Abstract

= Abstract = This thesis – ”Web 2.0 i formel læring” – explores the potential of using web 2.0 media in a formal learning context. The use of Web 2.0 media has become a widespread phenomenon in Danish people’s private sphere with e.g. 2.5 million users on Facebook (July 2010), and children and young people are so-called “heavy users”. In a formal learning context – that is within the Danish schools and in higher education – it is rare to see web 2.0 media used in a learning context and you will more often hear discussions or decisions to close down pupils’ and students’ access to web 2.0 media within the borders of the school.

This thesis aims to explore the potential of including web 2.0 media in formal learning and education instead of banning it. Web 2.0 is here to stay, it is widespread and it seems to appeal especially to youngsters. Next to that web 2.0 seems to have certain characteristics which might support training competences such as collaboration, relation making and knowledge sharing, besides training skills to be able to self produce, use and re-use of resources across contexts. The thesis aims to explore whether such competences are valuable in formal education and whether web 2.0 can mediate new working and collaboration forms, which can be didactic relevant and valuable methods in formal learning. The next thing which is discussed and explored is how and to what extent web 2.0 media can contribute to the development of competences needed in a globalized knowledge society as ours. A society which is characterized by sudden and rapid changes and a high complexity in the surrounding world and where answers to complex challenges cannot be solved with simple solutions. Which competences are needed in such a society and how may web 2.0 media be helpful in achieving this in formal education?

Main lines in learning theory in the 21st century are viewed and used for the purpose of finding theoretical background for using web 2.0 media in a learning context – that is cognitivism, radical constructivism, activity theory and theory about learning as participation in communities of practice. The distinctive features of web 2.0 media and their distinctive ways to be used in informal practices are viewed in a learning theoretical perspective to see if and which learning theoretical perspective that might support the use of web 2.0 media in formal learning.

In relation to the question about to what extent web 2.0 media can contribute to the development of competences needed in a globalized knowledge society, the reference point is L. Qvortrup’s view of our society as a hyper complex knowledge society. L. Qvortrup has argued that three competences are the most important: the //reflection// competence, the //relation// competence and the //meaning// competence and as such they constitute the hyper complex society’s competence profile, which we should train our youngsters for. Web 2.0 media is evaluated to see if it can support the development and training of these three competences in a formal learning context.

Two cases where web 2.0 media are used in formal learning are analyzed.

One case is where a blog was the central media for discussions and feedback. Danish legislation for the work of social and health workers was the formal topic and the teacher had developed a real life case to which some questions and dilemmas were set up. The students should then discuss and give solutions to the elements of the case on the blog. The teacher had used Facebook to recruit some social and health workers who were working in practice, and the teacher as well as the practitioners gave feedback to and discussed with the students and asked additional questions on the blog. At the same time there was a closed Facebook group, where the teacher and the practitioners could discuss how to guide and comment on the students’ work.

The other case is where a wiki was the central media for students to collaborate on building a fictitious but yet realistic town – “Funkytown”. They should collaborate on building this fictitious town in a wiki and the aim was to develop a collective cognition among students by the combination of using a wiki and making the right didactic design – that is to achieve a collective cognition of knowledge on complex matters. Second to that it was also the aim to investigate the teacher’s role in a wiki building project.

It was found that web 2.0 media can be used to support formal learning activities and that web 2.0 media first of all supports a learning theoretical perspective which views learning as participation in communities of practice. The ‘nature’ of web 2.0 supports collaborative activities when it is placed in the right didactic design and learning can be viewed as a matter of collaborative participation rather than individual acquisition of knowledge objects. It was also found that substantial conflicts can be identified between the learning theoretical thinking that lies implicit in the formal educational system, where learning is seen as an individual acquisition of knowledge objects which contrasts the ‘nature’ of web 2.0 media where learning can be seen as collaborative participation in communities of practice and where use, re-use and building on others’ materials are central.

Web 2.0 media was also found to exhibit relevant characteristics to support development of cempetences needed in a globalized, hyper complex society - refelction, relation and meaning competences - when the rigth didactic design was put in place.

//"Web 2.0 i formel læring" v. Kirsten 'Brohuus' Lund// //Blog: [|http://socialmedia.brohuus.dk]//