Web 2.0 in Education: An Introduction

Over the last few years, our students have begun to use the Web in a dramatically new way. Rather than relying on the static delivery of information, students have enthusiastically embraced the networking and collaborative features of Web sites such as MySpace, Facebook and YouTube, among others. These sites have proven popular with young people because they allow users to form social networks and to exchange ideas. These online capabilities are part of a new paradigm called Web 2.0.

Web 2.0 (pronounced web-two-point-oh) has transformed the Web from a “Read-only” medium to a “Read-Write” environment. These new Web 2.0 tools allow students to collaborate with others, share ideas, create new ideas, and easily publish their thoughts for others to see and improve upon. The popularity of these tools with students is evidenced by the results of a recent national survey where it was discovered that students now split their time nearly equally between interacting online and watching television. (Creating & Connecting/Research and Guidelines on Online Social and Educational Networking, National School Board Association, 2007)

Creative educators across the nation have discovered educational uses for these interactive and student-engaging tools. Some of the positive aspects of these Web 2.0 tools are that many of them are free, and, since they are Web-based, they require no installation. Some negative features are that they are generic, and not especially suited for educational use. Different tools usually have different providers making it difficult to combine tools, as the interface for each depends on the service providing the tool. Student privacy is easily compromised, since anyone can access student work. The open nature of the free tools also makes it nearly impossible to prevent cyber-bullies and online predators from communicating with students.

Due to these negatives, many schools and districts have refused to allow the use of Web 2.0 tools in the classroom. However, since students have already embraced these tools to such a large extent in their personal lives, schools would do well to investigate Web 2.0 services which also provide safety and security for their students. The educational benefits that can be derived by providing a Web 2.0 learning environment that students find engaging and challenging should not be quickly overlooked or dismissed.

(c) 2009, New Vista Concepts, LLC