Blog 5

Grosseck, Gabriela. “To Use or Not to Use web 2.0 in Higher Education.” ScienceDirect www.sciencedirect.com Web 8 June, 2010.

In this article, the author, from West University of Timisoara in Romania, argues that educators should embrace Web 2.0 technologies, “because teachers can foster collaborative work not only among their own students, but with colleagues, students, and community members from around the world.”

This article is great for my peers because it includes a comprehensive list of opportunities and challenges that Web 2.0 offers for college-level writing classes. Included in the list of advantages is reduction of costs, quick access to information, a variety of options, sharing experiences and resources, and low level of complexity. Disadvantage include inadequate Internet connections, variations between types of browsers, low quality of actual content, encourages complaints, lack of rules, limited security, and consumer of time.

Grosseck also lists reasons why educators resist new technologies: technological immaturity, indifference, and the erosion of creativity among instructors to name just a few. On the other hand, she realizes that if these tools are not presented properly (not course-objective based or goal based), they may not benefit the learner.

I find it hard for the student not to benefit from learning new technologies in all classes. For example, using the Blackboard discussion board in a math class for students to introduce themselves to each other can be beneficial to the student simply because they are learning and practicing a skill that can be used in other classes. Math teachers, on the other hand, may think that it isn’t their job to teach student how to use Bb. For example, students may actually learned more about the features of Microsoft Word in a freshman writing class than when they take the information technology course that focuses on Word. Purpose and application makes all the difference in the world.

Another point that the author fails to mention is the joy that comes when students (and faculty) learn something by what may appear to be an accident. Jim Gritton calls this “serendipitous learning”. We have all experienced this when browsing online for information or doing research online. I find it is exciting to find a jewel (article I can use) when I least expect it. Yet, just as Gritton points out that scientist find cures by “accident”, I find what I need when doing research because I am doing a great job researching my topic.

When these technologies are properly planned and executed in a writing class, the instructor may still experience resistance and the student may be frustrated initially, but with practice, good writing and communication skills will be developed. Students learn from each other in chats, discussion boards, blogs, wikis, Twitter, and other tools in a way that can feel like serendipitous learning. That is the joy of a well-planned activity or session.



Gritton, Jim. “Can serendipitous browsing lead to serendipitous learning?” FutureLab Innovation in Education. Sept. 2007. Web 7 June 2010.
http://www.futurelab.org.uk/resources/publications-reports-articles/web-articles/Web-Article795