Challenges for Teacher Education for Web 2.0 Technologies

Challenges for the designers of  Web 2.0 developmental programmes

 Round one in the world of the Web, cast users as observers  to whatever was written or illustrated on a particular web page.  Web 2.0 technologies go a step further.  (Hayman 2007) found in (Coutinho, 2010) ‘defines Web 2.0 tools as a “cluster of web-based technologies services with a social collaboration and sharing component, where the community as a whole contributes, takes control, votes and ranks contents and contributions” (Coutinho, 2010). 

  

Web 2.0 technologies  include Facebook, Twitter, blogs, wikis and more.  The list is expanding.  The reality is, however, there is a sizeable gap between the potential (of these technological tools) and the actual implementation of them in education thus far.

I have been exploring the question of technological development programmes for teachers of e-Learning. This is a central issue for the effective implementation of Web 2.0 technologies in education.  My recent reading has been focused on finding out about initiatives being launched that address this matter.  If the potential of Web 2.0 technologies is going to be realized in education it is apparent that teachers will need professional development tailored to accommodate this new style of learning.  

Pedagogy for technology is now a well defined field of study (Conole, 2010). The style of teaching with technologies differs from traditional models in important ways:  students, adopting the constructivist approach, are self-directed, they making meaning from their experience into their own way of thinking and learning.  Students can and do design their own forms of inquiry, create their own meanings and innovate in collaboration with others.  In order to adapt to their changing role, teachers need learn a new style of pedagogy.

Unlike the traditional linear teaching approach, teaching technologies is non-linear  and key to developing skills in this area is a reflective component.  A Reflective Cycle was of central importance to the success of the Christchurch ICT Cluster programme (Walker, 2002) where teachers from a select group of three schools in the city participated in a three-year developmental programme that would assist them in the incorporation of technologies into their classrooms.  The teachers needed time to monitor the patterns of change and reflect on their experiences in order to make their own connections.  

Pedagogical practices that reflect on theories and practice were considered to be pivotal in the adoption and implementation of effective pedagogical development for e-Learning instructors at the Western Dakota Technical Institute and the School of Education, University of South Dakota (Bailey & Card, 2009). Implicit in observations of these instructors was the time needed to reflect and discuss outcomes and experiences of teaching online practices.  

The Open University in the UK has launched a digital programme (‘Cloudworks’ )designed to promote the use of Web 2.0 tools in education.  The programme is called the Open University Learning Design Initiative  (http://ouldi.open.ac.uk) which focuses on the design of teacher resources and strategies to help teachers, students, education specialists and others, to (collectively) establish and maintain a digital platform to inform and share knowledge and experience which will enhance the effective use of Web 2.0 technologies in education.  (http://ouldi.ac.uk).  It is supported by the Hewlett-funded Olnet initiatives (http://olnet.org).  The approach of the group is to investigate the ‘development of innovative learning activities and open educational resources’  for teachers of Web 2.0 technologies.  (Conole et.al) This is a digital version of the ‘organizations/institutions I envisaged in an earlier blog dedicated specifically for the training of teachers using technologies.  The collaborative nature of ‘Cloudworks’ is a micro version of the constructivist approach to learning in classrooms.  The programme was launched in 2009 and continues to grow.

One of the challenges facing educational policy makers is the design of developmental programmes used to introduce a new pedagogy for teachers of e-Learning. The drive to close the gap between the potential and real use of Web 2.0 technologies in education is ongoing.

Bailey, C. J., & Card, K. A. (2009). Effective pedagogical practices for online teaching: Perception of experienced instructors. Internet and Higher Education, 12(3-4), 152-155.

Conole, G. (2010). Facilitating new forms of discourse for learning and teaching: harnessing the power of Web 2.0 practices. Open learning: the Journal of Open, Distance and e-Learning, 25(2), 141-151.

Coutinho, C. P. (2010). Challenges for teacher education in the learning society: Case studies of promising practice. In H. H. Yang (Ed.), Handbook of research on practices and outcomes in e-learning: issues and trends: Information Science Reference.

Walker, R. (2002). A reflective cycle for teacher learnin: the Christchurch ICT Cluster project. In G. F. Hoban (Ed.), Teacher learning for educational change: A systems thinking approach (pp. 115-142). Buckingham Philadelphia: Open University Press.