Innovative Technologies for Education and Learning: Education and Knowledge-Oriented Applications of Blogs, Wikis, Podcasts, and More

Innovative Technologies for Education and Learning: Education and Knowledge-Oriented Applications of Blogs, Wikis, Podcasts, and More

Jeffrey Hsu
Copyright: © 2009 |Pages: 22
DOI: 10.4018/978-1-60566-088-2.ch012
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Abstract

A number of new communications technologies have emerged in recent years that have been largely regarded and intended for personal and recreational use. However, these “conversational technologies” and “constructivist learning tools,” coupled with the power and reach of the Internet, have made them viable choices for both educational learning and knowledge-oriented applications. The technologies given attention in this article include instant messaging (IM), Weblogs (blogs), wikis, and podcasts. A discussion of the technologies and uses, underlying educational and cognitive psychology theories, and also applications for education and the management of knowledge, are examined in detail. The implications for education, as well as areas for future research are also explored.
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Conversational Technologies And Constructivist Learning Tools

The notion of conversational technologies is not a new one, as it encompasses many types of systems that have been widely used for some time, including e-mail, video conferencing, and discussion forums.

The term “conversational technology” is derived from the work of Locke et al. (2000) relating to conversational exchanges and his Cluetrain Manifesto. One of the key concepts here is that “markets are conversations” and that knowledge is created and shared using question and answer dialog. Specific theses that relate to this form of “conversational knowledge management” suggest that aggregation and abstraction of information helps to create information. Other characteristics of conversational knowledge management include the fact that it is fast, stored in different locations, and does not require sophisticated technologies in order to be accomplished (Wagner, 2004).

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