User:Eleyus

Project Timeline: September 4 - December 22, 2010   (34 hours)

'''Week1  -     Getting acquainted with the tools  '

 Exploring Web 2.0 Concepts and Getting Started with Web 2.0 Tools'''

Welcome to "Internet Technologies for ELT."

It is our first project to be done online. The first courses were offered by way of email, almost all information was text-based with static images thrown in to spice things up and to aid with comprehension. In the world of Web 2.0, the paradigm has changed radically, from a focus on information dissemination to information sharing and collaboration that allow us to become more intelligent working as a group than we could be working alone. The method of delivery has changed from text based to multimedia. We can express our ideas with text, images, audio, and video. In a real sense, the notion of literacy has changed forever. No longer can one be considered a literate person, able to fully participate in 21st century society, without mastering a digital skill set that includes finding, evaluating, organizing, archiving, authoring and publishing digital materials. In addition, in our globalized world, it is becoming essential for students and workers to go online to collaborate at a distance. We, as teachers, need to become comfortable with the new Web 2.0 tools, recognizing their educational potential and integrating them into our every day teaching. Our students may be "digital natives," having grown up surrounded by technology, but they need our guidance and support in putting these tools to work in appropriate ways that will serve them well in academia, the workplace and their daily lives.

Web 2.0 tools are being introduced at such a dizzying rate that it can be overwhelming. My biggest challenge in this course is to decide which tools to highlight. In the months during which I have put this course together, numerous new tools have come on the scene and others have faded in popularity. So, I will do my best, using multimedia resources as well as a variety of collaborative learning activities, to introduce you to the world of Web 2.0 in education. This course is a work-in-progress and I appreciate your feedback both during and after the course is finished. I look forward to exploring with you and learning with you.