Are we learning more effectively with the Internet and Web 2.0?

The term Web 2.o brings about a new perspective on the Internet. The Internet contributes so that learning becomes even more effective and our learning environment has changed dramatically. Can we say this is true? 

“Yes, we can.” The learning environment has changed dramatically in recent years due to the Internet; we are no longer chained to institutional learning. We are now able to leave the institutional shackles behind and explore the ideas of lifelong learning by using Web 2.0 for our personal needs. Indeed, we have the opportunity to explore the advantages that personal learning environments (PLEs) can bring forth and we can share and collaborate with others in our personal on-line communities.

In business the Internet and the use of Web 2.0 tools has become vital to marketing strategies and social networking communities are offering platforms to communicate directly with customers and businesses. Companies are participating in mass collaboration and engaging experts from outside traditional company structures and outsourcing their business by using resources from online communities. The principle of Wikinomics was coined by Don Tapscott and Anthony D. Williams in the book, Wikinomics: How mass collaboration changes everything. The web has an enormous impact on businesses and our personal lives.

Finally, if businesses are using these tools are we as educators including them in our curriculum? I will have a look at how foreign language teaching has changed in recent years and why teachers should use digital technologies in their curriculum.

So, what is Web 2.0?

Let us have a look at the definition offered on an on-line dictionary: 

“A loosely defined term for web applications that go beyond displaying individual pages of static content and allow a community of users to interact with the site and each other by adding or updating the content.
Examples include social-networking sites like Facebook and other web-based communities, hosted services like Google Docs, web applications like GMail, video-sharing sites (Youtube), wikis (Wikipedia), web logs, mashups and folksonomies. While Web 2.0 applications often use advanced web features like AJAX to improve the speed of interaction, the term is more about the type of applications than the technology used. The term was coined by Darcy DiNucci in 1999, though she was discussing designing web sites for new hardware platforms.” (2009-11-18)

The Free On-line Dictionary of Computing, © Denis Howe 2010 http://foldoc.org

Web 2.0 is not a buzz word but has offered many very useful tools that have definitely revolutionized foreign language teaching. Learning a language with new digital technologies has brought the “real world” into the classroom, it offers authentic material right at our fingertips. Now, we can offer our students up-to-date audio and video material by linking them into our wikis, blogs or virtual learning environments. We can offer interesting listening exercises for homework and webquests to show how to access information on the Internet. Students can do their assignments on-line and collaborate with other students at any given time. YouTube clips or Google searches have enriched our class discussions. Students can produce their own material and upload it on YouTube and suddenly they are actively involved in the Web 2.0 revolution.

 
Here's an example of  a video project from my classes.

But, do students learn more effectively?

 

Web 2.0 gives many opportunities that have made language learning more creative, lively and interesting. I would say that learning a foreign language, in particular English has benefited from the free on-line tools available on the Internet. Learners have a good idea why they are learning English to communicate globally. However, not enough research has been done to provide proof that it is more effective than traditional learning language learning. In any case, the need to communicate globally has also changed the language skills required in our on-line community. Teachers and students cannot simply ignore the shift of how we interact worldwide by using the Internet as a communication platform. Individuals are an important voice in their on-line communities, who share content privately or in business. So, the question cannot simply be left by discussing its effectiveness before we incorporate it into our curriculum since it is already part of our lives. It is up to the new generation of educators to provide lesson plans that incorporate new media in pedagogy and to conduct research on its effectiveness. New training for teachers is required and advanced degree programs are necessary to meet the growing demand offered by new digital technologies.

Why should educators use web 2.0 tools?  

It is important not only to improve the language skills of students, but also providing them with digital tools that they will need to use in the workplace. As mentioned above, businesses are using these tools and students need to cope with and develop strategies in using different media to communicate online, in particular when communicating in English. Digital technologies are an important part of today’s world and should have its justified place in higher education.

Recently, I conducted a survey in my Business English course to find out how much experience my first year undergraduate students had using Web 2.0 technology and found that 90% of my students had never used any Learning Management System (LMS) nor collaborative tools for learning. Although this generation of students is known as digital natives, they have not used Web 2.0 for learning. However, I think that Germany lacks behind in using Web 2.0 in the classroom. When looking at other countries, e.g. the UK and US, young learners are not only using interactive whiteboards in their lessons, but are tweeting and accessing the Internet for tasks in their classrooms. Educational publishers have recently reacted to these new developments by offering student materials on-line and LMS platforms or SCORM materials for teachers and students complementing the traditional course books.

More research needs to be done to show how these tools have contributed to learning more effectively. But, ignoring or rejecting these developments is not the right approach.