Using the Four Lenses of Critical Reflection to Promote Collaboration and Support Creative Adaptations of Web 2.0 Tools in an Online Environment

Background

National trends indicate that distance-learning courses in higher education are rapidly proliferating (NCES, 2008). The increasing availability of information technology coupled with the various needs of traditional and non-traditional students are shaping the extent to which credit and non-credit distance learning courses are viable options (Lim, Kim, Chen, & Ryder, 2008). Definitions of what constitutes distance learning have also evolved. According to a report by NCES (2008) distance education is “ …defined as a formal education process in which the student and instructor are not in the same place. Thus, instruction may be synchronous or asynchronous, and it may involve communication through the use of video, audio, or computer technologies, or by correspondence (which may include both written correspondence and the use of technology such as CD-ROM)” (p.1).

Faculty interested in incorporating distance learning opportunities into their classes are often challenged by limited knowledge of software usage and technical requirements, as well as lack of opportunities to clearly establish a connection between learning goals, and technological environments and tools utilized (Notar, Wilson, & Montgomery, 2005). The difficulties inherent in learning about the tools can often hinder the inclusion of best instructional practices and limit the development of materials that can foster critical thinking skills and classroom discourse and collaboration.