Social Aspects and Web 2.0 Challenges in Blended Learning

Social Aspects and Web 2.0 Challenges in Blended Learning

Tiziana Guzzo, Patrizia Grifoni, Fernando Ferri
Copyright: © 2012 |Pages: 15
DOI: 10.4018/978-1-4666-0939-6.ch003
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Abstract

The term e-learning is revolutionizing learning way and it is having a large impact on knowledge society is rapidly evolving into a Blended Learning method, which blends online learning with more traditional learning. Blended Learning can contribute to enhance learning and teaching opportunities worldwide. The chapter analyses the features that impact the success of the blended learning methods, evaluating their potentialities and characteristics. Moreover, an analysis of future challenges and perspectives represented by the mobile devices, the collaborative technologies of Web 2.0, and of multimodal interfaces, are explored. Finally, a qualitative study that the authors carried out by means of open interviews to Italian teachers in order to analyze their perceptions and experiences of Blended Learning methods is described.
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What Is Blended Learning?

The needs and organizational aspects of learning are changing and are leading to a new paradigm of distance learning. In this context e-learning offers great opportunities to access contents of global knowledge market, in terms of speed, flexibility and costs.

According Assinform Observatory in Italy (2006), although face to face classroom training is still the most used method (80.1% of cases, down from 2004 when it was 89.3%) however, e-learning is considered the most effective training approach with 89.4% of preferences, surpassing albeit slightly the classroom training with 84% of preferences. Furthermore, the polls forecast of use and efficiency lead to a contrasted future scenario with e-learning in the top, in fact, while the perspectives of classroom use are reduced (80.3%), those of e-learning are significantly increased (88.3%), leading this method to surpass the more traditional ones (Assinform, 2006).

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