Monday, October 8, 2007

Web 2.0 -- Keeping Your Options Open

Fair Warning: This may seem like a strange posting to follow my "Lose the Tools . . ." posting (or more accurately, my online rant). However, I'd like to focus briefly on ways to stay current on technologies that have potential for use in eLearning.

In a previous course, we discussed the merits and possible disadvantages of Web 2.0 tools. While we had a number of debates on the best use of blogs, wikis, del.icio.us tags and other Web 2.0 options, my classmates and I came to the consensus that we need to stay up-to-date with emerging ideas. After all, one or more of these ideas / tools might resonate with a specific set of learners and help us, as instructional designers, support the corresponding learning outcomes.

Yet, as anyone who spends anytime on the web can tell you, things change very quickly. It's hard to stay current and, often, to even know where to begin. While the Go2Web20 directory is not geared towards elearning, it can provide you with a solid place to start your Web 2.0 research.

Just don't become dazzled by your options. Always remember your learners' needs, habits, preferences, technical capabilities . . . and the list goes on . . .

8 comments:

Anonymous said...

How cool! I think it's going to take me a while to get over the "wow factor" and start looking for practical, learner based uses for all of this stuff. I'll let you know how that goes.
Debra

CRodrigo said...

What an application screen. I looked over a few and found some that I would like to download.

Brent G. Wilson said...

I see this follow-up post as completely consistent with your earlier "tools" post. Again, the issue is, how we can keep up with changes in the field, and what kind of stance should we adopt as professionals? These are critical questions for eLearning professionals.

Second Life is something I'm ambivalent about right now. On the one hand, I can clearly see a future where environments like these will be a primary means of learning and interacting with others. In the other hand, in my opinion, right now most of the attention comes from curiosity and dreamy hopes for these environments - and a band-wagon effect not to be left out of new practices. It's partly a self-fulfilling prophecy, where people EXPECT it to be done, so it is done - but learning is secondary to fashion.

Mixed feelings about these issues - welcome to the profession!

Unknown said...

I'm with Debra - totally awed by the wow factor! I feel like the pace of life is accelerating at an exponential rate. As educators, I feel like we have an obligation to keep updating our knowledge of new technologies, but how is that possible when they proliferate faster than I have time to check them out? I'd love to hear how others are managing to control the feeling that we're drinking from a firehose!
K

erin noseworthy said...

Ahhhh.... am I the only one overwhelmed?!

This is a great resource though Betsy, thank you for sharing.

You did a nice job tying your previous post and this one together. This post only emphasis what you stated last week.

Nice work. I'm really enjoying your blog.

Anonymous said...

Thanks for the link! I added it to my list of resources.

James Blake Worley said...

Cool, thanks for the link. I will try to use it wisely. =0)

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