Investigating the Enabling Role of Web 2.0 Technology for Interactive E-learning in Australia

Web 2.0 technology has caught much attention in e-learning due to their interactive nature, ease of use and readily availability. The extent to which web 2.0 technology supports interactive e-learning is however unclear. To adequately address this issue, this paper investigates the extent to which web 2.0 technology supports interactive e-learning and how web 2.0 technology influences the effectiveness of e-learning. Structural equation modelling is used for validating a proposed conceptual model using the survey data collected from Australia. The results reveal that web 2.0 technology support personal knowledge management, collaboration, instructional support and management of learning resources which are critical for interactive e-learning. Furthermore the results also show that the use of web 2.0 technology has a significant indirect impact on the effectiveness of e-learning in higher education in Australia

Investigating the enabling role of Web 2.0 technology for interactive e-learning in Australian and Sri Lankan higher education

Interactions are at the heart of e-learning as they enable learners to actively develop knowledge, acquire skills and develop the sense of belonging and satisfaction. Much attention is paid on developing interactive e-learning systems for facilitating active interactions between learners and learning resources, instructors and peer learners. Numerous technologies such as simulation technology and Web 2.0 technology are used to facilitate interactive e-learning to date. Those technologies support learners to interact with learning resources, instructors and peer learners to different extents. To facilitate interactive e-learning, it is important for educators and e-learning developers to understand how well technologies as above support interactions in e-learning. Web 2.0 technology has become popular around the world recently due to their ease of use, portability and high availability. Much research has been done on how Web 2.0 technology could be used for interactive e-learning. Existing research, however, has several limitations. For example, a majority of research has investigated how a specific Web 2.0 tool supports a specific kind of interactions in e-learning such as learner-learner interaction. Furthermore, much of existing research on Web 2.0 based interactive e-learning is conducted in developed countries. Whether Web 2.0 technology supports interactive e-learning in developing countries in a similar manner to developed countries, or whether developing countries could learn lessons from developed countries on using Web 2.0 technology for interactive e-learning are, therefore, not clear. This research aims to investigate the enabling role of Web 2.0 technology for interactive e-learning in higher education in Australia, a developed country and Sri Lanka, a developing country. To meet this aim, a quantitative research approach is adopted. Following this research approach, a conceptual framework on Web 2.0 based interactive e-learning developed based on a comprehensive review of the relevant literature, is validated using the survey data collected from learners in universities in Australia and Sri Lanka. The validation of the conceptual framework reveals that Web 2.0 technology supports the three major types of interactions in learning, namely, learner-learning resources, learner-instructor and learner-learner interactions in both Australia and Sri Lanka to a great extent. Furthermore, no significant differences are found on how Web 2.0 technology supports interactive e-learning in the above countries. The implication of these findings is that Web 2.0 tools could be used to improve the interactivity of e-learning. Another implication of this research is that new and more interactive e-learning systems can be developed by using Web 2.0 technology, in particular, for the purposes of managing learning resources, managing personal knowledge, delivering instructional support and collaborating in order to improve the effectiveness of e-learning. From a practical perspective, this study presents an in-depth investigation of how Web 2.0 technology can be used for improving the interactivity of e-learning in Australia and Sri Lanka. It also provides specific guidelines for developing interactive e-learning environments using Web 2.0 technology. From a theoretical perspective, this research finds that Web 2.0 technology could be used in developing countries and developed countries to improve the three major interactions in e-learning

Exploration Web 2.0 tools in initial teacher training

Nos últimos anos temos assistido a profundas transformações na sociedade, provocadas pelos rápidos avanços ao nível das Tecnologias de Informação e Comunicação (TIC), em geral, e pela evolução da Internet, em particular. Estas transformações promovem uma nova visão do conhecimento e da aprendizagem constituindo, por si só, um desafio para a Educação. A Web 2.0 apresenta-se como uma nova forma de comunicar, publicar e partilhar informação na Web, assente em tecnologias e ferramentas mais interactivas e fáceis de usar, que podem ser usadas com fins pedagógicos. Neste artigo apresenta-se uma experiência pedagógica de exploração de diversas ferramentas Web 2.0 como meio de produção individual e colectiva do conhecimento, suportando o processo de aprendizagem, de uma turma de 1º ano da formação inicial de professores. Os resultados obtidos comprovam o potencial educativo destas ferramentas e o importante papel que podem ter na actividade do futuro professor. In recent years we have seen profound changes in society caused by rapid progress of Information and Communication Technologies (ICT) in general and the Internet evolution in particular. These changes promote a new vision of knowledge and learning, thus posing a challenge for education. Web 2.0 is a new way to communicate, publish and share Web information, based on more interactive and easy to use technologies and tools that can be used for educational purposes. This article presents an educational experiment of exploration Web 2.0 tools as means of individual and collective production of knowledge, supporting the process of learning in a class of 1st year of a teacher training degree. The results show the educational potential of these tools as well as the important role that activity may have on the future teacher

Creating a Virtual Library Classroom Tool for Digital Age Youth

This article considers the changing learning practices of today’s digital youth, the Net Generation, and the use of digital technologies to create collaborative and interactive learning spaces to meet their needs.  Specifically, the author details the creation of SD62’s Online Library website, a project designed to explore the impact of e-reading on digital age youth in the classroom.  Through the concepts of connectivity, interactivity, and accessibility, it is argued that SD62’s Online Library highlights alternate approaches to online learning and provides a foundation for better integration of Web 2.0 technology into learning environments

Models of webcasts and webinars: towards interactive new-media webcasts.

In this paper we provide a context for models of webcasts and webinars from the perspective of a UK higher education Institution and the corporate training setting. Our synthesis of technical and pedagogic elements arises from these e-learning and marketing considerations and forms a proposal for the Interactive New-media Webcast design (INWeb). Three webcast models are compared with respect to moderated text discussion, the presenterʼs capacity and the type of content engagement for the online event as a key component of the new design model. These e-learning webcast models are triangulated with Garrisonʼs (2004) distance learning historical timeline and Pincasʼ (2007) collection of pedagogic designs known as the 3Ps (Presentation, Practice and Performance). A critique of our mini-case studies is our way to ground the e-learning theory in real-world examples of use. These webcast illustrations are presented from both a business and academic perspective. Mooreʼs (1993, 1996) Transactional Distance Theory (TDT) is critically reviewed for its application to the pedagogic design of the INWeb model. Dialogue and structure are analysed to see the impact on the autonomous learner as a webcast participant. The transactional distance between the webcast presenter and the online viewer/ callers is explored in the context of the webcast content as a learner-generated Web 2.0 dynamic resource for learning and marketing. Our summary reflections then discuss how the current webcast models may be extended if we provide a framework informed by the Evolutionary Graph Theory and Metcalfeʼs Law (Hendler, 2008) as possible theoretical positions to tie together the professional social network and Web 2.0 elements to future interactive New-media Webcast Designs

Heuristic Evaluation of an Institutional E-learning System: A Nigerian Case.

Many African academic institutions have adopted the use of elearning systems, since they enable students to learn at their own pace, time, and without restriction to the classroom. However, evidence of usability evaluation of e-learning systems in Africa is mostly lacking in the literature. This paper reports the experimental heuristic evaluation of the e-learning system of a Nigerian University. The objective is to demonstrate the application of expertbased usability evaluation techniques such as Heuristic evaluation for assessing the attributes of existing e-learning systems. The study revealed that while the e-learning system has strong credentials in terms of support for Web 2.0 activities, good learning content and boasts of useful e-learning features, improvements are necessary in other areas such as interactive learning, assessment and feedback, and quality of learning content. The study adds to the body of extant knowledge in the area of usability evaluation of e-learning systems in African institution

A Web-Based Collaborative e-Learning Environment Based on a Model of Social Cognitive Development Theories

Putting all powerful Web technologies like Cloud Computing and Web 2.0 technologies together in an e-learning environment maximizes the opportunity for learners to acquire knowledge and skills in an interactive, collaborative and social manner and decreases technical efforts and financial burdens on educational institutions. This research proposes a collaborative e-learning model that consists of six levels and six tasks based on four social cognitive development theories which are: Connectivism, Social Cognitive Development, Social Interdependence and Cognitive Elaboration Perspectives. The proposed collaborative e-learning model levels are: Networking, Contribution, Cognitive Disequilibrium, Origination of Social Interaction, Knowledge Evolving, and Cognitive Equilibrium. The tasks of the proposed collaborative e-learning model are: Knowledge Feeding, Knowledge Self-Reflection, Knowledge Negotiation, Knowledge Elaboration, Knowledge Accommodation and Knowledge Shifting. A rich Web-based collaborative e-learning environment called ShareSpace is developed as a realization of the proposed collaborative e-learning model. ShareSpace is evaluated based on the proposed collaborative e-learning model, on a framework for evaluating computer supported collaborative learning and on an adaptable usability heuristic checklist for online courses. ShareSpace is an interactive and flexible social collaborative e-learning environment which can be utilized by educational institutes and contributes to the overall goal of learning process which is maximizing the learning outcome

Advertising and Audiovisual Creativity athrough the Web : perational Training Projects Within the University

Nos encontramos ante un nuevo modo de consumir medios, ante una tecnología diferente. Estamos en la era del marketing interactivo, de la web 2.0 (y casi 3.0), donde la unión creatividad – tecnología es un par indisoluble. Así, durante varios cursos académicos se viene realizando en varias universidades andaluzas un proyecto piloto de creación de una web 2.0 como espacio de trabajo para crear e intercambiar ideas en el contexto de los estudios de Comunicación Audiovisual y Publicidad y RR.PP. Así, el aprendizaje basado en proyectos reales, uno de los principios del EEES, es el origen de esta iniciativa: la creación de un lugar de encuentro para la generación de ideas empresariales en el seno de la creatividad publicitaria y audiovisual.We are in a new way of consuming media, with a different technology. This is the internet era of interactive marketing, web 2.0 (almost 3.0), where the union creativity-technology is an inseparable pair. So, for several academic years, has been done in some Andalusian universities a pilot project to create a 2.0 webspaces to create and share ideas in the context of studies of Advertising and P.R. and Audiovisual creativity. Thus, the actual project-based learning, one of the principles of EEES, is the origin of this initiative: the creation of a meeting place for the generation of business ideas within an audiovisual and advertising creativity

Science in the New Zealand Curriculum e-in-science

This milestone report explores some innovative possibilities for e-in-science practice to enhance teacher capability and increase student engagement and achievement. In particular, this report gives insights into how e-learning might be harnessed to help create a future-oriented science education programme. “Innovative” practices are considered to be those that integrate (or could integrate) digital technologies in science education in ways that are not yet commonplace. “Future-oriented education” refers to the type of education that students in the “knowledge age” are going to need. While it is not yet clear exactly what this type of education might look like, it is clear that it will be different from the current system. One framework used to differentiate between these kinds of education is the evolution of education from Education 1.0 to Education 2.0 and 3.0 (Keats & Schmidt, 2007). Education 1.0, like Web 1.0, is considered to be largely a one-way process. Students “get” knowledge from their teachers or other information sources. Education 2.0, as defined by Keats and Schmidt, happens when Web 2.0 technologies are used to enhance traditional approaches to education. New interactive media, such as blogs, social bookmarking, etc. are used, but the process of education itself does not differ significantly from Education 1.0. Education 3.0, by contrast, is characterised by rich, cross-institutional, cross-cultural educational opportunities. The learners themselves play a key role as creators of knowledge artefacts, and distinctions between artefacts, people and processes become blurred, as do distinctions of space and time. Across these three “generations”, the teacher’s role changes from one of knowledge source (Education 1.0) to guide and knowledge source (Education 2.0) to orchestrator of collaborative knowledge creation (Education 3.0). The nature of the learner’s participation in the learning also changes from being largely passive to becoming increasingly active: the learner co-creates resources and opportunities and has a strong sense of ownership of his or her own education. In addition, the participation by communities outside the traditional education system increases. Building from this framework, we offer our own “framework for future-oriented science education” (see Figure 1). In this framework, we present two continua: one reflects the nature of student participation (from minimal to transformative) and the other reflects the nature of community participation (also from minimal to transformative). Both continua stretch from minimal to transformative participation. Minimal participation reflects little or no input by the student/community into the direction of the learning—what is learned, how it is learned and how what is learned will be assessed. Transformative participation, in contrast, represents education where the student or community drives the direction of the learning, including making decisions about content, learning approaches and assessment

The emergence of the exciting new Web 3.0 and the future of open educational resources

There is a general idea that video games can teach skills that are important in today’s society, namely: analytical thinking, construction of hypotheses, development of strategies, creativity, team building, multitasking, decision making and problem solving. This idea frequently extends to situations that involve some kind of stress and require fast decisions. On the other hand, there is a perception that e-learning can benefit from video games, specially because they can make complex subjects more interesting and are able to cope with up-and-coming learning profiles. Avatar-based worlds, such as Second Life, possibly will provide for a richer, more effective and more enjoyable experience for students. The materialization of the so-called Web 3.0 (Second Life, Divvio, Joost and VRML/X3D worlds) following the mainstream collaborative and social Web 2.0 (MySpace, Pandora, YouTube), seems to be marked by this mix of humanlike avatars, intelligent agents and rich multimedia features that live happily within interactive 3D environments. No matter how interesting this may be for education, more research and practical experience are needed to make clear which features of games and 3D worlds are more important for nowadays learning and in what ways we can test students on the skills they actually learn. This paper investigates emergent experiences involving multimedia, video games and 3D environments freely available on the Web, and explores new ways to make e-learning more effective in the future realm of Open Educational Resources.info:eu-repo/semantics/publishedVersio