ALLT2012Memo5

ALLT2012Memo4

Web2.0

What is Web2.0? †

• Examples
  • Twitter
  • Google
  • Facebook
  • Flickers
  • Delicious
• Definitions
  • user-generated content
  • collective intelligence
  • facilitate participatory information sharing
    • interoperability
    • user-centered design
    • collaboration
• Tim O'Reilly sees Web2.0 as a business revolution

Characteristics †

• web as a platform for applications
• textual and multimedia information creation & sharing
• user participation & collaboration

Optimism about Web2.0 †

• Sociocultural/social constructivist learning
  • Vygotskyan notion of social interactions

• Scepticism about Web2.0
  • Technologies are often over-hyped.
  • After the hype, there is disappointment but little change.

SNS †

• Livemocha (http://www.livemocha.com)
  • offers online learning exercises and networking with native speakers around the world

• SNS & Language Learning (Harrison & Thomas 2009)
  • 6 postgraduate students learn languages using Livemocha
  • Data collected through clasroom observations
    • Students not willing to expose their real identities
    • Difficult to manage friendship and build relationship
  • 1 out of 6 only was really taking advantage of the program

Weblogs †

• Blogsites
  • http://www.blogger.com
  • http://wordpress.com
• Blob use:
  • Fostering learner reflections
  • Providing opportunities for supplementary reading and writing practice
  • Building of learner communities
• How ready are students?
  • Pinkman & Bortolin (2006): 11 of 87 students continued 6 months after study
  • Wu (2005): 68% did not invite others
• Meaning-focused interactions

Podcasting †

• Strength
  • Listening
  • Delivering cultural information
  • Supports situated and informal learning

• Handouts and PDFs
  • Onscreen iPod texts