Introduction

The days of students as passive learners to a set of individual teachers, isolated in their own mutually exclusive rigid curricula in a brick-and-mortar classroom will soon be a thing of the past.  Today’s students are active participants in their own learning.  They engage in collaborative activities that push them to think critically.  Old forms of literacy known as reading and writing are being replaced with newer, more technological forms.  There is no longer a status quo that says that math is taught in one room, English in another and Art in yet another.  Students of today are learning ways to incorporate aspects of all of these subject areas into their work.  In answer to the question, “What is the future of learning?”, we will provide support for the idea that the future of learning is that this trend will only continue to gain momentum through cross-disciplinary collaboration using Web 2.0 and beyond.  

Web 2.0 is typically used to describe web applications that give users the ability to collaborate with other users or to interact with the website itself.  The types of applications that usually fall into this category are blog sites, video sharing sites, as well as social networking sites, just to name a few.  Today’s students are familiar with these types of tools.  The experiences that students have had with these programs are generally not school-related.  Students learn to work with these programs through a trial and error method.  The proliferation of cell phones and digital cameras have made these types of websites even more intriguing.  It is generally assumed that students today are more technologically advanced than their teachers.  This is not a matter of intelligence so much as it is a willingness to experiment and try new things.  Teachers today need to be more flexible.  They must open their minds to new ideas and new teaching methods.  From an administrator’s standpoint, this means that professional development activities should be structured around these same types of goals.   According
to one education policy analyst, “The heart of 21st century skills—what
policymakers and educators need to focus on—is an emphasis on what
students can do with knowledge rather than the individual units of
knowledge they have. The ability to analyze and evaluate information,
and to create new ideas and new knowledge from that information—these
are the skills that matter most now.”  (http://teachers.net/gazette/MAY09/portner/) 

This paper is divided into 4 main sections.  Each section will examine some of the current preferred Web 2.0 tools in detail, weighing their pros and cons, and offering examples of how they are currently being used in education, as well as their potential for the future.  It will also discuss how all of these different technologies contribute to digital literacy and how that impacts education.

And as an example of how cross-disciplinary collaboration is the future of learning, we have chosen to examine these Web 2.0 tools from a cross-disciplinary perspective, using Google Docs as our collaborative tool of choice.

Section I. Wikis, Blogs, and RSS Tools

In today’s digital world, the ability to communicate effectively and efficiently is of utmost importance.  Teachers in the classroom must be willing to adapt what they teach and how they teach to meet the increasing demands of today’s digital students.  The methods used must encourage students to learn to think critically, to synthesize data, and to work collaboratively.  “Social networking adaptive technologies like blogs, wikis and the RSS process involve students in situations that require them to employ a growing assortment of cognitive skills in order to perform and solve problems in these digital environments.  These skills can be referred to as “digital literacies.”  (Gilster, 1997)  This section will delineate what wikis, blogs and RSS feeds are, their advantages and disadvantages and will also provide some support for teachers on how to best implement these technologies into the classroom setting.

Wikis

A wiki is “a collaborative website whose content can be edited by anyone who has access to it.”   (Dictionary.com)  Wikis use software that allow multiple users access to the same document.  These users have the ability to add to or edit any part of the document, as well as link to other websites to create more association between sites.  The most well-known wiki is the web site Wikipedia known for its seemingly endless supply of information.

There are many advantages and disadvantages to the use of these sites.  One would be remiss by trying to state only the positive outcomes that can be a result of their use.  Opponents of wikis point first at their lack of security.  They say that since these sites are so public, they are more prone to vandalism and that this vandalism makes the material present in the site less trustworthy.  Proponents of the use of wikis, however, point out that the basic structure of a wiki keeps vandalism at a minimum.  When a site has multiple contributors, false statements or unsubstantiated statements are quickly identified.  Also, most wikis have a sort of “security” system in place such that the person in charge of the site is notified of any changes that have been recently made.  This person then has the option of reverting to a previous state of the wiki.  To further point towards a wiki’s possible accuracy, a survey conducted through the journal Nature found that Wikipedia is “about as good a source of accurate information as Britannica”  (Terdiman). 

The advantages of using wiki spaces in the classroom setting far outweigh the disadvantages.  When students are working in a public setting like a wiki, they are more concerned with how their work will be viewed by their peers and the outside community.  For this reason, they put more effort into making sure that their work is of the best quality that they can produce.  In doing so, the students are more critical thinkers of their own work, rather than the type of passive students that can sometimes result in a more traditional classroom.  Wikis also provide the teacher, as well as other students and people in the outside world, a chance to comment and provide suggestions/guidance on the writing.  Teachers, then, see the writing as a work in progress, rather than just the final draft that is turned in. 

Alongside peer review, wikis also provide teachers with a chance to let their students interact with the outside world.  Classroom walls are no longer a barrier when using online spaces such as wikis.  This may mean that a homebound student is more active in the class than he or she would be without the wiki space’s use.  It could also mean that students that are separated geographically are still able to ‘come together’ to produce a document (in much the same way as the author’s of this paper).   This type of collaborative effort permits students to see other points of view or to help support each other’s claims in a topic being discussed.  In this way, students are shown that collaboration is a key element in producing a high quality final product. 

There are some topics that should be considered before a wiki space is implemented into the structure of a class.  First the teacher needs to make sure that all students are aware of how a wiki works.  This means that the teacher needs to teach the students how to work within the structure of the software.  This includes showing the students how to edit a page and how to save their work.  It should also be stressed to students that the use of a wiki is for the purpose of “collaboration, rather than competition”  (Wheeler, 2008).  Teachers should also make sure that students understand the basic tenets behind the use of a wiki.  Individuals post their original works.  Other students may, in turn, alter that work in a way that makes the paper more fluid or makes corrections to errors present.  It may be difficult for some students to not feel some sort of frustration with their work being altered by other students.   In wiki spaces, the concept of intellectual property is more blurred. 

Another factor to consider is similar to what would typically be seen in a traditional classroom when group work is assigned.  In most cases, there are one or two students that seem to complete the majority of the assignment, while the other students in the group do just enough to get by.  This is also seen in a wiki collaboration activity.  The teacher must be sure that the assignment is given in such a way that all students are working jointly together, each contributing knowledge to the project.  This can be accomplished by assigning parts of the project to each student, thus building a sense of community within the group. 

Blogs

The definition of a blog, as given by Wikipedia, is “a type of website, usually maintained by an individual with regular entries of commentary, descriptions of events, or other material such as graphics or video.  Entries are commonly displayed in reverse-chronological order”  (Blog).  Blogs come in all shapes and sizes.  Some are strictly personal in nature, ie. a mother spreading news about the developments in her family.  Others are more information based, ie. a site devoted to sharing information about a specific topic.   

Fortunately for teachers, blogs are very easy to set up and maintain.  The teacher needs very little technology knowledge – just a working knowledge of how to use a web browser will generally suffice.  To start a blog, first choose a blog provider.  Some of the more common are Blogger, WordPress and Twitter.  Then go through the steps to sign up.  That’s about it.  Blogs generally have a space for the writer to compose the message that they want to display before the message is actually posted to the site.  This gives the writer time to work through the wording of the message without feeling that he/she has to write it correctly the first time. 

The major advantage of using a blog in a school setting is its portability.  A blog is available in any place that has an Internet connection.  Like a wiki, this also extends the walls of the classroom to the outside world.  Students are able to post their thoughts or reflections on a topic and receive comments from their teacher and peers from both the classroom and beyond. 

Blogs also encourage critical thinking in much the same way that wikis did.  While the student will not have to be concerned with someone else modifying their work, as was the case with a wiki, they still have the ambition to produce the best work they can in an effort to  impress those that are reading their blog.  For this reason, a blog may be better suited to an individual that prefers to work in solitude rather than in a group setting. 

Unlike wikis where one or two students are doing most of the work, blogs put the primary responsibility on each student.  Since each student would be producing his/her own blog, it would be evident whether a student has or has not been putting forth the necessary time and involvement into making sure that the work is completed.  Also, although comments and replies can be made to a blog, the student’s original thoughts and work are still present.  When the work is altered in a wiki by another student, and parts are deleted or rephrased, feelings can be hurt.  This is not the case where blogs are concerned. 

Blogs can also be beneficial in the case of student portfolios.  Assume a class is studying a play and that the students are required to post comments or reflections pertaining to each act of the play.  Since the play is several acts long, each student should have multiple posts by the end of the play.  These posts can be used by the student or other students as a form of review for the test that covers the entire play.  Teachers may also create essay questions based on topics brought up by the students in their blogs.  This makes the student a more active part of the classroom environment. 

Before assigning blog writings as a required part of a course, the teacher must take steps to gain parental permission.  While students are free to open their own personal blogs, policies concerning the display of student work may affect how parents perceive blog writing as a course requirement.  Teachers should also train their students on proper etiquette regarding what is appropriate or inappropriate for posting.  Teachers should warn students against the use of remarks that may be considered defammatory or libelous.  Teachers should also instruct students on issues of copyright to ensure that students are not infringing on the rights of others where the use of music or art is concerned. 

Mollie Crie, an educator with 22 years of classroom experience, makes these suggestions before incorporating blogs into the requirements of your classroom.

• Determine that all students AUP’s (Acceptable Use Policies) are in place and up to date.
  
• Inform parents of procedures and secure parental permission.
  
• Teach students safe, acceptable, and sensible behavior as online authors and readers.
  
• Review policies and guideliens pertaining to student access.
  
• 
  Teach the non-posting rules of no complete names, e-mail accounts or references to reveal location.
  
• Set clear expectations regarding tone, respect and consequences. (Crie, 2006)
  

RSS

RSS (Really Simple Syndication) is a “family of web feed formats used to publish frequently updated works – such as blog entries, news headlines, audo, and video – in a standardized format. An RSS document (which is called a “feed”, “web feed”, or “channel”) includes full or summarized text, plus metadata such as publishing dates and authorship”  (RSS).  So, what does all that mean as far as education is concerned?

Assume that Jane is a teacher and has decided to use blogs as a graded element of her classes.  Her students are to respond to prompts that she gives in class weekly.  Jane needs to read through and comment on all of her student’s responses.  She could navigate to the blog site for each student and bookmark each page.   These bookmarks then would relieve her from having to type in the URLs of the sites.  However, she has no idea whether the blog has been updated since the last time she checked the site. 

Also, the time that she spends navigating from one page to the next will be considerable when you consider that she is to check each student’s blog. 

This is where RSS feeds are beneficial.  First, Jane would need to subscribe to a site that provides an RSS reader.  One example is Google Reader.  Jane would then subscribe to each student’s blog through the Reader software.  When Jane is ready to read through her student’s responses, she will only need to login to her Reader program.  The software receives updates every time a student updates his/her blog.   This update will be shown in Jane’s reader.  So, she can read all of the students’ updates using only one program.  This will save an incredible amount of time that would have been otherwise wasted by traveling from one site to another. 

From a student’s perspective, a reader can come in handy when doing research.  Within the Google Reader program, an individual can search for sites that follow a specifc topic.  Students can sort through the list of sites that pertain to that topic area and decide which sites are worthy of a subscription.  The information gathered will all be available for viewing within the reader program as well.  Students will also receive updates when the information on any of these sites changes.   

Effect on the Classroom Setting

   

It may seem overwhelming to consider each of these technologies as an integral part of today’s classroom environment.  But, we have to keep in mind that these technologies are helping shape the students that we have today into the leaders of this country tomorrow.  We strive to make them better problem solvers, people who can critically analyze data and who can communicate both individually and in a collaborative environment. 

Wikis produce students that are capable of working with internet –based software in a collaborative sense.  They learn to create and edit works, of their own and of their peers, in an effort to produce the best quality work possible.  Blogs allow students the opportunity to work on free expression of their thoughts – one of the main tenets set forth in the Constitution of our country.  RSS feeds give students the chance to explore how work can be most efficiently completed.  “These technologies enable desirable practices such as collaborative content creation, peer assessment, formative evaluation of student work, individual as well as group reflection on learning experiences and user-centric up-to-date information regarding changes in collaborative spaces”  (Gilster, 1997).

While not only teaching our students skills that can be used throughout their lifetime, studies show that these emerging technologies also encourage “deeper engagement with learning through the act of authoring simply because the awareness of an audience, no matter how virtual or tentative, encourages more thoughtful construction of writing”  (Wheeler, 2008).  The days of pen to paper drudgery are long gone.  The use of these new technologies decreases the amount of time it takes to produce a quality work.  There are some that remember the days of actually writing a first, second … and final draft of an essay, each one a separate piece of literature and supposedly containing fewer errors as the final draft drew near.  This is an ancient rememberance for these students.  The ability to write and immediately see a piece of work is not only a timesaver, but also provides students with a chance to put more effort into the quality of the work itself.  Technologies like those described here do just that. 

The question then becomes “Is all this fuss really necessary?”  “An emerging impetus for the incorporation of these new technologies is the increasing use of these tools in the workplace.  This places an obligation on educational institutions to facilitate for their students the development of the critical, creative, collaborative, and communicative capacities that graduates will require in their future profession”  (Duffy, 2006).  More and more, companies are using web-authoring tools to produce documents and to streamline the processes of the workplace.  A student entering the job market must have skills that fit these requirements.  Without these skills, job seekers are the equivalent of a typewriter in a sea of computers. 

This is not to say that technology will totally replace what is currently being done in the classroom.  Instead these tools are meant to supplement those methods.  Afterall, these forms of technology strive to attain the same goals as those in a traditional classroom setting.  Among these skills are “improved information literacy skills; increased participation in the learning process or contributive learning; and more collaborative and practiced learning”  (Diaz, 2007).  Learners now learn by interacting more with other learners, building on each other’s knowledge.  The teacher’s role is less of a lecturer and more of a guide. 

Before these tools are fully implemented into the classroom setting, local, state and national administrators of education must decide how worthy these causes are.  The implementation of these ideas will cost school districts money to not only replace dilapidated computers, but also to properly instruct teachers on the use of these new technologies.  Without the teachers feeling properly prepared and comfortable with these technologies themselves, the resulting implementation will falter. 

Section II. Social Networking and Social Bookmarking

When envisioning the future of learning, social networking and bookmarking is at the forefront of change. Social networking is a social structure in which people are connected through various commonalities: friendship, vocation, hobby, etc.  Social bookmarking is a method for Internet users to share, organize, search, and manage bookmarks of web resources. Unlike file sharing, the resources themselves aren’t shared, merely bookmarks that reference them (Wikipedia).While social networking may be a more commonly used term, both Web2.0 services will change the future of learning.

Social Networking

When most people think of social networking sites (SNS), such as Facebook, MySpace or LinkedIn most likely come to mind (to see a complete list of Top 25 Social Networking sites, click here). At first glance, it may be difficult to see how SNS have the ability to empower both students and teachers. To understand the basis of social networking, watch this video,  Social Networking in Plain English, created by Common Craft. The Partnership for 21st Century Learning, a national organization “advocat[ing] for the integration of skills such as critical thinking, problem solving and communication into the teaching of core academic subjects such as mathematics, reading, science and history” lists the following communication and collaboration goals for students of the 21^st century.

Communicate Clearly

• 
  Articulate thoughts and ideas effectively using oral, written and nonverbal communication skills in a variety of forms and contexts
  
• 
  Listen effectively to decipher meaning, including knowledge, values, attitudes and intentions
  
• 
  Use communication for a range of purposes (e.g. to inform, instruct, motivate and persuade)
  
• 
  Utilize multiple media and technologies, and know how to judge their effectiveness a priori as well as assess their impact
  
• 
  Communicate effectively in diverse environments (including multi-lingual)
  

Collaborate with Others

• 
  Demonstrate ability to work effectively and respectfully with diverse teams
  
• 
  Exercise flexibility and willingness to be helpful in making necessary compromises to accomplish a common goal
  
• 
  Assume shared responsibility for collaborative work, and value the individual contributions made by each team member
  

Social networking sites (SNS) supplement the overarching theme of
communication and collaboration, both skills essential for students and educators to
succeed in the 21st century. While these goals are originally set for students, they can also be applied to educators. This section will discuss how social networking sites help shape the future of learning by enhancing both teacher and student communication and collaboration skills.

The educational advantages of social networking sites are two-fold; there are numerous benefits for both students and teachers. SNS no longer focus merely on social interaction; SNS are

currently changing the way students learn and teachers teach. First, SNS are beneficial for students because it allows them to be part of an online community while communicating and collaborating with peers from all over the world. A study completed at the University of Minnesota collected data from students regarding their Internet usage. Students were asked to list what they found the personal benefits of social networking to be; among those listed were technology skills, creativity and “being open to new or diverse views and communication skills” (“Educational Benefits of Social Networking”,” par. 2).  Using networking sites such as Facebook or Twitter allows students to create and facilitate discussion amongst each other in classrooms all over the country and world. Finding that social networking sites are not used merely for social interaction, this study also found that students were demonstrating advanced technological skills that will soon be required  in the work place. For instance, students were “editing and customizing content and thinking about online design and layout…the Web sites offer tremendous educational potential” (“Educational Benefits of Social Networking”,” par. 4). The 21st century student will be using the web for their vocation more than any other generation. The aforementioned proficiencies support the essential skills that students utilize multiple media and technologies (Partnership for the 21st Century). When transitioning to higher education, students not only increase their technological skills when using SNS, these sites are integral in smooth transition into new schools. For instance, there are many Facebook groups for incoming freshman to a specific college (ex. Facebook group Accepted: Western Michigan Class of 2013). In these groups, there are forums for students to meet future roommates and class members. Never before has students been able to “meet” future classmates from all over the world before school actually starts, a true sign of globalization.

 

Access to SNS allows students and teachers the opportunity to work together and “meet” peers with the aim of collaboration, a goal of the 21^st century student. Previously, collaboration amongst educators can be viewed as “Collaboration1.0″; it is static and non-globalized. SNS gives both students and teachers the chance to connect with peers, co-workers and future employers, creating “Collaboration2.0,” which will lead to strengthening both learning and teaching. Many networking websites, such as Schools United or the Schools for Facebook Application, have been created with the goal of sharing free resources amongst teachers. The Schools United website claims to be the first website that “provides schools and staff with the free facility to share educational resources and experiences” (The Schools United); collaboration is no longer accomplished primarily within a school. Utilizing Schools United as a networking site gives teachers the opportunity to “share anything from teaching aids to multimedia files…download sheet music for the school band, get school trip ideas…the ideas are endless!” (The Schools United). Contact to more resources and advice is extremely beneficial for teachers. While The Schools United may be the first free resource-sharing website, they are not singular in their mission. The following is a list of a few free social networking websites for educators.

• TeachAde – free resources for teachers; ironically the current group discussion question is “Are 21st Century Skills Important?”
• Classroom2.0 – As a current member, I am invited to participate in numerous synchronous discussions relating to professional development and technology, I have access to various resources related to Web2.0 and collaborative technologies
• PBS Teachers – Within all subjects, this valuable website fosters discussion and professional development for teachers once they create their own account
• Educate Interactive – The strongest asset of this website is the various shared lesson plans and instruction on teacher-created webpages
• eLearning- an online collaboration, consisting of blogs, forums, research and articles all related on social networking
  

Social Bookmarking

Very simply, social bookmarking organizes chaos in the Web2.0 world. To better understand the two aspects of this Web2.0 terms – social + bookmarking, watch this video Social Bookmarking in Plain English, another creation by Common Craft. Social bookmarking (SB) is fairly new, created within the past couple of years. Currently, the most commonly used social bookmarking site is delicious. As described in the YouTube video, users not only use SB websites to organize their saved websites, “tags” are assigned to each website, describing its general nature. These tags make it easy to categorize all the bookmarked websites. Also, “because social bookmarking services indicate who created each bookmark and provide access to that person’s other bookmarked resources, users can easily make social connections with other individuals interested in just about any topic,” hence the social-aspect (EDUCause Learning Initiative, par. 3). SB is integral in the future of learning because it provides opportunities to easily learn new material. For example, a student may be viewing his teachers delicious bookmark on Architecture in Chicago, which may subsequently lead him to a new page on Frank Lloyd Wright, a person he may find very interesting. It is also important to note that SB is fairly easy to use, as demonstrated on delicious in the video – only a few extra clicks allows a user to start bookmarking.

Effect on Classroom Settings

Increased
collaboration and communication amongst teachers and students can positively affect the future of
learning. Many teachers have excellent projects or new teaching methods
which had not been previously shared with their peers outside of their
school or district. SNS not only provide a place to post creative
lesson plans, teaching ideas or interdisciplinary connections, to name
a few, they provide a forum to discuss with one another. For example, a
teacher now has the ability to post a video-taped lesson for critique
or guidance to a teacher who wants to teach the same type of
problem-based learning activity. Instead of collaborating on a 1.0
level – viewing the video and using however one wishes, SNS advance the
collaboration to a 2.0 level – instant feedback, free and
globalization of sharing ideas.

Social bookmarking connects teachers to colleagues and their own resources,as they can easily share their web resources with one another. SB provides students and teachers with the opportunity
to organize resources. In past English classes, teacher may have provided links to resources for their paper on the paper assignment guide. Now, teachers can organize the sites online, students can go to the website, search for their teachers name and have immediate access to all of the sites. Students can use social bookmarking to organize their own resources – individual class webpages, online book webpages and frequently accessed sites. As the EDUCause Learning Initiative poigntly
states, “it may become less important to know and remember where
information was found and more important to know how to retrieve it
using a framework created by and shared with peers and colleagues”
(EDUCause Learning Initiative, par. 7).

Understanding
students technological backgrounds and being aware of the sites and
technological skills they use every day is integral in using social networking sites and social bookmarking wisely. Once teachers realize the
potential of the networking  and bookmarking sites, such as Facebook, Linked
In, or delicious, to name a few, adapting lessons to become more relevant and
significant to students will strengthen the lesson. The University of
Minnesota study also found
that students were not aware of the prospect, both academic and
professional, that social networking sites have (“Educational Benefits
of Social Networking”,” par. 7). It is the job of the teacher to make
that connection. For instance, it would be advantageous
of a consumer education teacher to show students the professional
networking site LinkedIn. This website allows students to post their
resume and
educational info on the website. Gone are the days of only paper
resumes – now people communicate via LinkedIn or Facebook when
networking for a new job. Physical Education teachers now have the opportunity to provide resources for calorie counting, proper eating habits, various exercises or training plans for students, all in one bookmark.

As
previously stated, it is important
to students and teachers to be
willing to view new technologies, such as SNS, as an educational tool
as opposed to the popular
preconceived notion that SNS are only to make connections outside of
academia. To positively affect the future of student learning, it is
important for educators to understand and embrace the potential
benefits of SNS. In a recent article written for the National Education
Association (NEA), the usage of Twitter in the classroom is addressed.
This article suggests that “By following other educator’s tweets,
teachers can keep up with the latest trends, news and happenings in
education, as well as communicate with fellow educators” (“Can Tweeting
Help Your Teaching?” par. 7).  Inside of the classroom, teachers can
use Twitter or Facebook groups to remind students or parents of
upcoming assignments or tests. Chris O’Neal, an instructor from
Charlottesville, VA says that “Twitter is a great way to keep your
students thinking after class,” if teachers post review or
thought-provoking questions as a follow-up to the days lesson (“Can
Tweeting Help Your Teaching?” par. 11). Social networking sites will soon be a part of many
teachers curriculum, which will in turn enhance the communication and
collaboration skills of their students.

While social networking sites and social bookmarking can, and will, positively affect the future of learning, there are concerns to take into consideration. In addition to understanding students technological
backgrounds, schools also need to remember their own faculties technological abilities. Training sessions for teachers will also help
change the future of learning. In
order to utilize SNS effectively, it is imperative that students and
teachers learn how to judge the effectiveness and value of social
networking sites. Most SNS are public forums, where people post
pictures or messages for all to see, so it is imperative to not to post
anything incriminating. Such sites and Facebook and MySpace allow users
to post or “tag” photos of their friends. Posting pictures online
allows friends from all over the world to connect with each other.
However, some students have gotten in trouble from school
administration for incriminating photos, possibly containing underage
drinking or illegal activities. Teachers also have to be careful when
using SNS websites. While social networking sites are usually used for
entertainment, maintaining and updating does take time. It is
advantageous for educators to learn new technologies and become members
of social networking sites in order to collaborate and share with
peers, yet learning how to properly use SNS will take time. It would be advantageous for a district to adopt social networking policies and/or proper professional development for teacher. Because there currently is not alot of support currently available the teacher support network provides a guide to social networking for new teachers. Some important pointers are: if you are going to interact with students on Facebook, create a class page or fan page, do not use your own personal profile and increase the privacy settings. In terms of social bookmarking, it is important to understand that access to resources are public and organized by amateurs which may result in a bit of disorganization of tags. Also, both social networking sites and social bookmarking take time to be maintined and used correctly, thus appropriate professional development is a must. While they both provide myriad benefits, it is important to use each wisely, and not become too overwhelmed with the new technology.

Artifacts of Social Networking

The website below, created by myself (J. Bryniczka) for the CTER program at U of I, provides activities that integrate Math with Biology, English, Social Studies and Consumer Education. This collaboration website also asks teachers to email their interdisciplinary activities to be added to the site. As CTER students, we have created Facebook groups which enhance our collaboration. Scott Cimarusti created the group Video & Multimedia Production for Educators, whose aim is “to discuss and share ideas, tips, and strategies for incorporating video/multimedia production into their curricula.” I created the group Interdisciplinary Connections for Teachers – “Interested in sharing materials with other teachers? Interested in
working with other teachers to create interdisciplinary connections
between classes? This is the group for you! Post any ideas or projects!” SNS, such as Facebook can also be used to create a class page or fan page, such as EPSY590 NET. On this class page, we posted resources to each other, using the Wall and Discussion tabs. This enabled my classmates and I to communicate easily with one another. In addition to class pages, Cimarusti has used Facebook for professional development,as he is a member of the following groups: eLearning Professionals, UIllinois Computer Science,  and Educational Technologists. While many subgroups, such as CTER students or tech-savy educators, are using social networking sites for collaboration and professional development, in the future all educators will embrace and use these Web2.0 technologies to enhance their teaching.

Section III. Media Creation & Sharing

Description and examples

Media sharing is typically regarded as a sub-category of social networking, which is an element of Web 2.0.  Wikipedia defines media sharing as:

Media sharing occurs in online social networks and digital communities with a comprehensive platform and diversified interfaces to aggregate, upload, compress, host and distribute images, text, applications, videos, audio, games and new media. It is the interactive process of sending via email, instant message, text message, posting or linking to media on a website or blog and other methods of sharing media to a targeted audience. As media is shared it takes on a variety of different contexts and meanings. The same video posted on YouTube and on Digg will generate different communication outcomes as the same video being sent to a family member and a college buddy. Social commentary usually accompanies shared media. Media sharing sustains social networks, web based communities and other digitally supported relationships. It is a communication process that requires the participation of both the sender and receiver. Media sharing platforms that are most popular are user-friendly, highly accessible and include mobile devices such as cell phones, PDAs, computers, and home game consoles such as the Playstation 3 and Xbox 360.

Media creation, for the purposes of this paper, is not restricted to merely the task of taking digital photos, recording audio podcasts, or editing a video, but rather the prudent and informed decision of knowing when to incorporate existing or new media for educational purposes.  For example, rather than simply have students read from a textbook about ancient Egypt, an instructor might choose to incorporate photos from a friend’s or colleague’s trip to Egypt shared on flickr.com, or show students travelogue videos on YouTube, or subscribe to audio podcasts from an Egyptian classroom.

Some examples of media sharing sites include, but are not limited to:

• Photo sharing: flickr, Zoomr, Photobucket, SmugMug, Picasa
• Video sharing: YouTube, Vimeo, Sevenload, TeacherTube, SchoolTube,
  
• Livecasting: Ustream.tv, 12seconds.tv, Stickam, Skype
• Audio and Music Sharing: imeem, Last.fm, ccMixter

Applications

Beth Harris, director of distance learning at the Fashion Institute of Technology, State University of New York, has used the ability to add hot-spot annotations to an image to enable her students to annotate and discuss a series of paintings as part of an online art history course.

Annotating and discussing on Flickr

At Long Road sixth-form college, in Cambridge, UK, media studies teacher Pete Fraser has been experimenting with the use of video-sharing site YouTube with his media studies students, as part of a course on new media. Rather than have students prepare a traditional presentation, students were asked to produce a short video on a chosen new media subject. Videos were then published onto YouTube, where they can be viewed and commented on by classmates and the wider YouTube community. (“e-learning 2.0 – how Web technologies are shaping education.”)

More general examples of media sharing in education include:

• Podcasts used to provide introductory material before lectures, or to record lectures and allow students to listen to the lectures again, either because they were unable to attend, or to reinforce their learning

• Video podcasts used to supply to supply videos of experimental procedures in advance of lab sessions
• Podcasts used to supply audio tutorial

  
Pros and cons

Now that definitions for media creation and media sharing have been established and illustrated by a few examples, the next logical question might be, “Why use media sharing in education?”  Some of the main benefits of using media sharing in an educational setting are improved communications and collaboration among students and instructors.  For example:

• media sharing can be used by both teachers and students to enhance wikis and blogs
• teachers can easily share photos of class activities with parents and students and for end-of-term evaluation
• teachers can use media to create a “virtual” field trip to a site that would be otherwise impossible or impractical (tour the Louvre, ancient Rome, a fossil discovery in Utah)
• students can create more engaging and dynamic presentations using various media (photos, audio or video clips)
• links to digital media are easier to store and archive than physical media
• teachers can share media with each other by tagging media
• students can comment on and critique each other’s work; including by people in other courses or at other institutions.

In a paper submitted to the 2008 ascilite Conference, Kevin Burden with the Centre for Educational Studies at the University of Hull, UK and Simon Atkinson with the College of Education at Massey University, NZ describe the pedagogical affordances of media sharing and Web 2.0 in general as:

• Connectivity and social rapport
• Collaborative information discovery and sharing
• Content creation
• Knowledge and information aggregation and content modification

They go on to add that “the specific design and functionality of a particular tool or technology does not define its pedagogical usefulness. At least not by itself. Rather there are other important ingredients required including the imagination and creativity of the individual user as they conceptualise problems or issues in their own environment that the particular tool might facilitate or help solve.”  And “the affordances of a specific technology (Web 2.0 or any other) do not stand alone from other considerations such as the social and cultural settings in which the learning is situated. Our initial experiences with VoiceThread and other similar Web 2.0 applications strongly under-line the importance of sound planning, imagination and creativity on the part of the tutor in designing meaningful learning experiences with these technologies.” (Burden & Atkinson, 124)  It is not enough to merely include media sharing in educational practices simply for the sake of doing so, but rather there needs to be some thought and planning involved.

As with any copyrighted material, the notion of sharing media has legal implications.  Volumes could be written about the issue of copyright and how it pertains to media sharing, but for the purposes of this paper, it will be addressed only briefly as a consideration that needs to be noted for educators.  As far as the use of copyrighted material for educational purposes, educators are fortunate to have some flexibility and liability protection under “fair use” policies, and Creative Commons-licensed content is another option as well.

Tom Franklin of Franklin Consulting in the UK and Mark van Harmelen, Independent Consultant and University of Manchester, offer some additional possible issues impacting a widespread adoption of media sharing in education:

• Much Web 2.0 based student work is about content sharing and repurposing. This can easily be seen by students as part of a new teenage copy-and-paste culture that runs counter to traditional notions of plagiarism, and adjustments may need to be made, either to redefine plagiarism (unlikely to occur), or to help students transcend this culture in HE environments (more likely to occur).
• There may be a skills and/or culture crisis as ‘old world’ teachers are forced to use unfamiliar tools and work and in unfamiliar ways and alien environments.
• Not all students may be digitally connected with a computer and Internet connection at home (or even in broadband connected university residences, if they are not a computer owner). These students would be at a profound disadvantage in a new world of Web 2.0 enabled learning without specific care being taken to address their computational and connectivity needs.
• Intellectual property rights: ownership, re-use, and control
• Accessibility
• Security: personal and institutional–balance between openness and safety

    

What’s next?

As these examples have demonstrated, it is clear that media sharing is
gaining momentum as a Web 2.0 technology within the educational
realm–driven by media sharing habits and practices outside of
education, which–as stated in this paper’s introduction–is another
example of the breaking down of boundaries between what is defined as
educational and what is not.  And as technology continues its
previously unimaginable rapid rate of advancement, media sharing will
only become easier and more effortless.

Here is a video created by Casaleggio Associati, or Casaleggio
Associates–a company whose objectives include “to develop in Italy a
network culture through original studies, strategic advice, articles,
books, newsletters, seminars on the Net”. 
While their main focus is not education, necessarily, much of their
research and their mission has does have applications in education.  In
this video, they speculate about the future of media:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xj8ZadKgdC0&feature=player_embedded

 While much of the content of this video is pure speculation and some of
their conclusions questionable, many of their projections are not out
of the realm of possibility–especially when examining the current
business trends of some of the key players; namely, Amazon, Microsoft,
Google, and traditional media.  A particularly compelling point of the
video is the concept of the “prosumer”, a consumer of information and
content who also produces content, and therefore, information–a
central idea of Web 2.0.  Another key idea presented in this video is
the continued blurring of what constitutes a “trusted” source of
information.  No longer are we as a society restricted by traditional
media sources; information has become–and will continue to evolve
as–egalitarian in nature.  And, as outlined in the introduction of
this paper, it is this notion of blurred boundaries between producers
and consumers of educational content, as well as the blurred boundaries
between the different educational disciplines–all tied into the core
philosophy of Web 2.0–that will shape and characterize education in
the future.

Section IV. WebQuests & Learning Objects 

Education is a life long endeavor. Our world is surrounded
with things that we need to continue to learn. Society has brought about
tremendous ways in which the lives of people have become easier, our
interactions have grown more diverse and interconnected, and the way we learn has surpassed the way our parents learned. The process in which teachers educate their students needs to continue to follow suit. As we continue to
look at the future of education and how educational techniques can be augmented through the use of
technology, two more important tools to better engage in student learning come to light: Learning
Objects and WebQuests.

 

These tools take the learning process and put it in the
hands of the student. No longer is the teacher the sole purveyor of knowledge.
Teachers are the facilitators while students develop skills and knowledge
through hands-on activities. Now teachers have recognized that tactile learning
techniques have allowed individual students to become better acquainted with
the topic of study. What defines the hands-on materials of today is that they
are web based. Learning Objects and WebQuests are just that.

 

Both of these tools have the internet in common and both put
the student in charge of their learning. However, they each have slightly
different ways they go about doing this. 

“A WebQuest is an inquiry-oriented lesson format in which
most or all the information that learners work with comes from the web” (http://webquest.org/index.php). An
activity is constructed using the web as the medium so that students can
learn about and navigate through a series of websites to develop a project,
learn a skill, or create a product. This activity is centrally located on a
singular website which guides the students through the self directed learning process,
encouraging the exploration of other linked sites to find the answer to a guiding
question. This activity is usually very focused, asking the students to
understand certain material or develop an understanding of a topic in order to
come to a predetermined outcome.

“A real WebQuest….

• is wrapped around a doable and interesting task that is ideally a scaled down version
  of things that adults do as citizens or workers.
• requires higher level thinking, not simply summarizing. This includes synthesis,
  analysis, problem-solving, creativity and judgment.
• makes good use of the web. A WebQuest that isn’t based on real resources
  from the web is probably just a traditional lesson in disguise.
• isn’t a research report or a step-by-step science or math procedure. Having learners
  simply distilling web sites and making a presentation about them
  isn’t enough.
• isn’t just a series of web-based experiences. Having learners go look at this
  page, then go play this game, then go here and turn your name into hieroglyphs
  doesn’t require higher level thinking skills and so, by definition, isn’t a
  WebQuest” (http://webquest.org/index.php).

The final product, no matter the type, is a reflection
of what is learned and often times a WebQuest can be designed as a group
activity. Because it is web based, the students do not have to be in the
same room in order to accomplish aspects of the quest.

The following link will bring up a video in which Dr. Bernie Dodge discusses the success of WebQuests in the classroom and how teachers have become “guides on the side” meaning that they facilitate the learning process and no longer need to preach it:

• http://www.thirteen.org/edonline/concept2class/webquests/video_t11-2.html

This next video link shows how high school history teacher Tom Fehrenbacher uses WebQuests to help his student better understand the concept of slavery from different historical perspectives preparing them for an in-class debate:

• http://www.thirteen.org/edonline/concept2class/webquests/video_t4-1.html

 

Another such web based tool that has similar characteristics
is the Learning Object. Still very difficult to define, this tool can be seen by
some as being a very broad entity. One particular site on the subject defines
them as “digital, re-usable pieces of content that can be used to accomplish a learning
objective. That means that a Learning Object could be a text document, a movie,
a mp3, a picture or maybe even a website” (http://www.learning-objects.net/).
However, the Web 2.0 version of this definition looks at it in slightly different terms pushing more on the idea of a collection of material. “A Learning Object is any grouping of materials that is structured in
a meaningful way and tied to an educational objective” (Smith 1).  Looking at them more closely, it has
become understood that: they are built by an instructor as a small
instructional tool that can be reused, they are web based and accessible by any
number of people at the same time, they involve a collection of material from
varied sources that can be used to learn from, and ultimately, knowledge is
accessed often times via the Learning Object itself (Wiley 3).  It is also important to understand that, unlike a teacher directed activity, Learning Objects allow the student to work at his or her own pace, gaining mastery of the content as opposed to just trying to memorize facts. So what exactly does a teacher do with
one of these in the classroom?

 

Because both of these tools are web based, they obviously
require the use of a computer or lab of computers for students to use. As part
of the Web 2.0 philosophy, the student, through these hands on materials,
constructs knowledge. Where in groups or as individuals, knowledge is acquired
as students work their way through the online tool. The tools themselves are limited
only by the creative potential of the teacher authoring them. Every subject
area can make use of Learning Objects and WebQuests. In history students can
learn about a specific time period in order to facilitate a discussion or
debate. An English class might use one to look at the time period in which a
character lived, in the book the class is reading, in order to better understand
the character’s point of view. Math students can use these tools to learn how
to use certain concepts and formulas in real world applications. Music
classrooms can better understand the story behind a piece of music while an Art
class might develop a stronger sense of art theory through an exploration of
what it looks like in professional works of art. These are only a small taste
of the potential of the WebQuest and Learning Object. What makes these tools
unique to a traditional teaching tool is that, because they are online, they
are available to anyone, creating a greater sense of community between teachers. And those teachers new to the Web 2.0 concept or those who are unsure on how to go about
developing one of these tools can always use one from another teacher to get
started by looking them up on-line though such sites as www.webquest.org or www.learning-objects.net/modules.php?name=Content&pa=showpage&pid=1.

 

An intuitive individual might now pick up on the fact that a
WebQuest could very well be a Learning Object but a Learning Object is not
necessarily a WebQuest. Both use other websites to facilitate learning. Both
have a set skill or knowledge that needs to be learned. Also, both use a
website based format to guide the learner through the activity. Looking
at the differences Learning Objects will sometimes check for understanding more
through the guided lesson through embedded quizzes. WebQuests, on the other
hand, drive the learner to a final solution through the activity being offered. “Within a single Learning Object, information can be presented in several different ways, allowing students to explore a topic from various perspectives” (Smith 2). From images, video, the ability to embed other sites directly into the learning object, a variety of assessment tools, and interactive visual aides are all possible components that help to engage the student. Conversely, a WebQuest tends to focus on a singular task, usually presented in a definitive guiding question. This task is presented to the student and then allows for preset links to other web sites that the teacher feels the student could best find the appropriate information on. Students explore these varied links in order to better understand the concepts and complete the task. Objectively speaking, neither one is better than the other. They simply allow the student to construct a knowledge base on their own and at their own pace.

The beauty of these tools are in the way they are used and not necessarily in the content they provide. Curriculum tends to be fairly set. From school to school, in every state, their is a basic framework of knowledge that all students must learn in school. Students need to take so much math and learn about specific historical events. They need to be able to write and read, decode text and explore music and artistic creativity. These things are understood by schools and people expect this content to exist. Perhaps certain minor changes occur over time, but this base knowledge seems fairly constant. What teachers need to learn to do, is find more creative ways to get the information to their students so they aren’t just memorizing information, they are absorbing and understanding concepts. What Web 2.0 allows educators to do is bring this content to the students in a way they can access, making them the masters of their education and these WebQuests and Learning Objects allow this to happen. By opening up students to these web based resources, students can learn the material in a way that engages them visually, tactically, and sometimes through auditory means as well. Through these tools, students are challenged, yet engaged on a level where they want to be at and through a medium that they continue to better acquaint themselves with in their personal lives. These tools speak to students with a language they can understand and in a way that makes them responsible for their learning. They are not being taught at, they are learning through their own means.

To go about creating a tool such as a Learning Object or a WebQuest can be a challenging feet, especially for those who are not as versed in web based media design. For those who do understand the ins and outs of web design, these two tools are websites so anyone with HTML experience can create one or those who are familiar with web creation software such as Frontpage or Adobe Dreamweaver can develop them. But because not everyone has these skills, online programs have become available for educators to create both Learning Objects and WebQuests which often times are free. The latter, for example, can be created by simply going to webquest.org. This site is a template based online software which allows the user to construct a proper WebQuest. And because it is through a site that is all about the tool, you can be sure to design an appropriate and affective WebQuest. Another free software program is known as eXe. “The eLearning XHTML editor (eXe) is an authoring environment to assist
teachers and academics in the design, development and publishing of
web-based learning and teaching materials” (http://www.wikieducator.org/Online_manual). Similar to the previous software, this one is also template based. However, in this case, the software needs to be downloaded and requires the user to have a place to host the finished tool on the internet so that it can be accessed and used by students. eXe seems to work best in the creation of Learning Objects because of the variety of tools that can be embedded into the product. The nice thing about this software is that it can embed other websites directly into the Learning Object so while the user is exploring the tool, he or she can use the external website without ever leaving the Learning Object. The free open source application is available at http://exelearning.org/

Below is a link to a video which overviews the use of eXe, discussing what it is, how it is used and what it looks like:

• http://exelearning.org/files/screencasts/eXe.m4v

Teachers standing in front of the class, lecturing on content with students taking notes is a common site. In the back of the room, a head dips lower as the student’s eyes begin to close. Toward the front, the diligent student frantically struggles to keep up with the lecture trying hopelessly to take down every word the teacher speaks as if it will all be on the test. This way of teaching has existed since the beginning of the education system and what has become of the education process? It is the same as it was. But now there are new ways to teach, new ways to learn where the teacher no longer needs to nor should lecture. Students become the one’s responsible for their knowledge base and teachers stand behind the students instead of in front of them. At the computer, students, at their own pace, build knowledge, assess themselves, solve problems and create solutions. Teachers assist the process and the students take ownership in learning because they are in charge and engaged. Through the use of WebQuests and Learning Objects this is possible. The content hasn’t changed. The way in which it is absorbed has. Active learning as opposed to passive  is what the Web 2.0 concept has brought to education.

Conclusion

As the examples presented have shown, we as a global community are witnesses to a revolution in communication.  Through Web 2.0 technologies, our world is shrinking and barriers are being broken–not just geographical boundaries, but barriers that used to separate who had access to what information.  No longer are we passive recipients to a narrow scope of information provided by corporate-sponsored mass media or static and quickly outdated textbooks–we now have real-time access to the thoughts, words, images, and voices of a much wider spectrum of our global community.  Not only that, but each of us now has a voice of our own that can be shared with a potential audience previously unimagined.  This is an unprecedented time of information sharing and exchange–and the impact of that on education and learning is only just beginning. That is why the future of learning will be a continued collaborative and cross-disciplinary effort where the roles of “teacher” and “student” and the definitions of “classroom” and “education” will blur and evolve.  And as technology itself continues to evolve alongside learning, shaping it and being shaped by it, our global community will be taken in even newer and more promising directions as Web 2.0 becomes 3.0, and technology becomes more intuitive and even more seamlessly integrated into all facets of our lives.

This paper
began with a goal to answer the question, what is the future of learning? Many
of the examples discussed dealt with educationally related examples because the
system of education is dependent on the process of learning. However, the
future of learning does not necessarily mean the future of education and even
though learning and education go hand in hand, they are not always concerned
with the same results. It would seem that education tends to concern itself
more with the product of learning and assessment. The grade students earn in a class, their
overall grade point average at the end of their career in school, the project a
student completes at the end of a unit, a grade on a test, or the school wide
performance on the state achievement tests. According to the United States Department
of Education and the Presidential mandated No Child Left Behind Act, by the
latter half of this decade through the start of the next, schools need to be
accountable for 100% of their students to be proficient on the state’s Annual
Measurable Objectives (www.ed.gov). This law is
concerned with the product of the education system, which seems to not allow
for failure. The future of education seems to be concerned with this measured product but the
future of learning, as has been demonstrated through the tools outlined in this paper, is concerned more with the
process than the final product. This future does allow for failure because failure
is how people learn. Throughout history, the people of this world have tried,
failed, assessed their failures, experimented with varied ways to find the
result, and make the appropriate steps to eventually come to solution that they
could stand by. Learning is and has always been a process. The future of
learning is concerned with taking this process and making it more accessible to
the learner through the concepts and tools brought about by Web 2.0. By
allowing students and learners, both in and out of the education system, to be
able to have the responsibility of learning in their hands, to reach out to the
knowledge acquired from others, to ask questions from others across the globe
and experiment with answers, to assess those answers and discover why some are
correct and some are wrong, and finally to construct a product that
demonstrates this new process of learning is the future.

 

In this
paper, the future of learning has been demonstrated in the words of this
product but more importantly, in the process that brought this paper together.
All four participants of this paper contributed to the outcome by taking part
in a class taught over the Internet. This class utilized the tools written
about in this paper to help the writers acquire the knowledge to put these
words on paper. Paper is a general term in this case because the paper was
written in a forum that exists only online, by writers who have never actually
met each other. Over distances measured in hundreds of miles, in some cases,
this product came to fruition. But again, the product is only a demonstration
of the process of learning and the possibilities of what Web 2.0 concepts can
bring to everyone. This future is not designed for a select few. It is designed
for everyone because through Web 2.0, everyone can now learn.

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