Journal Article•
Web 2.0 and Virtual World Technologies: A Growing Impact on IS Education
01 Mar 2009-The Journal of information and systems in education (Journal of Information Systems Education (JISE). c/o Al Harris, JISE Editor, Department of Computer Information Systems, Walker College of Business, Appalachian State University, Boone, NC 28608. Tel: 828-262-6180; Fax: 828-262-6190; e-mail: jise@appstate.edu; Web site: http://www.jise.appstate.edu/index.htm)-Vol. 20, Iss: 2, pp 137-144
TL;DR: With information systems (IS) classrooms quickly filling with the Google/Facebook generation accustomed to being connected to information sources and social networks all the time and in many forms, how can these technologies be used to transform, supplement, or even supplant current pedagogical practices?
Abstract: 1. INTRODUCTION Whether it is a social networking site like Facebook, a video stream delivered via YouTube, or collaborative discussion and document sharing via Google Apps, more people are using Web 2.0 and virtual world technologies in the classroom to communicate, express ideas, and form relationships centered around topical interests. Virtual Worlds immerse participants even deeper in technological realms rife with interaction. Instead of simply building information, people create entire communities comprised of self-built worlds and avatars centered around common interests, learning, or socialization in order to promote information exchange. With information systems (IS) classrooms quickly filling with the Google/Facebook generation accustomed to being connected to information sources and social networks all the time and in many forms, how can we best use these technologies to transform, supplement, or even supplant current pedagogical practices? Will holding office hours in a chat room make a difference? What about creating collaborative Web content with Wikis? How about demonstrations of complex concepts in a Virtual World so students can experiment endlessly? In this JISE special issue, we will explore these questions and more. 2. TYPES OF WEB 2.0 TECHNOLOGIES Web 2.0 technologies encompass a variety of different meanings that include an increased emphasis on user generated content, data and content sharing, collaborative effort, new ways of interacting with Web-based applications, and the use of the Web as a social platform for generating, repositioning and consuming content. The beginnings of the shared content nature of Web 2.0 appeared in 1980 in Tim Berners-Lee's prototype Web software. However, the content sharing aspects of the Web were lost in the original rollout, and did not reappear until Ward Cunningham wrote the first wiki in 1994-1995. Blogs, another early part of the Web 2.0 phenomenon, were sufficiently developed to gain the name weblogs in 1997 (Franklin & van Harmelen, 2007). The first use of the term Web 2.0 was in 2004 (Graham, 2005; O'Reilly, 2005a; O'Reilly, 2005b) "Web 2.0" refers to a perceived second generation of Web development and design that facilitates communications and secures information sharing, interoperability, and collaboration on the World Wide Web. Web 2.0 concepts have led to the development and evolution of Web-based communities, hosted services, and applications; such as social-networking sites, video-sharing sites, wikis, blogs, and folksonomies" (Web 2.0, 2009). The emphasis on user participation--also known as the "Read/Write" Web characterizes most people's definitions of Web 2.0. There are many types of Web 2.0 technologies and new offerings appear almost daily. The followng are some basic categories in which we can classify most Web 2.0 offerings. 2.1 Wikis A "wiki" is a collection of Web pages designed to enable anyone with access to contribute or modify content, using a simplified markup language, and is often used to create collaborative Websites. (Wiki, 2009). One of the best known wikis is Wikipedia. Wikis can be used in education to facilitate knowledge systems powered by students (Raman, Ryan, & Olfman, 2005). 2.2 Blogs A blog (weblog) is a type of Website, usually maintained by an individual with regular commentary entries, event descriptions, or other material such as graphics or video. One example of the use of blogs in education is the use of question blogging, a type of blog that answers questions. Moreover, these questions and discussions can be a collaborative endeavor among instructors and students. Wagner (2003) addressed using blogs in education by publishing learning logs. 2.3 Podcasts A podcast is a digital media file, usually digital audio or video that is freely available for download from the Internet using software that can handle RSS feeds (Podcast, 2009). …
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214 citations
Cites background from "Web 2.0 and Virtual World Technolog..."
...Social networking technologies have several advantages such as create new methods of interaction, collaboration, and the ability to share and create content [7]....
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TL;DR: The authors explored how a selected sample of secondary school students in Ontario have been using Facebook since it has become accessible to them and whether or not this use "supports the learning agenda" of classrooms as school boards have envisioned.
Abstract: The article will explore how a selected sample of secondary school students in Ontario have been using Facebook since it has become accessible to them and whether or not this use “supports the learning agenda” of classrooms as school boards have envisioned. The researchers collected both quantitative and qualitative data from 63 Ontario high school students via a questionnaire distributed through Facebook. Stating many examples of use for educational purposes, 73% of respondents reported having used Facebook for educational purposes. Of the students surveyed, only 27% said that at least one teacher had found ways to include Facebook in their lessons, and further, 77% of students believed that teachers do not support Facebook being unblocked. The results of this research point to a need for the better utilization of Facebook in classrooms and the need for school boards who choose to “embrace” the increasing popularity of social media to implement programs that better ensure teachers also feel comfortable enough to embrace this informal teaching tool.
204 citations
TL;DR: In this article, the authors identified market segments among future students based on the use of the social media and examined the impact of social media on the choice of a higher education program and institution.
Abstract: The importance of social media as platforms of social interaction, communication and marketing is growing. Increasing numbers of businesses in various industries have already integrated or plan to integrate social media applications into their marketing programs. Higher education institutions show increased interest in the potential of social media as a marketing tool. Particularly important is the potential of these tools to reach and attract future students. An important issue for research is to understand how potential students use social media and what their role is in the decision making process of choosing a program of study, a University, or College. This paper identifies market segments among future students based on the use of the social media and examines the impact of the social media on the choice of a higher education program and institution. The study is based on data collected by means of a national survey among future university students in the Netherlands. Future students are pupils from ...
196 citations
TL;DR: In this paper, the authors investigated how social media facilitates teaching and learning and found that if appropriately deployed, Twitter and blogs are catalysts for the much hyped learner-centered approach to teaching because using these technologies, students shared and discussed course materials, posted their course reflections and interacted amongst themselves and with their lecturer 24/7.
Abstract: Social media has taken many sectors including the higher education by storm. However, with wide spread fears that social media may be a distractor to pedagogy, this paper investigated how social media facilitates teaching and learning. Unlike most prior studies which relied much on soliciting mere views from students and lecturers about their intentions to use or not to use social media, this study incorporated Twitter and blogs into two undergraduate courses offered in the Department of Library and Information Science at Mzuzu University which is a public university in Malawi. Data were collected in two ways: first, analysis of blog and Twitter posts by students and second, a questionnaire was sent to 64 students to find out their perception towards the use of blogs and Twitter in a classroom environment. Results suggest that if appropriately deployed, Twitter and blogs are catalysts for the much hyped learner-centred approach to teaching because using these technologies, it emerged that students shared and discussed course materials, posted their course reflections and interacted amongst themselves and with their lecturer 24/7. Challenges faced include cost of internet data bundles, inaccessible Wi-Fi, poor bandwidths and insufficient computers.
196 citations
Cites background from "Web 2.0 and Virtual World Technolog..."
...Barczyk and Duncan (2011: 271) and Harris and Rea (2009) highlight additional challenges which include absence of computing resources, disruption of web-based resources and plagiarism due to openness of content whereby students can copy and paste....
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TL;DR: It is found that although instructor behaviors was the strongest predictor of any of the three outcome variables (perceived learning), only student behaviors (operationalized as social presence) significantly predicted all three (course grades, perceived learning and delivery medium satisfaction).
Abstract: Considering the increasingly challenging resource environments in many business schools, this study examined whether course technologies, learner behaviors or instructor behaviors best predict online course outcomes so that administrators and support personnel can prioritize their efforts and investments. Based on reviewing prior online and blended management education literature, we hypothesized that instructor behaviors would be most predictive of online course outcomes. However, our study of 48 online Master of Business Administration courses found that although instructor behaviors (operationalized as teaching presence) was the strongest predictor of any of our three outcome variables (perceived learning), only student behaviors (operationalized as social presence) significantly predicted all three (course grades, perceived learning and delivery medium satisfaction). Technological characteristics, operationalized using variables from the technology acceptance model and media variety, predicted perceived learning (perceived ease of use) and delivery medium satisfaction (perceived usefulness). The paper provides recommendations for instructors and administrators based on the findings, specifically advocating for a balance between instructor and administrator involvement in course design, presentation and conduct. The paper concludes by describing research opportunities regarding the roles of social presence in and collaborative approaches to online learning in business schools.
110 citations
References
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Posted Content•
TL;DR: This paper was the first initiative to try to define Web 2.0 and understand its implications for the next generation of software, looking at both design patterns and business modes.
Abstract: This paper was the first initiative to try to define Web2.0 and understand its implications for the next generation of software, looking at both design patterns and business modes. Web 2.0 is the network as platform, spanning all connected devices; Web 2.0 applications are those that make the most of the intrinsic advantages of that platform: delivering software as a continually-updated service that gets better the more people use it, consuming and remixing data from multiple sources, including individual users, while providing their own data and services in a form that allows remixing by others, creating network effects through an "architecture of participation," and going beyond the page metaphor of Web 1.0 to deliver rich user experiences.
7,513 citations
Additional excerpts
...The first use of the term Web 2.0 was in 2004 (Graham, 2005; O'Reilly, 2005a; O'Reilly, 2005b) "Web 2.0" refers to a perceived second generation of Web development and design that facilitates communications and secures information sharing, interoperability, and collaboration on the World Wide Web....
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22 Sep 1995
TL;DR: Collaborative learning as discussed by the authors is an instruction method in which students at various performance levels work together in small groups toward a common goal, where the students are responsible for one another's learning as well as their own.
Abstract: The concept of collaborative learning, the grouping and pairing of students for the purpose of achieving an academic goal, has been widely researched and advocated throughout the professional literature. The term “collaborative learning” refers to an instruction method in which students at various performance levels work together in small groups toward a common goal. The students are responsible for one another’s learning as well as their own. Thus, the success of one student helps other students to be successful.
1,630 citations
"Web 2.0 and Virtual World Technolog..." refers background in this paper
...4.1.3 Collaboration and Competition Increases Learning: There is a large body of research that has documented the beneficial effects of collaborative learning for college students (see Gokhale, 1995; Nowak, et al., 1996; Galagan, 2009)....
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Book•
01 Jan 2003
TL;DR: Designing Virtual Worlds as mentioned in this paper is the most comprehensive treatment of virtual world design to date from one of the true pioneers and most sought-after design consultants, covering everything from MUDs to MOOs to MMORPGs, from text-based to graphical VWs.
Abstract: Designing Virtual Worlds is the most comprehensive treatment of virtual world design to-date from one of the true pioneers and most sought-after design consultants. It's a tour de force of VW design, stunning in intellectual scope, spanning the literary, economic, sociological, psychological, physical, technological, and ethical underpinnings of design, while providing the reader with a deep, well-grounded understanding of VW design principles. It covers everything from MUDs to MOOs to MMORPGs, from text-based to graphical VWs.Designing Virtual Worlds brings a rich, well-developed approach to the design concepts behind virtual worlds. It is grounded in the earliest approaches to such designs, but the examples discussed in the book run the gamut from the earliest MUDs to the present-day MMORPG games mentioned above. It teaches the reader the actual, underlying design principles that many designers do not understand when they borrow or build from previous games. There is no other design book on the market in the area of online games and virtual worlds that provides the rich detail, historical context, and conceptual depth of Designing Virtual Worlds.
917 citations
"Web 2.0 and Virtual World Technolog..." refers background in this paper
...This socialization and collaboration aspect keeps students interested and motivated, and Linden Labs has provided the tools and the framework to foster this interaction (Bartle, 2004)....
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Book Chapter•
01 Jan 2004
TL;DR: This paper presents wikis as a useful tool for facilitating online education and illustrates how e-learning practitioners can and are moving beyond their comfort zone by using wikis to enhance the process of teaching and learning online.
Abstract: Wikis are fully editable websites; any user can read or add content to a wiki site. This functionality means that wikis are an excellent tool for collaboration in an online environment. This paper presents wikis as a useful tool for facilitating online education. Basic wiki functionality is outlined and different wikis are reviewed to highlight the features that make them a valuable technology for teaching and learning online. Finally, the paper discuses a wiki project underway at Deakin University. This project uses a wiki to host an icebreaker exercise which aims to facilitate ongoing interaction between members of online learning groups. Wiki projects undertaken in America are outlined and future wiki research plans are also discussed. These wiki projects illustrate how e-learning practitioners can and are moving beyond their comfort zone by using wikis to enhance the process of teaching and learning online.
321 citations
"Web 2.0 and Virtual World Technolog..." refers background in this paper
...Augar et al. (2004) discuss the use of a wiki to host an icebreaker exercise that is aimed at facilitating interaction among members of online learning groups....
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TL;DR: This investigation presents an evaluative case study of the pedagogical implications of using one 3D virtual world, Active Worlds, for synchronous distance education and reveals that this technology supports constructivist learning environments.
Abstract: Three-dimensional (3D) virtual worlds are a new technology that holds some promise as constructivist learning environments for distance education. This investigation presents an evaluative case study of the pedagogical implications of using one 3D virtual world, Active Worlds, for synchronous distance education. The research design for this qualitative study focuses on the pedagogical affordances and constraints. Methods employed in the data collection include participatory observations, class logs, and formal and informal interviews with the instructor of a synchronous distance learning course offered through Active Worlds University. Findings reveal that although Active Worlds provides tools that support constructivist learning environments, the affordances and constraints of the tools (discourse, experiential, and resource) may, to varying degrees, impact the pragmatic use of this medium. While this initial investigation reveals that this technology supports constructivist learning environments, more r...
290 citations
"Web 2.0 and Virtual World Technolog..." refers background in this paper
...Of course, as with the other technologies noted in our discussion, there are advantages and disadvantages to using Virtual Worlds (Dickey, 2003)....
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