Abstract
The abundance of evidence of Web 2.0's value in educational settings has provided both educators and researchers with prized information about the application of a panoply of technologies. The experience that this evidence portrays can be used to meaningfully direct teachers in their own ventures of Web 2.0 implementation. In online learning environments, any collaboration between the students must occur with the support of technology, so it is fundamental that technology functions as an enabler, maximizing the opportunities that online settings offer, and that students can tap into those technologies to enhance their learning experience. This chapter focuses on the implementation of Web 2.0 within higher education from the viewpoint of e-learning experts. It reports on the findings of on online questionnaire that examined both the barriers and the best practices of implementation and that was applied internationally among researchers and teachers in the higher education sector.
TopWeb 2.0 is appreciated for its positive impact on student social interaction and community building (Safran, Helic, & Gütl, 2007), on the empowerment of the students in the creation of their own learning scenarios (Bates, 2011) and on the possibility to collaboratively construct knowledge (Virtanen & Rasi, 2017). Moreover, Web 2.0 enables students to embrace a more self-regulated ethic of learning (McLoughlin & Lee, 2010), it increases their interest and satisfaction (Karvounidis et al., 2018) and scaffolds communication and discussion activities (Watty, McKay, & Ngo, 2016).
Key Terms in this Chapter
User-Generated Content: Content that is authored by internet users and derives from their participation in online platforms that enable the creation and/or edition of content in a variety of formats (text, audio, video, image).
E-Learning: Learning mode that is delivered exclusively online and is supported by the use of electronic resources. It includes both professional training and formal education courses.
Web 2.0: The second version of the web, also denominated Social Web or Read Write Web. It describes the web as a platform and it is supported by several core principals, such as, user-generated content, collective intelligence, user participation, ease of use, and openness.
User-Friendly Technology: Technology that is easy to understand and use, requiring little or no training to be operated by the user.
Learning Technologies: Any type of technology that can be used to support learning in several contexts. They can be deployed in face-to-face education, blended approaches or online learning.
Pedagogical Approaches: Strategies pertaining to the theories and practices that guide teaching.
Online Questionnaire: An instrument for data collection that is part of survey research and it is delivered online. It can be used to collect both quantitative and qualitative data from the respondents.