Students' conceptions and experiences of Web 2.0 tools

Sirje Virkus, Alice A. Bamigbola, (2011) "Students' conceptions and experiences of Web 2.0 tools", New Library World, Vol. 112 Iss: 11/12, pp.479 - 489. DOI: 10.1108/03074801111190473

Abstract

Purpose – This paper aims to present the results of a study that investigated the Erasmus Mundus Digital Library Learning (DILL) Master programme students' conceptions and experiences of the use of Web 2.0 tools.

Design/methodology/approach – The study adopted phenomenography as a research approach to identify DILL students' conceptions and experiences of Web 2.0 tools. Semi-structured interviews with open-ended questions were conducted with 12 students from Africa and Asia within the DILL Master programme.

Findings – The data analysis revealed four categories of descriptions of Web 2.0 tools: communication, educational, professional and multi-purpose. For each category of descriptions preferred Web 2.0 tools were identified.

Research limitations/implications – The study analyses only conceptions and experiences of the use of Web 2.0 tools of 12 DILL students. This small group of students was from Africa and Asia and, therefore, the results should not be generalized to describe all DILL students' conceptions and experiences of the use of Web 2.0 tools.

Practical implications – The results of this study can be taken into consideration when designing and delivering a DILL programme. In order to use technologies to support learning there is a need to understand and know what students do with these new technological tools.

Originality/value – This paper supports the idea of integration of information and communication technologies into education and highlights the potential of Web 2.0 tools to support teaching and learning in the higher education setting.

Keywords: Communication tools, Digital libraries, Educational tools, Higher education, Individual perception, Librarians, Phenomenography, Professional tools, Students, Web 2.0 >

Managing Boundaries in the Web 2.0 Classroom

McEwan, B. (2012), Managing boundaries in the Web 2.0 classroom. New Directions for Teaching and Learning, 2012: 15–28. doi: 10.1002/tl.20024

Abstract

This chapter explores the use of social media in the higher education classroom highlighting potential issues for student–faculty boundary management and providing suggestions for praxis. >

A pilot study in using web 2.0 to aid academic writing skills

This paper appears in:
Open Systems (ICOS), 2010 IEEE Conference on
Date of Conference: 5-7 Dec. 2010
Author(s): Tulaboev, A.
Comput. & Inf. Sci. Dept., Univ. Teknol. PETRONAS, Tronoh, Malaysia
Oxley, A.
Page(s): 45 - 50
Product Type: Conference Publications
Topic(s) : Bioengineering ; Communication, Networking & Broadcasting ; Computing & Processing (Hardware/Software) ; General Topics for Engineers (Math, Science & Engineering)
Conference Location : Kuala Lumpur
Print ISBN: 978-1-4244-9193-3
INSPEC Accession Number: 11837611
Digital Object Identifier : 10.1109/ICOS.2010.5720062
Date of Current Version : 24 February 2011
Issue Date : 5-7 Dec. 2010

Abstract

Today a wide range of Web 2.0 applications (such as Facebook, Twitter, Blogs, RSS, Podcasts and Wikis) are giving new challenges and opportunities in teaching and learning. The work described here concerns a pilot study to investigate the acceptability and effectiveness of using web 2.0 as an aid to learning. The work focuses on a university course on academic writing skills. The role of Web 2.0 applications are studied in building informal classes for traditional students and in adopting Web 2.0 practices by educators responsible for delivering existing courses. The extension of the UTAUT model is used as a research framework to evaluate the acceptability and effectiveness of web 2.0 applications. >