GUNI > B. Tecnologías del conocimiento para la transformación social > Web 2.0 and Higher Education: Pedagogical Implications

B. Tecnologías del conocimiento para la transformación social

Web 2.0 and Higher Education: Pedagogical Implications

Luís Simões

PhD Student

University Fernando Pessoa

Portugal

Luís Borges Gouveia

Associate Professor

University Fernando Pessoa

Portugal

Abstract

Education is arguably one of the most important issues that any Society must discuss and need to consider its reinforcement. Colleges and Universities have the key role in promoting high quality and reliable education and the knowledge development, but are far from being the only (or even the main) source of information and knowledge nowadays, due to the expansion of new forms of communication (most notably the Internet).

In places like Europe and the United States, there is a new generation of students entering Higher Education institutions which has grown within an environment where information technology has opened unprecedented opportunities of social interaction and peer-construction of knowledge. Also, the emergence of social software has enabled people to connect and collaborate throughout computer-mediated communication and to easily form online communities.

On the other hand, projects like the One Laptop per Child (NEGROPONTE, 2005), allied with the exponential growth of computer and internet capabilities makes any debate about the impact of ICT in Education extensible to countries that have been so far deprived of this kind of technology.

New cultural, educational and inter-personal phenomena are clearly emerging from the use of technologies capable of enhancing social networking (O’REILLY, 2004; OBLINGER & OBLINGER, 2005), but little research has been made addressing the psycho-pedagogical foundations and implications of this new technologies.

Departing from an analysis of the new “social web” from diverse theoretical perspectives, namely Social Constructivism (VYGOTSKY, 1978), Constructionism (PAPERT, 1993; STAGER, 2005), Distributed Cognition (SALOMON, 1993; HUTCHINS, 1995), Situated Learning (LAVE & WENGER, 1991; LOW & O’CONNELL, 2006) , Collective Intelligence (LÉVY, 1997; SUN, 2006), we intend to address those challenges, in order to:

a) explore and clarify the potential and limitations of the so-called “Web 2.0” (O’REILLY, 2004) in Higher Education, doing so from a psychological oriented perspective, and not from a technological one, fulfilling a persistent request (e.g. ATTWELL, 2004; STAGER, 2005) in this field for discussions on the psycho-pedagogical foundations of learning mediated by the new technological tools;

b) explore those potentials and limitations in the context of a debate of what is or should be the social mission of the University, faced with the challenges that today’s information and communication technologies pose upon it’s traditional role, by transforming the ways in which knowledge can be created, shared and transformed collectively, outside the borders of formal institutions and traditional reward systems;

c) suggest new forms of teaching that take into account the psychology of the new publics of Higher Education, in terms of the expectations, needs and cognitive characteristics of students previously exposed to computers and the Internet (TAPSCOTT, 1997; OBLINGER & OBLINGER, 2005).

Higher Education Institutions (HEIs) are facing strong pressures to adjust their methods of knowledge creation, sharing and preservation (and even the way the knowledge evaluation process is conducted), due to the technological changes of the past years. Many of the major HEIs are already testing new forms of accomplishing their social mission. We can state, as examples, initiatives like the MIT “Opencourseware”, Berkeley’s “Webcast.Berkeley” initiative or the Open University’s (UK) “OpenLearn” project, only to name a few leading schools that are adopting forms of communication that were unforeseen a mere decade ago.

The adoption of new methods of teaching and assessing knowledge must be preceded by a careful analysis of their pedagogical justification, educational advantages and practical implications. There are persistent complains about the use of information and communication technology in educational contexts without a solid psycho-pedagogical foundation (e.g. ATTWELL, 2004; BARONE, 2005; STAGER, 2005). But even seemingly “obvious” assumptions, like taking for granted that students value the use of Web 2.0 tools in the context of their college education, have been disputed by some, based on empirical data (OBLINGER & OBLINGER, 2005). It is therefore urgent to evaluate the real need and utility of these technologies before broadly and uncritically implement them. Technologically, it is very easy to make Web 2.0 services available on-campus, but the pedagogical justification deserves great attention.

A relevant aspect of current ICT technology is its read/write nature, that allows for a style of education in which students can alternate with their teachers in the role of being active and leading the processes of learning and knowledge construction (ROBERTS, 2005). This characteristic of Web 2.0 tools is highly in conformity with VYGOTSKY’s (1978) and PAPERT’s (1993) pedagogical ideas, which have been applied very successfully in the last decades by Educators all over the World.

Another very relevant concept interlinked with social network technologies and current ICT is that of a “Community of Practice” (LAVE & WENGER, 1991): learners are seen as participants of a framework that has social structure, rather than being passive elements that acquire models of a static world. Peer-pressure to enhance performance and to participate in collective activities is a factor that promotes the building of ethical relationships between people involved in a Community of Practice. Those ideas, although have been adopted widely in a knowledge management context within organizations, are just beginning their debuts in HEIs.

The idea of “Collective Intelligence”, despite being around for more that a decade (e.g. LEVY, 1997), is now giving rise to new insights on educational processes (DOWNES, 2006), and emergent phenomena like “wikis” (e.g.“Wikipedia”) are a good demonstration of the power of collaboration through technology.

After an integrative reflection about the psychological, educational and ethical implications of using “Web 2.0” in college education, comprising both traditional theories of learning and education (like Social Constructivism or Constructionism), and newer concepts like Collective Intelligence, Connectivism and Situated Learning, all the recommendations derived from the literature and the empirical studies reviewed will be synthesized. Our conclusion emphasizes the importance of harnessing the power of groups interlinked by Web 2.0 ICT tools. In order to take advantage of “network effects”, open, participatory architectures for ICT systems must be used. Students must be allowed and encouraged to produce their own content. Social networking technologies have the potential to enhance the dynamics of communication between life, word and school, thus creating meaningful educational experiences, adapted to both students’ expectations and Information Society’s requirements, taking into account that we are now in a true global society and thus, HEIs must provide the knowledge to develop a global citizenship.

Proposed structure:

1. The University and the “Social Web” Challenge

1.1. Community, Participation and Higher Education

1.2. Collective Intelligence, Collaboration and the University

2. The New Public(s) of Higher Education

2.1. The “Net Generation”: A Psychological Profile

2.2. Non-traditional Students and Life-long Learners

3. Learning in a Connected World

3.1. Learning, Society and Psychological Development