussion space where they could engage in dialogue with their peers and tutors outside of the classroom. Those who responded to the online questionnaire reported on their perceptions of the wiki as a learning environment. The main findings of the study are that students generated a large amount of content in a short space of time using the wiki and enjoyed its collaboration and communication tools, but resented the added time burden of having to complete minimum core tasks online. Students also found initial use of the wiki problematic due to lack of familiarity with the tools and the concept of group editing. The introduction of a series of wiki activities provided useful scaffolding for structured support in professional learning.