Chapter 1 Introduction
6.2 Current use of Web 2.0 tools
6.2.2 Why teachers are using Web 2.0 tools
The findings from the analysis of the interview data gathered in this study have shown that Web 2.0 tools such as Facebook, Cartoon Maker and Padlet are being used in secondary school classrooms. These Web 2.0 tools provide learning opportunities that can be used by both teachers and students. During data analysis, three main themes emerged in connection with the reasons explaining teachers’
integration of Web 2.0 tools in teaching and learning. They were related to motivation and teaching of abstract concepts.
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Teachers’ motivation to try out these tools to enhance classroom collaboration were mostly influenced by their decisions to improve the lesson delivery and to engage students with the learning activities. This is expressed in the quotes below.
Students are already exposed to technology and using these tools in an efficient way can help them to be equipped for the 21st century job market requirements.
[Participant 3]
Involving technological tools that enable critical thinking, collaborative learning, and communicating skills is indeed very crucial both for me and my students as I believe I can capture their attention and enhance their learning and develop the skills our students [need] in the 21st century. [Participant 8]
I use technology every day and am almost online all the time. I communicate with people, check my mail and surf on the net with my smartphone. I find it easier to communicate with my students at any time and share my lessons notes with them.
[Participant 11]
The researcher believes that these teachers have a passion that pushes them to excellence in their job and drives their students to excellence and innovation in their studies. They are always looking forward to improving their practice and finding new ways to motivate students to grow through real work in and out of the classroom.
According to the participants, students are more motivated to work when class activities are designed with the use of Web 2.0 tools. This is pointed out in the quotes below.
Students are motivated and show enthusiasm when class activities involve the use of the Internet. It is something different and something they often ask for. Rather than being passive recipients, they are active and enjoy participating. [Participant 3]
I have students who rarely participate in class discussion, but they are quite talkative when participating in group discussion on Facebook. They show motivation to contribute in group work when online. [Participant 11]
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This finding is consistent with the study conducted by Jimoyiannis et al. (2013) who claimed that students' critical thinking, writing, and reflection; and engagement in information sharing and social learning can be reinforced by the learning opportunities offered by Web 2.0 tools. If students may be showing more interest in their studies this may be due the fact that students can now create, consume and share independently produced information, remixing content in creating new content with tools that they currently use.
6.2.2.2 Teaching of abstract concepts
Some participants reported that technology can help in the teaching of topics that students usually have difficulties in grasping. These participants reported that with the integration of videos, obtained from YouTube, in their teaching, their students are now able to better understand difficult or abstract topics. This is clearly expressed by Participant 14 and Participant 15 in the following quotes.
Technology helps me make things more visible and real for my learners. They’re more able to understand ideas and concepts with better visuals. I download videos from YouTube and bring in my classes. It is easier for me to teach biology topics such as metamorphosis or breathing movement using videos [Participant 14]
There are tons of free educational videos that are available online through YouTube and TeacherTube. These online tools allow me to download videos that help me teach abstract phenomena and simulations in my science classes. [Participant 15]
These participants are innovative teachers who are looking for ways to enhance the teaching of difficult or abstract topics for the betterment of their students. This finding concurs with the outcome from a study conducted by Willmot et al (2012) who argue that the use of video in student-centred learning activities can encourage and engage students to enhance their learning.
Accessibility was another theme that explained the participant’s integration of Web 2.0 tools in teaching and learning. According to the participants, Web 2.0 tools are providing a new space for communication, interaction and collaboration among teachers and students. The participants argued that the educational dialogue may
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continue after school through social media where teachers may provide relevant material or students can discuss, comment and present their work. The participants in this study have also reported that with tools like Facebook, students can engage in group projects and continue their schoolwork outside the classroom, which reflects the findings of Carter et al. (2008) and Grisham (2014). This is illustrated in the quotes below.
I think it’s a good idea to use Web 2.0 tools because we can be in touch with our students through Facebook even after school hours to discuss. Students can communicate among themselves doing a common project work or contact their teachers for extra help even after school hours. [Participant 10]
I have used Facebook as a tool to help me in my teaching. I have created a group where my students have become members. It is very easy for us to communicate using that group. I invite students to post any area of difficulty and ask other students to share their views. I can also see what they are sharing and what are their difficulties.
[Participant 6]
I usually spare some time, about an hour, on Facebook during the weekend to attend to queries, if any, from my students about their work. [Participant 11]
These participants are bringing new ways of teaching to support instruction and learning by implementing Web 2.0 tools in their professional practice. They are so passionate about the use of technology in their professional lives that they spare some time after school hours to be in touch (online) with their students in order to help them. Fewkes and McCabe (2012) have also argued that both student–teacher and student–student collaboration, extra help from the teacher concerning homework or revision work are possible when using Facebook for teaching and learning.
However, some teachers are using Web 2.0 tools in ways that take no advantage of the technology’s social affordances, for instance, posting to students reminders about homework and upcoming class tests on Facebook; however, the same task could be achieved by using email (Henderson et al., 2013). An example of this is the quote from Participant 8:
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When I had to remind them about the deadline for submission of their work, I post messages in my wall on Padlet. [Participant 8]
Ertmer & Ottenbreit-Leftwich (2013) and Wang et al. (2014) have also found that technology was still being used in ways that were neither meaningful nor student- centred but in ways that supported traditional practices. Many teachers are not using Web 2.0 technologies to their potentials (An & Williams, 2010) and one possible reason, in the researcher’s view, might be that for some teachers social networking technologies were developed for social purposes and were inappropriate for classroom use.