Implementing Web 2.0 Tools into Curriculum

Introduction

The growth of technology has resulted in numerous social, economic and environmental implications (Cornish, 2004). In order to prepare students for the workforce of the future, technological advances should not only be taught but utilized within the educational process. Smelser (2002) states, “The growth of the internet and other technologies has teachers finding themselves once again moving from the “traditional classroom” into educational domains that have no physical boundaries and incredible potential for interaction” (pg. 2).

Although there are many technological tools available for instructors, this overview serves as a resource on how to implement Web 2.0 into the higher education classroom. I will provide you with two suggested activities that will allow your institution and your students to take advantage of this educational trend.

Technique #1: ePortfolios
ePortfolio, also known as the electronic portfolio, is described by Penn State as a “personalized web based collection that includes: selected evidence from coursework, artifacts from extra-curricular activities, and reflective annotations and commentary related to these experiences” (DiBiase, 2007, p. 2). There are many advantages to implementing ePortfolios into course curriculum. According to Barrett (2006), “an electronic portfolio provides an environment where students can: collect their work in a digital archive; select specific pieces of work (hyperlink to artifacts) to highlight specific achievements; reflect on the learning demonstrated in the portfolio, in either text or multimedia form; set goals for future learning (or direction) to improve; and celebrate achievement through sharing this work with an audience, whether real or virtual” (p. 1). Additionally, ePortfolios allow instructors to “reflect on the mission and goals of there courses and programs, and to specify assignments that are likely to help students achieve goals” (DiBiase, 2007, p. 3).

Prior to implementation, Barrett (2006) suggests that instructors consider the following “planning issues”:

1. Purpose: In this context, the purpose of e-Portfolio development is for authentic assessment (feedback on student work to facilitate improvement), as well as showcasing best work and growth over time. The focus is more on communication about student work (narrative), not on aggregating quantitative data.
2. Tool capabilities allow interaction between teachers and students around learning activities and products:
• Students to create, store artifacts and reflections, and organize their work, preferably with hyperlinks
• Teachers to review the work and provide feedback in narrative form (based on a rubric, if available)
3. Internet access
• If you have slow or infrequent Internet access in the classroom, then try Microsoft Office, Adobe Acrobat, an HTML editor or a multimedia authoring tool (choice depending on the skill level of the students), and publish portfolios on optical media (CD or DVD recordable disk).
  
• If you have high speed Internet access in the classroom on a regular basis, then use one of the online software, services or strategies. There are many options available, depending on whether you have your own server or need a hosted solution. (p. 2).

According to Cohn and Hibbitts (2004), successful implementation of ePortfolios “stimulates our students to engage in reflective thinking” and provides “accreditation agencies with tangible evidence that students achieved standards-based outcomes” (p. 1). Additionally, students, upon graduation, can utilize their eportfolios as a marketing tool to “sell themselves” to potential employers (Cohn & Hibbitts, 2004).

Technique #2: Wikis
According to www.writingwiki.org,

• Wikis are free, online writing spaces. Wikis use simple formatting rules, so you don't need to understand HTML or an HTML authoring tools, such as Microsoft FrontPage or Dreamweaver.
• For some, wikis convey a highly collaborative view of composing and creativity. People who contribute to a wiki need to understand that their words may be deleted and changed by others. Wiki authors do not claim ownership of a text.
• When writers contribute to a public wiki, their work could potentially be read by millions of readers.
• Wikis give focus to the last draft, yet wikis provide a history. Each time the text is changed, a new version is saved. Anyone can go back later and see previous versions. This allows teachers and students to see the writing process in action.
• Wikis are generally published online, though desktop and gated wikis are possible. Permissions can be set to limit the readers and writers who participate.
• Textual authority is dialogical. Revision is privileged in the wiki. Each new reader can suddenly become a writer. The draft that matters is the last draft. Power and authority are given to the community rather than an individual or official staff.
• Wikis are designed specifically as a writing space. They are not a presentation space nor a course management system. Wikis make it possible - and necessary - for writers to continually build upon, revise, and edit an emerging text. (http://writingwiki.org/default.aspx/WritingWiki/For%20Teachers%20New%20to%20Wikis.html)

There are a variety of ways wikis can be utilized within higher education. The Wiki in Education web site provides numerous suggestions:

• Easily create simple websites - Typically when students are asked to create web sites as part of a class project, they have to rely on the chance that someone in a group knows how to make a web site, or that some sort of training is available. The wiki eliminates both obstacles, because it provides a ready to use site with a simple user interface, ability to easily add pages, and simple navigation structure. This allows students to spend more time developing the content of the site, instead of trying to learn how to make one.
• Project development with peer review - A wiki makes it easy for students to write, revise and submit as assignment, since all three activities can take place in the wiki. A student can be given a wiki page to develop a term paper, and might start by tracking their background research. This allows the teacher, and peers, to see what they're using, help them if they're off track, suggest other resources, or even get ideas based on what others find useful. Next, the student can draft the paper in the wiki, taking advantage of the wiki's automatic revision history that saves a before & after version of the document each time s/he makes changes. This allows the teacher and peers to see the evolution of the paper over time, and continually comment on it, rather than offering comments only on the final draft.
• Group authoring - Using a wiki "pulls" the group members together to build and edit the document on a wiki page, which strengthens the community within the group, allows group members with overlapping or similar ideas to see and collaboratively build on each other's work. It also allows all group members immediate, equal access to the most recent version of the document.
• Track a group project - Considering students' busy schedules, a wiki is very useful for tracking and completing group projects. It allows group members to track their research and ideas from anywhere they have internet access, helps them save time by seeing what sources others have already checked, then gives them a central place to collectively prepare the final product, i.e. write and edit a group paper or prepare the content of a powerpoint or keynote presentation.
• Data Collection - Because of its ease of editing, a wiki can be very useful for collecting data from a group of students.
• Review classes & teachers - Students at Brown University started a place for students to collaboratively write reviews of courses they've taken. Sites like CAW build on the general concept of sites like Rate my Professors by giving reviewers flexibility to articulate their impressions, and change them, so readers get richer reviews that combine multiple impressions and perspectives.
• Presentations - Some people are using a wiki in place of conventional presentation software, like Keynote and PowerPoint. (Pearce, 2007, p. 1).

Wikis provide instructors with a great alternative to the MS Word Document. From the research performed, emphasis has been placed on collaboration, innovation, and feedback. Wikis are another educational trend that is gaining recognition among universities such as Washington State University, Penn State University, Columbia University, and Brown University. The English Department at Bemidji State University states, "The New Writing is online writing: designing web sites, writing weblogs, and creating and managing wikis. New writers are redefining writing online, creating new forms and approaches for new audiences” (Pearce, 2007, p. 1).

References

Barrett, H. C. (2006). Authentic assessment with electronic portfolios using common software and web 2.0 tools. Retrieved November 18, 2007, from Electronic Portfolios Web site: http://electronicportfolios.org/web20.html

Cohn, E. R., & Hibbitts, B. J. (2004). Beyond the electronic portfolio: A lifetime personal web space. Educause Quarterly, 27, Retrieved November 18, 2007, from http://www.educause.edu/apps/eq/eqm04/eqm0441.asp?print=yes.

Cornish, E. (2004). Futuring: The exploration of the future. Bethesda, Maryland: World
Future Society.

DiBiase, D. (2007). ePortfolio. Retrieved November 18, 2007, from Penn State University Web site: http://eportfolio.psu.edu/about/e-PortfolioRationale.pdf

Moxley, J. (2006, August 8). For teachers new to wikis. Retrieved November 18, 2007,
from Writing Wiki Web site:
http://writingwiki.org/default.aspx/WritingWiki/For%20Teachers%20New%20to%20Wikis.html

Pearce, J. (2007, August). Using wiki in education. Retrieved November 18, 2007, from
The Science of Spectroscopy Web site: http://www.scienceofspectroscopy.info/edit/index.php?title=Using_wiki_in_education

Smelser, L (2002). Making connections in our classrooms: online and off. ERIC,
Retrieved June 28, 2007 from http://www.eric.ed.gov/ERICDocs/data/ericdocs2sql/content_storage_01/0000019b/80/1a/01/fe.pdf.