Reflection - Web 2.0 Tools



The benefits of constructivism, discovery learning, connectivism, and social learning are absolutely phenomenal. I have quickly noticed that these Web 2.0 tools facilitate learning through all of these cognitive theories. I think that this class has highlighted the importance of collaboration and the benefits of cognitive conflicts (diversity of opinions) that come with social learning. It has been interesting to see how knowledge can be created, synthesized, and shared more effectively and efficiently using these Web 2.0 tools. I also feel like these tools are great for role-playing activities and can be used for online learning games. I believe that learning outside of the traditional ‘formal’ environment can breed more authentic experiences and that the students will have access to a more diverse audience when they use these tools. Over the last four weeks I have noticed that learners tend to take more control of their learning when using these web 2.0 tools and that there are plenty of opportunities for reflection – like the opportunity I am capitalizing on now. One major factor of importance in these environments seems to be social capital - this humanistic phenomenon seems to help engage learners and I have noticed that it empowers them to express themselves.

It is difficult to find negatives in all of this, but after thinking for a bit, I feel like some of the benefits could also be perceived as downsides to some learners. The amount of freedom seems to be a blessing and a curse. I personally believe that it is important for basic rules and regulations to be established when using these tools for instruction – I have felt like my focus on learning waxes and wanes at times because of this incredible amount of freedom and the amount of fun stuff that can act as distractors. I personally think that these Web 2.0 tools can be enhanced by incorporating them into an LMS – this way, the learners are in a secure environment and an instructor/facilitator can have more control of the learning process and can also offer scaffolding more readily. Lack of control over the learning environment seems to be the only downside that I could find. What do you all think? Have you discovered any downsides to learning via web 2.0 tools?

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Sam's First Blog Post

Greetings EME6414 Classmates! Looking forward to an enthralling six weeks of learning with all of you! To me, the coolest thing about Web 2.0 technologies is that it enables us to fulfill our specific and unique needs with ease. I can share information with all of you, and you all can quickly assess it, filter it, add anecdotes, and offer feedback or alternative perspectives. This is the power of learning via technology! Please know that I welcome any and all feedback and I would appreciate it if you challenge my current ways of thinking - to me, this is how we can really boost learning to an entirely new level. Now, let me get to work composing my first blog post related to the course materials. Onward and upward!
Read more

Nuzzle

I was prepared to step outside of my comfort zone and sign up for a Nuzzle account, but when I went to sign in through Twitter it stated that the application will be able to: ·          Read Tweets from your timeline. ·          See who you follow, and follow new people. ·          Update your profile. ·          Post Tweets for you. ·          See your email address. Post tweets for me!? Update my profile for me!? Excuse my French, but there is no way in hell that I will allow some private company to create and control my online identity. This caught me off guard and I am honestly wondering who would be ok with this? I imagine that some people blindly sign up without reading the fine print, but this was just too weird for me. Am I missing something here? Can anyone give me more information that may alleviate some of my concerns?
Read more

Tracking Data on Twitter

I was stumbling around on the interwebs trying to figure out why so many people use Twitter, and I came across this article written by Beth Kenkel about scientists on Twitter. Qing Ke, Yong-Yeol Ahn, and Cassidy Sugimoto conducted a thorough analysis of scientists on Twitter and discovered some interesting findings in their article titled, ‘ A Systematic Identification and Analysis of Scientistson Twitter ’. Some of their findings were: 1.         Historians and Psychologists have the most Twitter users. 2.         Physical scientists are underrepresented on Twitter. Social and Computer Scientists are overrepresented. 3.         60% of scientists on Twitter are male. 4.         Scientists retweet Instagram more than any other social media domain. 5.         Scientists tweet URLs with scientific domains less than 10% of the time. 6.         Scientists tend to follow other scientists within their field of science more than scientists outside of their field. I think th
Read more