1b: ULLRICH ET AL.

What is Web 2.0?

 For those who still aren’t quite sure, I will just clear up exactly what Web 2.0 is because I think really we should all know by now. Web 2.0 allows and encourages active participation from each user of the platform. Because the creators want to encourage customers to use it, each Web 2.0 application is kept as easy to use and to the point as possible, concentrating, for the most part, on the function of the page. Web 2.0 stores and publishes information in many forms, such as blogs, audio clips, videos and wikis etc. It is the active participation part that sets web 2.0 apart from web 1.0.

Downes refers to web 2.0 from the constructivist perspective and says “the Web was shifting from being a medium, in which information was transmitted and consumed, into being a platform, in which content was created, shared, remixed, repurposed, and passed along." S. Downes. E-learning 2.0.eLearn, 2005(10):1, 2005.

Downes' theory suggests that "Web 2.0 is characterized by social learning and active participation, as advocated by constructivism",Ullrich et al 2.9 Summary, S. Downes. E-learning 2.0.eLearn, 2005(10):1, 2005.


Constructivism:

Ullrich’s article presents the idea of ‘Constructivism’. And briefly translated, constructivism is the idea that knowledge cannot be taught... Knowledge, to be learnt, must be constructed by the individual, making the learning process active through combining what we already know with the new information. It’s not so complicated however, because now constructivism is used in classrooms on a daily basis. All it is, is that annoying method where teachers make you actually think for yourself. And to be fair, it does work. Everyone had a teacher who was about 100years old and never stopped talking... and was it not that class that you never seemed to be able to remember anything from afterwards? That is because information is just being handed to you, information passing from A (the teacher) to B (the student) and going no further. Constructivism suggests purely that it takes a bit more participation for knowledge to be learnt. Once the information has been passed from A to B, B must then connect it with already existing knowledge to actually learn. The pupil must decode the information and language given to them and construct the knowledge in their own head. They’re mind must be actively working and participating to construct knowledge.

This links to web 2.0 in that information is no longer just passed from author to reader on the internet. The reader, using Web 2.0 tools, now has the ability to construct their own opinion and give their own thoughts.

 
PLE: personal learning environments:

This is where the learner is able to create their own learning environment using web 2.0 tools, such as blogs and wikis and pulling information from various sources such as social networks. This in theory is good from a constructivist point of view, as the learner is taking it into their own hands. However, someone who is not as concentrated and is perhaps not as strong a learner may procrastinate using a PLE as they may not use the tools efficiently. I think that this is one of the reasons that constructivism is combined with other types of learning in schools. Not every pupil is as applied as the last and may require a lot more guidance. You will see that students with learning difficulties often learn in a different way entirely so left alone with web 2.0 tools may be the completely wrong approach. As a student with learning difficulties myself, I can say from firsthand experience that had it been left entirely up to me to create my own PLE, I personally would have spent more time worrying and stressing over how to put it together than the use of it as a tool, making it an inefficient method of learning for me innitially. I think perhaps a middle ground, where there is an adaptable template for your PLE could be much more useful, because people who get side lined easily have less reason to waste time editing the space.


Independent access to data:

Independent access to data is all about reaching further than the standard PC ever could, through devices such as mobiles, game consoles and ipads. The theory is that the more easier it is to access learning, the more likely it is that the consumer will participate. It is another way that web 2.0 ‘encourages’use. It is taking computer learning away from the computer and making it hand held and portable, with the aim of making the learning less artificial and more about real life scenarios. I can see that it is more likely that someone who may have no spare time at home to sit in front of the computer may get involved if it is quick and easy to do so, however my fear lies in everything becoming online. If you tweet a feeling quicker than you voice it, what does that say about live face to face conversation. In a class room, a class could know your feeling towards a subject via their mobile devices before you have even voiced it in the room. Do we risk becoming the silent masses that are brave enough only to voice our opinions online?

 What is long tail? :  Where there is nearly no limit to space hindering the growth of the product or service (like there would be in the real world)

What is the perpetual beta? : Where platforms are constantly changing and developing.
Pros: for further paltform development, discussion boards can be created and the user can have more input.
Cons: Continual development can be distracting for the learner as the platform can change just as they get the hang of it, keeping them from the task at hand

 

Article Ref: Why Web 2.0 isgood for learning and for Research, Principles and Prototypes, by  Ullrich et al.