Read ‘What are web 2.0 technologies and why do they matter?’ by Charles Crook.
See if you can answer the question in the title for yourself. Make notes in your blog.
As suggested by Crook (2008), 2.0 implies that there is a step forward, an advance of the web, meaning that now we can do more with the web than what we could do before.
(a) What does Crook mean by the ‘virtualisation of exchange practices’? (p.6)
Virtualisation of exchange practices is the example given by Crook very succesfully, that the bricks and mortar contexts of real world trade to the electronic trafiic of virtual world trade. Thus, virtualisation reduces overheads and commodity prices are driven down as it is mentioned again in Crook's report.
(b) Would you agree that the learning dimensions that Crook sets out as characteristic of Web 2.0 can be grouped as either more social or more cognitive? (p.9)
Yes, I agree with the way that Crook presents them.
Read ‘Educational hopes and fears for Web 2.0’ by Neil Selwyn. Selwyn raises a number of fears on page 11, including disengagement and impact on ‘traditional’ literacies. Weller takes a different view.
(c) Which side of the argument do you favour at this stage?
I agree with Selwyn because all the drawbacks mentioned in the article, actually fears, do exist and there is a clear need to take them into consideration if we want to establish education 2.0.
Read ‘Learning and virtual worlds’ by Diane Carr.
(d) How is Second Life being used in ways that might counter the fears around Web 2.0? (Note that you will read more about Second Life in Week 25.)
First of all, students who are already experienced 3D animators or modellers find the modelling tools of Second Life bizarre and awkward and they often struggle more than other inexperienced users. Also, technically minded students may not see the point of Second Life and they want to make some real programming rather than play around in a fake world. Second Life as an educational setting, faces problems, like hardware problems, time lags due to varying internet connectivity and difficulties relating to class control and the formalising of lessons. Additionally, a motionless avatar could mean that a student is confused or alienated or simply the student went to make a coffee. Second Life sessions could be intense and potentially confusing for inexperienced users and there might be also struggle with the interface or with the communications either text or voice. Gamers might get disappointed with the graphics and the relative emptiness of Second Life.
Read ‘Learning and social networking’ by Neil Selwyn.
(e) Would you agree with Selwyn’s tentative conclusion that ‘the primary educational significance of social networking would appear to be its informal use’? (You may wish to revise your view later, when you have had more experience using social networking tools.)
I do not believe that the primary educational significance of social networking would be its informal use. There are also other uses too that are equally important.
W18 A2 The researcher's perspective
Consider also:
As suggested by Crook (2008), 2.0 implies that there is a step forward, an advance of the web, meaning that now we can do more with the web than what we could do before.
(a) What does Crook mean by the ‘virtualisation of exchange practices’? (p.6)
Virtualisation of exchange practices is the example given by Crook very succesfully, that the bricks and mortar contexts of real world trade to the electronic trafiic of virtual world trade. Thus, virtualisation reduces overheads and commodity prices are driven down as it is mentioned again in Crook's report.
(b) Would you agree that the learning dimensions that Crook sets out as characteristic of Web 2.0 can be grouped as either more social or more cognitive? (p.9)
Yes, I agree with the way that Crook presents them.
Read ‘Educational hopes and fears for Web 2.0’ by Neil Selwyn. Selwyn raises a number of fears on page 11, including disengagement and impact on ‘traditional’ literacies. Weller takes a different view.
(c) Which side of the argument do you favour at this stage?
I agree with Selwyn because all the drawbacks mentioned in the article, actually fears, do exist and there is a clear need to take them into consideration if we want to establish education 2.0.
Read ‘Learning and virtual worlds’ by Diane Carr.
(d) How is Second Life being used in ways that might counter the fears around Web 2.0? (Note that you will read more about Second Life in Week 25.)
First of all, students who are already experienced 3D animators or modellers find the modelling tools of Second Life bizarre and awkward and they often struggle more than other inexperienced users. Also, technically minded students may not see the point of Second Life and they want to make some real programming rather than play around in a fake world. Second Life as an educational setting, faces problems, like hardware problems, time lags due to varying internet connectivity and difficulties relating to class control and the formalising of lessons. Additionally, a motionless avatar could mean that a student is confused or alienated or simply the student went to make a coffee. Second Life sessions could be intense and potentially confusing for inexperienced users and there might be also struggle with the interface or with the communications either text or voice. Gamers might get disappointed with the graphics and the relative emptiness of Second Life.
Read ‘Learning and social networking’ by Neil Selwyn.
(e) Would you agree with Selwyn’s tentative conclusion that ‘the primary educational significance of social networking would appear to be its informal use’? (You may wish to revise your view later, when you have had more experience using social networking tools.)
I do not believe that the primary educational significance of social networking would be its informal use. There are also other uses too that are equally important.