Post #8 - Reflections on Blogging about Web 2.0

I have been using Web 2.0 tools for some time but I didn’t exactly know that is what they were called. I love the fact that everything is becoming more collaborative. I can discuss news stories using News vine, I can post critiques and reviews on shopping websites and I can keep track of my friends all over the world using social networks. While I think this is great on a personal level I think it is even better on an educational level.
The idea that both students and educators share knowledge in both directions is very exciting. It gives the students a much bigger role in how they would like to learn the information that they need to know. Since the collaboration is being done on the Internet it means that the groups of learners can be much more diverse. The students can connect on a global level and share the learning experience with others all over the world. For me as an educator the best part is that I become a facilitator of the learning process and not a lecturer. This way the students learning is much more rich and deep as he or she is relating the learning to his or her own experience and not shaping it through the vision of the educator.
There are a few problems that I can see with Web 2.0 and educational uses. Besides the issue of accessibility due to typical Internet issues, I have say that security of many of the Web 2.0 apps is a little frightening. With the user being able to control the content that is going on the site it also means that the user has access to the code that is being run. This means that one student can disable or hack the site with a few keystrokes. A bigger concern is that much of the information being placed on these sites and apps are not verified for accuracy. Without proper training in verifying the accuracy of websites, a student may quote this blog as a scholarly text. Other sites do try to verify some data, but other parts remain subjective. Therefore, for educational purposes we, as educators, tend to rule out the entire site.
As for me, I tend to incorporate several Web 2.0 apps and sites into my educational plans. I already have plans for Zoho, as a collaborative tool for writing and presentations. Since students can work on the same paper or presentation at the same time the amount of time from research to completion can be shortened. The excuse of the work being left at home is also a thing of the past. Another item I plan to use is Ning sites to create a class page. I can post notes, assignments, homework and due dates. I can also have the students use a threaded post to ask and answer questions, not to mention that it is a great way of keeping parents informed of what their children are doing in school. I will also be continuing this blog and adding student features to it as well so that the students can begin to write and send their talent and views to a global audience. Hopefully, they will receive feedback from peers and other students from all over, thus increasing their knowledge and encouraging the continued practice of writing.