MIPRO 2010, May 24-28, 2010, Opatija, Croatia

Implementation of Web 2.0 applications in education

PhD Nevenka Tatkovi, Mladen Boev, Tihana Putinja

University Juraj Dobrila
Department of Preschool and Primary Education
I.M.Ronjgova 1, Pula, Croatia
Tel: 00385-52-377-545 Fax:00385-52-377-550 E-mail: ntatkovic85@gmail.com, shenry12@gmail.com,
tihana358@gmail.com

Abstract media, mainly image and animation content, sought to

From the beginning of the Internet, users have been passive
recipients of the content on the World Wide Web. The
"Three R's: Reading, Receiving and Researching" is the
principle that has dominated. The technology of content
transfer from the author to the end user has been the main
constraint in the development of the content and the ways of
perception of that content on the Web. Technology has
evolved, increasing number of households and companies are
using broadband Internet connection, as well as universities,
to improve their educational and training activities.
Web 2.0 is an evolutionary step from the "old" Web. Users of
Web 2.0 and various Web 2.0 applications can customize the
shape and perception of the content they receive, as well as to
create, form and share the content with other users. The
principle of "Three R's" is replaced with the principle of
"Three C's: Contributing, Collaborating and Creating". Such
a principle is ideal for shaping new students', pupils' and
teachers' approaches to learning and teaching. This process
implies adjusting to new technology.
Social networking component is a component of almost every
Web 2.0 application. It strengthens and facilitates the
realisation of our natural human need to share what we know
and to learn from our colleagues and associates. Web 2.0
means the time has come to move from the traditional ways of
learning and teaching to contemporary, active, constructivist
learning and knowledge creation.
Keywords: Web 2.0, learning, teaching, pupils,
students.
I. INTRODUCTION
Evolution is a natural process of the development of
living beings. One of the characteristics of evolution is the
transfer of genes from one generation to another. This
process ensures the inheritance of characteristics from one
generation to another. Similarly, the Internet, a man's
creation with a goal of fastening the exchange of
information and knowledge, has its beginnings in 1969
with the creation of ARPANet network within the UCLA
Network Measurement Centre. The next generation arrived
as World Wide Web in 1990, which also marked the end of
the ARPANet network [1]. Today, in the 21st century, we
witness the development of Web 2.0.
Use of Internet before Web 2.0 is characterized by static
content, initially mainly in a textual form. Adding other
increase the interest of users. It is important to point out
that, before Web 2.0, users were just passive observers of
the content on the Internet and recipients of information
that they choose. User interaction is reduced to searching
and selecting content that he/she was interested in [2]. User
had no influence on the formation of the content on the
Internet, nor is it able to share his/her knowledge on the
Internet with other users without a major financial expense.
Such user's access to Internet content is described with the
principle of Three R's: Reading, Receiving, Researching
[3], which is not unusual given that this approach was
common with the use of books, magazines, newspaper
articles and other publications. In addition to human habits,
the limiting factor was the technology itself. Technology
was not available to everyone, for the financial and
technical reasons [4]. Today, efforts have been made
worldwide to make broadband Internet access and Internet
access generally, available to everyone. With further
progress and development, we came to the point where the
human expertise is more expensive than the technology
itself.
Web 2.0 has no single description that solves the
mystery behind the numeric label "2.0". Web 2.0 is made
of a set of technologies and related achievements, such as
blogs, wikis, podcasts, RSS, etc. Unique and primary
feature of the listed services is social networking, a term
very popular in recent years. Web 2.0 applications and
services fundamentally alter the role of the end user as a
passive recipient of content. Users are now actively
involved and participate in the formation and organization
of the content on the Internet; they search for information
and knowledge that they are interested in, organize it in a
way that best suits them, shaping it and supplementing it
with their own knowledge and experiences and share it
with other Internet users –family, friends, colleagues or
other Internet surfers. This approach is described with the
principle of the Three C's: Contributing, Collaborating and
Creating [5]. We can conclude that Web 2.0 is primarily
based on the users, and the new technology helps them in
the implementation of two-way communication with other
users, creating the necessary social contact, which was the
primary deficiency of the first Web, i.e. Web 1.0, adding
the possibility of exchange of their knowledge and
experiences.

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II. WEB 2.0 FOR TEACHERS
There are many Web 2.0 applications and services, from
those intended for a wider group of users to those
specialised only for certain users and experts. Of course,
there are also tools designed for teachers that can help
them in the preparation, organization and teaching.
There are several examples of tools that are helpful to
teachers:
x TeacherTube.com
x Flickr
x Google Docs
x Delicious
A. TeacherTube.com
Technologically speaking, TeacherTube.com does not
differ from similar services for the distribution of
audio/video content (YouTube, Vimeo). Compared with
those services, what makes it different is the subject of the
content provided. Materials on TeacherTube.com have
educational nature, mainly oriented to the children of
preschool and school age. Besides that, TeacherTube.com
is not intended only for sharing video content, but also for
exchanging all multimedia elements and files; from
audio/video files, pictures and text documents to
animations. Navigation of the web site is divided by the
mentioned categories, which are further divided according
to the latest additive materials, most reviewed materials,
materials that are most discussed, etc. Social component is
realized through blogs, forums, working groups, and the
possibility of making comments on one's published
materials. Administrators take care of the quality and
appropriateness of the content, removing any content that
is valued as inappropriate.
Although TeacherTube.com is primarily intended for
English-speaking area, our teachers can also use it as a
help in designing teaching materials and creating
incentives for students. This is primarily a place where
young and beginning teachers can get inspiration for
enriching their work with students, where they can share
their experiences, advices and materials with the aim of
further development of their teaching competences.
B. Flickr
Flickr is certainly the most famous service for
organizing and sharing pictures and photos. Images and
photos can be shared with the entire world, or they can be
private and shared with a particular audience, family,
colleagues, students, etc. In comparison to other similar
services (Pbase, Photo.net), it is distinguished by its
possibility of marking and commenting on images, and a
strong emphasis on the component of sharing and
connectivity with other Flickr users. Parts of the picture
can be labelled in order to draw attention to smaller details
and important parts. Comments can also be added to
pictures in order to put it in a certain context or explain
what the picture represents. If the author/owner lets them,
other people can label and comment the pictures.
Networking component is also evident in the networking
of users in groups according to common interests, which
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allows them to share their own photos according to those
interests. Teachers can use this option for creating groups
of students from different classes, groups that contain
pictures from different excursions, workshops, etc. Art
teachers can use this feature to encourage students to
publish their pictures and photos within the art group or
individually.
The possibility of marking and commenting enables
teachers to offer rich image content to their students with
the necessary comments and explanations that students can
view at home. Also, if this is a photo of a work of art, it is
a great way of presenting it to students with marked and
commented details.
C. Google Docs
Preparation is an integral part of teacher's work. It
includes writing the lesson plan, making presentations as a
help in teaching and training. All that is usually performed
on a single computer with several locally installed
applications. Google Docs allows the transition from local,
which is often commercial, to global, network-connected
and free. Teachers can access their materials, preparations
and other documents and modify, edit and create them,
wherever they are as long as they have access to a
computer connected to the Internet. This approach allows
the teacher always to be ready and prepared, from
situations of malfunctioning of their own computer when
there is no need to recover the documents, since they are
already stored on the network within the Google Docs
application, to situations when they need to prepare for
lecture quickly, and they do not have their own computer
with them. Reasons that put Google Docs application
ahead of other applications of the same or similar purpose,
such as Buzzword, Zoho, OpenGoo, etc., is a stable and
good connection with other Google network services
(Gmail – email, Google Calendar – online calendar, Picasa
– online service for publishing albums of photos). This
application provides teachers with a simple network
system with similar, well-known interface for getting to
know students and making their first step from local to
global activity, reflection and work within the existing
educational system. Also, the global popularity and
distribution of Google, their commitment to development,
as well as their quality and contribution to the informatic
and educational community (Google Summer of Code),
should not be ignored.
Teachers can use this approach to familiarise students
with free applications as an alternative to commercial
solutions, which are certainly more desirable and better
than the illegal and pirate versions of commercial tools.
Students thus achieve the first steps in understanding and
protection of copyright law.
D. Delicious
Delicious is equally intended for teachers and other
employees. Briefly described, this is a social bookmarking
service. Users of Delicious can share bookmarks with other
services, simply assigning them tags. To other users this is
a time-saving way of finding specific, recommended and
popular content on the Internet.
This way, teachers can share more easily bookmarks on
interesting content with their colleagues, helping each
other and improving the quality of their work. They can
also direct students to content that can help them in
learning and that can supplement the curriculum materials.
This also applies to sharing bookmarks among students, on
the content that helped them in understanding particular
material, and in the preparation of individual tasks.
Delicious is a pioneer in its field and covers a broad
customer base. After being purchased by Yahoo - company
for Web search, it was integrated into the existing system
of Yahoo e-mail. This has increased its customer base, and
thereby facilitated tagging and sharing content on the
Internet. A comparative content analysis of Delicious and
similar services such as Digg and StumbleUpon, has
shown that Delicious has more serious content, less media
prominent but no less important and useful.
III. WEB 2.0 FOR PUPILS
It is more difficult to determine which applications or
services would be appropriate for students. The problem is
in the content and the language of these services.
Regarding content, students should primarily be taught
to recognize what is true, valid, tested and trusted content.
Also, it is very easy to find inappropriate content for
children, since Internet is a place of free speech. Parents,
teachers and preschool teachers play a key role in teaching
children how to search and navigate through content on the
Internet, and how to evaluate what is true and what is not.
As for the language of services, most commonly a
service in English is a problem for children of preschool
age. Although the Ministry of Science, Education and
Sports has started many projects in cooperation with the
Croatian Academic and Research Network CARNet, the
number of services is relatively small and limited to
primary education and higher [6]. Accordingly, a review of
three Croatian services for pupils in primary and secondary
school is presented, which can also be useful to students,
educational and academic workers.
A."Školska uilica"
"Školska uilica" is intended for pupils in elementary
schools [7]. It is an online quiz to test knowledge in all
areas of primary education. Also, part of "Školska Uilica"
is "Prometna Uilica" which teaches students to behave
safely in traffic. "Školska uilica" is the only application of
that purpose within the Croatian network space. Similar
applications exist in the form of CDs, but this does not
make them significantly practical. To use the "Školska
uilica" students need to have their AAI @ EduHr user
code and a computer that is connected to the Internet.
B. National portal for distance learning "Nikola Tesla"
National portal for distance learning "Nikola Tesla" is a
system that enables computer-based teaching and learning,
using digital educational content.
The portal includes:
x activities in mathematics, physics, biology,
chemistry and English language for secondary schools
x ECDL modules, which include content intended
for the acquisition of basic computer literacy diploma
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x courses on the application and use of the Internet
and tools to create content for it.
Activities in mathematics, physics, biology and
chemistry are composed of 120 lessons per subject and
include the complete teaching materials for secondary
school, while the English language is divided into two
levels, each level including 24 lessons. Content can be
used for self-learning (student activities) or in the teaching
process (teaching activities). Lessons are presented through
multimedia with animated examples, audio-visual
simulation of experiments and interactive elements, to
facilitate understanding of the material by making it easier
and more interesting [8].
IV. CONCLUSION
Schools, teachers and pupils entered the 21st century,
century of many cultural and technological changes. These
changes cover all spheres of human activity and life, as
evidenced by the development of Internet and its constant
development that led to Web 2.0, as well as by the
appearance of "digital natives", "some new children".
Today's children use naturally the available technology, as
an "extended arm", and exploit it the best possible way,
from learning to entertainment. However, the problem
appears regarding the content of learning, because this very
content is edited by teachers who are "digital newcomers"
in the 21st century. In contrast with pupils, teachers use
technology more poorly and they adapt to it more slowly.
Also, teaching methods have not changed, and still tend to
be very economical.
Internet and today's Web 2.0 applications and services
move school boundaries, changing conception of schools
as institutions where students just passively sit and
"absorb" knowledge trough transmission. Web 2.0 enables
teachers to encourage independent learning of their pupils
and to familiarize them with the shaping and sharing
content and knowledge. Knowledge is not exclusively
possessed by individuals – teachers, knowledge is in the
community and it should be received through social
networking, shaped according to one's existing knowledge
and shared with other members of the community.
The only problem imposed is a weak offer of Web 2.0
applications and services in Croatian language for our
youngest pupils. Further research on this form of learning,
and investment of the responsible Ministry in projects of
teaching and learning with the expert help of CARNet, our
pupils, our "digital natives", will get the kind of education
they deserve.
REFERENCES
[1] Webopedia. Brief Timeline of the Internet.
(http://www.webopedia.com/quick_ref/timeline.asp, 1st
February 2010)
[2] M. Matijevi, Internet, osobna raunala i nova obrazovna
sredina. In: Previši, V., Šoljan, N. and Hrvati, N. (eds.),
Pedagogija: prema cjeloživotnom obrazovanju i društvu
znanja. Zagreb: Hrvatsko pedagoško društvo, pp.159-172,
2007.
[3] S. Hargadon, Educational Networking: The important role
Web 2.0 will play in education.
(http://www.stevehargadon.com/2009/12/social-
networking-in-education.html, 1st February 2010)
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[5] S. Hargadon, Educational Networking: The important role
Web 2.0 will play in education.
(http://www.stevehargadon.com/2009/12/social-
networking-in-education.html, 1st February 2010)
[6] Z. Dovedan, "Nove tehnologije i obrazovanje",
Informatologia, vol. 36, 1, pp. 54-57, 2003.
[7] CARNet. Školska uilica
(http://www.carnet.hr/skolska_ucilica, 1st February 2010)
[8] CARNet. Nacionalni portal za uenje na daljinu "Nikola
Tesla".
(http://www.carnet.hr/nacionalni_portal_za_udaljeno_ucenj
e_nikola_tesla, 1st February 2010)

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