Web 2.0 Tools for the Teaching of EFL

María Irene Albers de UrriolaMaría Irene Albers de UrriolaM.A in Applied LinguisticsM.A in Applied Linguistics

Universidad Simón BolívarUniversidad Simón Bolívar

Specialist in Computer Technology in EducationSpecialist in Computer Technology in Education

Universidad de CaraboboUniversidad de Carabobo

What is Web 2.0 ?

Web 2.0 is the representation of the evolution of traditional applications towards web

applications focused on the final user.

Web 2.0 is an actitud not a technology, it implies reading and

writing, not just reading.María Irene Albers de UrriolaMaría Irene Albers de UrriolaM.A in Applied LinguisticsUniversidad Simón BolívarSpecialist in Computer Technology in EducationUniversidad de Carabobo

Advantages of using Web 2.0 tools:

Organize to-do itemsStore filesSocial connectionsCreation of photo albums

María Irene Albers de UrriolaMaría Irene Albers de UrriolaM.A in Applied LinguisticsUniversidad Simón BolívarSpecialist in Computer Technology in EducationUniversidad de Carabobo

Disadvantages

Time managementPotential data lossLack of interoperabilityFormat changes (instability)Copy right restrictions


Platforms:

MoodleNicenetBSCW

ClarolineOlat


Moodle

• Moodle is a software package for producing internet-based courses and web sites. It's an ongoing development project designed to support a social constructionist framework of education. It’s an Internet Classroom Assistant (ICA) or Course Management System (CMS)

•Moodle is provided freely as Open Source software (under the GNU Public License).

•


http://download.moodle.org/

http://docs.moodle.org/en/Philosophy

http://www.opensource.org/docs/definition_plain.html

http://www.gnu.org/copyleft/gpl.html


NicenetNicenet set out to provide a tool that is very easy to adopt and use. The ICA requires only a web browser and a connection to the Internet, so there is no software to install or servers to manage.

The simple format of the system is highly intuitive highly intuitive with a very low learning curve, requiring no formal with a very low learning curve, requiring no formal training.training.

The interface has low graphical content to make it easy to use through a standard modem. Such a model allows teachers to incorporate the ICA based on their personal pedagogical priorities rather than institutional infrastructure


BSCWThe BSCW system supports collaboration by providing shared workspaces over the Internet.

It allows storage and retrieval of documents and sharing information within a group.

Each user is awared of the activities of others within the workspace.


http://www.bscw.de/

Tools for Teaching EFL

Weblog or simply blog:- A frequently updated website consisting of dated entries arranged in reverse chronological order so the most recent post appears first . - Are published by individuals and their style is personal and informal. - Simple and free publishing tools. Since anybody with a net connection can publish their own weblog, there is great variety in the quality, content, and ambition of weblogs.- A weblog may have anywhere from a handful to tens of thousands of daily readers.María Irene Albers de UrriolaMaría Irene Albers de Urriola

M.A in Applied LinguisticsUniversidad Simón BolívarSpecialist in Computer Technology in EducationUniversidad de Carabobo

Tools for Teaching EFLWeblogs providers:

Blogger: http//www.blogger.com

Xanga: http://www.xanga.com/

Wordpress: http//www.wordpress.com


Tools for Teaching EFLWiki:- server software that allows users to freely create and edit Web page content using any Web browser. - hyperlinks and has a simple text syntax for creating new pages and crosslinks between internal pages on the fly.- unusual among group communication mechanisms in that it allows the organization of contributions to be edited in addition to the content itself.

Like many simple concepts, "open editing" has some profound and subtle effects on Wiki usage. Allowing everyday users to create and edit any page in a Web site is exciting in that it encourages democratic use of the Web and promotes content composition by nontechnical users.


Tools for Teaching EFLWiki providers


Wikipedia: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Main_Page

Pbwiki: Wikispaces


The tools for pictures allow you to write or record messages for students to learn vocabulary, or grammatical structures.

The say that a picture is worth a thousand words is complemented with the stories you compose.



Bubbleshare: http://www.bubbleshare.com/

Flickr: http://www.flickr.com/

Picasa: http://picasa.google.com/



They help teachers and students to communicate and evaluate the progress in different areas.

Pronunciation, grammar, coherence, cohesion are some aspects for which these tools are useful for.




Elllo (English Listening Language Lab Online)http://www.elllo.org/

Eslcafe: http://www.eslcafe.com/

Chinswing: http://www.chinswing.com/

Cooperation and Writing

CooperationThe strategy used by teachers to make students

work together in search of getting the proposed goals, based on principles of equal participation, simultaneous interaction, individual accountability, and positive interdependence.

WritingBy using Web 2.0 tools students write and publish

their projects in the net, which could increase their motivation to writing as they know that other users, not only their teachers and peers could read their work.


Tools for Cooperating and Writing


Writeboard: http://www.writeboard.com/

Dekita: http://dekita.org/

Tools for Making Movies

Dfilm: http://www.dfilm.com/live/mm.html


Second Life

• Create your own avatar.• Design wonderful and unimaginable

places.• Make lots of friends.• Organize meetings.• Make your students meet there with

new personalities, isn’t it fun.


ReferencesHinchcliffe,D. (s/f) Dion Hinchcliffe's Web 2.0 Blog Retrieved on February 2nd., 2007 at http://web2.wsj2.com/the_best_web_20_software_of_2005.htm

O´Reilly, T. (2005) What Is Web 2.0Design Patterns and Business Models for the Next Generation of Software. Retreived on February 13, 2007 at

http://www.oreillynet.com/pub/a/oreilly/tim/news/2005/09/30/what-is-web-20.html

Risk Assessment For Use Of Third Party Web 2.0 Services Retreived on February 15, 2007 at www.ukoln.ac.uk/qafocus/documents/briefings/briefing-98/briefing-98-A5.doc Roush, W. (2006). Web 2.0's Startup Fever.

Software toolkits and cheap hardware have led to the comeback of the garage startup. But this time the boom is more rational. http://www.technologyreview.com/Infotech/16688/

http://web2.wsj2.com/







http://www.ukoln.ac.uk/qafocus/documents/briefings/briefing-98/briefing-98-A5.doc

http://www.ukoln.ac.uk/qafocus/documents/briefings/briefing-98/briefing-98-A5.doc

http://www.technologyreview.com/Infotech/16688/