Web 2.0 Learn - A Fusion Project 2008

Web 2.0 Learn A Fusion Project 2008 Anthony Beal NWDA, Warrington 21st November 2008

Background • Web 2.0 – a World Wide Web technology…that aims to enhance creativity, information sharing, and, most notably, collaboration among users. • These concepts have led to the development and evolution of web-based communities and hosted services, such as social-networking sites, wikis, blogs, and folksonomies. (Wikipedia, 2008)

Common Web 2.0 technologies • Facebook and MySpace – social networking sites in which users can make friends with other users and exchange information through online discussion or the exchange of video and audio files • YouTube – video upload site, where users are invited to contribute their own video clips • Flickr – photograph upload site, where users can upload their photograph collections • Wikipedia – an online encyclopaedia, the contents of which are contributed, updated and regulated by its users

Aim • The overall aim of this project is for two selected curriculum areas from West Cheshire College, (those of Hospitality and Catering and Retail) to engage with employers in the development of training products and/or curricula through the use of Web 2.0 technologies

Objectives • To train and familiarise project partners in the use of Web 2.0 technologies • To generate proactive communities and online discussion between the college and its employers • To develop, produce and deliver online training resources through the use of Web 2.0 applications • To engage and collaborate with project stakeholders throughout the project • To raise awareness, amongst college staff and employer partners, of Web 2.0 as a tool for delivering training and learning

Stakeholders • West Cheshire College – Leo Appleton, Anthony Beal, Sean Herbert, Sharon Vaughan, Phil Renton • Cheshire Oaks – Geoff Ponter (Bose Corporation) • Catering Partners – James Parry, Laura Currie, Marcus Bean

Outputs • A You Tube account hosting more than 70 educational training videos produced by the Digital Media Department at West Cheshire College in response to employer need. • A staff development training programme, including hands on workshops and a web 2.0 awareness raising seminar, which was delivered to West Cheshire College staff during their staff development conference

Outputs • Web 2.0 Learn Facebook Group • Vocationally oriented groups within Facebook, enabling collaboration and communication between WCC staff and students and their employer partners. • Vocational Academy in Hospitality and Catering • Work Based Learners • WCC Music Network

Evaluation • Intention of the project was to evaluate how participants found the Web 2.0 platforms as tools for collaborative training • The project participants were invited to respond to a questionnaire, allowing such evaluation. All nine participants responded to the questionnaire

Which Web 2.0 applications do you make use of in your day to day life? • Facebook and MySpace (social networking sites) and all but one participant made regular use of one or both of these platforms. • All participants made regular use of YouTube, as a video sharing / viewing resource. • Five of the participants made regular use of photograph sharing platforms

Which Web 2.0 applications do you use in your work? • All WCC staff used Web 2.0 applications as part of their work (e.g. Facebook, Twitter, Del.ici.ous, MySpace, Slideshare, GoogleDocs, Flickr, YouTube) this was not the case for the employer participants • Some of the employer partners were restricted from using some Web 2.0 resources in the workplace, while others were in the habit of using social networks in a recreational capacity.

Can you see a role for Web 2.0 in the delivery of vocational learning? • All participants were agreed that Web 2.0 platforms enable a flexibility in collaboration that more formal, more restricted channels (e.g. like an institutional VLE) could not • One employer noted that he found it particularly useful being able to see and experience the kind of training that other employers were delivering or considering. This was enabled through the use of Facebook discussion

Conclusion • The nature of Web 2.0 and its continual growth in depth and popularity means that there is plenty of scope in which it can be used in a virtual learning capacity in order to bring partners together where limited time and space is available. • Demonstrated by producing and developing social networking spaces in which the collaborative community can gather, and has generated many online resources including video and PowerPoint training materials.

Anthony Beal • 01244 670578 • a.beal@west-cheshire.ac.uk

Web 2.0 Learn - A Fusion Project 2008

by Anthony Beal on Nov 20, 2008

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